The dental hygienist is a member of the dental health team who provides educational, preventive, and therapeutic oral health services. Hygienists must use critical decision-making skills to reach conclusions about their patients’ and clients’ dental hygiene needs based on all available assessment data.
Skills and abilities this major develops: patient evaluation, critical thinking skills, scientific inquiry, ethical decision-making, ability to work with diverse populations, fine motor skills, communication skills, and knowledge of human anatomy.
About the dental hygiene major
Engaged learning experiences
Regardless of your major or future career, engaged learning is vital to your present and future. It makes you more marketable for jobs and professional schools upon graduation, it enables you to build deeper connections with faculty and staff in your field of study, and it makes your learning personal by connecting your interests and values with the curriculum from your classes. Check out the three ideas below for places to get started, or learn more at IUPUI’s Institute for Engaged Learning website.
Opportunities after graduation
Employment of dental hygienists is projected to grow 11% from 2020 to 2030, faster than the average for all occupations. About 15,600 openings for dental hygienists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as retirement (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2022).
According to the IUPUI First Destination Survey in 2021, the average starting salary reported for School of Dentistry graduates with a bachelor's degree was $61,500, and the median was $60,000.
The median annual salary for dental hygienists was $77,810 in May 2021 (Occupational Outlook Handbook).
(This section is intended for informational purposes, not prediction of actual salary.)
Dental hygiene students often pursue advanced degrees in the following areas:
- Business administration
- Dental hygiene
- Education
Quick facts
Sample coursework
- Anatomy and physiology
- Biochemistry and nutrition
- Chemistry
- Clinical periodontics
- General pathology
- Medical and dental emergencies
- Radiology
Possible careers
- Community health dental hygienist
- Corporate dental hygienist
- Dental hygienist clinician
- Educator
- Researcher
Where could I work?
- Government agencies
- Hospitals
- Medical and diagnostic labs
- Research organizations
Complementary interests
SSocial
RRealistic
CConventional
Where to get more information
Health and Life Sciences Cluster
This major belongs to the Health and Life Sciences (HLS) cluster.