5 Prerequisites You Need To Have For Different Dental Hygiene Degree Types

When you want to pursue a degree in dental hygiene you would need to fulfill certain prerequisites. A dental hygienist provides therapeutic, clinical and educational services to his/her patients in terms of their oral health. This means that in order to become a dental hygiene professional you need to have a comprehensive educational background. Every dental school offering dental hygiene programs has prerequisites that need to be fulfilled before getting enrolled.

5 Basic Prerequisites

Even though the conditions vary from one school to another, the 5 basic requirements are:

1.Applicants should be above 18 years of age.
2.Applicants need to have completed a GED or a high school diploma.
3.A minimum average of "C" in their high school.
4.Desired subjects in high school like mathematics, biology, chemistry or others.
5.Desirable college entrance exam scores.

Some of the schools offering dental hygiene programs may require you to have studied subjects like English, Sociology, Psychology and Speech. The enrollment process may also involve a dexterity test, a personal interview as well as essay writing.
Once enrolled, you must look ahead to a minimum 2 years program if you are pursuing a certificate, diploma or associate's degree. There are other programs in dental hygiene that can be for as long as 4 years. And, for those who want to pursue an advanced career in research, education or administration, a number of schools also offer programs in master's degree where the prerequisites will vary a lot. Make sure that you maintain decent grades in your high school, as some of the dental hygienist schools can require a minimum GPA of 2.5, while there are some that also accept students with a GPA of 2.0.

Associate Degree

For an Associate Degree in Dental Hygienist Program you would be required to:

*Show one year in college classes
*High school transcripts
*Scores of college entrance exam

The prerequisites may vary from one dental school to another. For example some may require specific subjects like English composition, or Computer Science, or Microbiology in their previous year.

Bachelor's Degree

For a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene, the prerequisites for enrollment are:

*2 years of undergraduate study
*High school transcripts
*Scores of college entrance exam
*May also require specific coursework

Some schools may require you to have a background coursework with subjects like natural sciences, history, visual and performing arts, behavioral and social science, statistics, research design, communications or math.