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Ministry-approved title: Dental Hygiene
Specializing in preventive oral health, dental hygienists are key contributors to overall health, working collaboratively within interprofessional teams to deliver client-centred care. As a high-demand health-care profession, dental hygiene offers rewarding and flexible career opportunities across a variety of practice settings.
The program combines a strong foundation in current standards of practice and ethical principles with experiential learning supported by current technology. Students develop and refine clinical skills through progressive experience in the college’s on-site Dental Clinic, working with a diverse range of clients under the guidance of experienced faculty.
Please note: This program may be highly competitive and have a specific selection process and application deadline. Please refer to Admission Processes for details regarding highly competitive programs.
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The Dental Hygiene program prepares future dental hygienists to become leaders in the promotion of oral health. Integrating academic studies and clinical practice, the program prepares you to practice with the client and the community, providing collaborative oral health care in a variety of settings. The dental hygiene process of care is foundational to the clinical experience, emphasizing the acquisition of critical thinking skills while fostering a client-centred approach and upholding the most current standards of practice and ethical principles.
Students' acquisition of skills will progress from the demonstration of learning on a mannequin to student partners, followed by clients in the college’s Dental Clinic.
Dental hygiene is a self-regulated profession, and graduates must successfully complete the National board exam and registration requirements as determined by the College of Registered Dental Hygienists of Ontario. This program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada.
Please note: This six-semester, advanced diploma program has September and May intakes and is a 3-1-3 delivery model. This means students complete Semesters 1 through 3, then they have one semester off before completing Semesters 4 through 6.
The courses listed below are for incoming students. If you are a current student, please refer to your program of study for the year you began your program. Your program of study can be found on MyDC.
Courses, course descriptions and delivery formats are subject to change.
In person
Students will come to campus to complete in-person learning requirements. Detailed schedules, with course-specific delivery information, will be available after registration. Courses, course descriptions and delivery formats are subject to change.
School is an investment in your future, and financial support is available to help you succeed.
DC's Financial Aid and Awards is here to help you access funding and opportunities that make pursuing your education easier and more achievable:
Visit Financial Aid and Awards to explore all the options to help finance your education.
Students complete a clinical practice component that complements classroom learning and provides opportunities to apply the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required to become effective dental care providers. Clinical practice supports the progressive development of competence in a real-world care environment, working with clients under appropriate supervision.
There are costs associated with Electronic Requirements Verification (ERV), immunizations, lab tests, and certifications. Be sure to keep all receipts for income tax purposes. These costs include:
It is required that students have completed the ERV with Verified to be eligible for the clinic practice component of this program. Students must (at their expense) provide:
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Durham College also offers degree completion opportunities with a number of Canadian and international institutions. Sample diploma-to-degree opportunities include:
Please visit our pathways page to learn more about how you can transfer your credits towards a degree.
Looking for more pathway opportunities or to transfer to Durham College? Click here for more information.
To help students have the best remote learning experience possible, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified technology recommendations for each program based on course needs and software requirements. Students may want to consider these suggestions if they are purchasing a computer or laptop for the upcoming academic year.
Processor: i3 RAM: 4GB Storage: 256GB SSD Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional or Education x64 SP1 Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 11 or Google Chrome (newest version) or Firefox (newest version) Network Adapter: 802.11ac 2.4/5 GHz wireless adapter Camera: Webcam/built-in camera Internet connection
Questions regarding technology recommendations can be directed to the IT Service Desk or the school office.
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