6. University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
Unlike many of the other schools in this top 10 list of best dental hygiene schools, the University of Washington-Seattle only offers a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in dental hygiene. That is, the school doesn’t have a bachelor’s degree. And in fact, their doctorate is one of only three in the country.
Many students who attend the University of Washington plan to teach or want to build careers around dental research. Therefore, the whole dental hygiene program is geared toward students on the teaching and research path. Plus, the school only accepts applicants who already have a degree in dental, medical, or life sciences. And what’s more, the university stresses that their applicants usually have demonstrated backgrounds with laboratory research or related skills.
The University of Washington has a flexible dental hygiene curriculum, giving students the ability to arrange their classes to meet their individual educational or research goals. Additionally, each student must complete a capstone research project that aims to improve or further understand oral health care. As such, the program has research-focused electives that help students prepare literature reviews and present at conferences and seminars.
5. Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)
The Ohio State University has the state’s only public dental hygiene program, and the College of Dentistry has BSDH and MSDH paths; the college is the fourth-largest public dental school in the country. The program combines classroom instruction with laboratory and clinical experiences to build well-rounded professionals. Moreover, the master’s degree, which is designed for students pursuing teaching or leadership positions, is entirely online.
Students are required to train in one of the university’s many campus-based clinics. For instance, fourth-year BSDH students work with faculty for 50 days in various community clinics and practices that reach Ohio’s underserved population. Through this hands-on training, Ohio State is preparing students to pass their board exams. In fact, the first-attempt pass rate for graduates taking the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination was 100% for 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Ohio State is also a major research institution, with dental faculty members recently securing grants from prestigious grantors like the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health.
4. New York University (New York, NY)
New York University offers an associate’s degree in dental hygiene and a BSDH through the Office of Allied Health Programs in the College of Dentistry. Both programs are flexible; the AAS has a fast track that can be completed in 17 months or a more extended option that graduates students in 3 years. Similarly, the bachelor’s degree can be obtained in as little as three years.
The NYU dental hygiene program is clinical-based, with many opportunities for outreach in the surrounding community. For example, all students rotate through clinical specialties in orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, and more before graduation, sometimes working in hospital clinics. And despite this hands-on and applied skills approach to education, some of the classroom-based courses can be taken online.
NYU’s bachelor’s program is somewhat unique because of its internship program. Students need to complete two internships, but opportunities are available to specialize in healthcare management, public health, education and training, or research.
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