Today's Bachelor's in Dental Hygiene is a great choice for students wanting to pursue an eventual career goal in the dental profession. Many graduates of this degree go on to extremely promising careers in dental hygiene as well as other dentistry work. Such promise can be seen in related, dental job outlooks that boast room for lots of new entrants and growth.

Beyond the many compelling reasons to pursue such a career, many go on to next consider the requirements encountered in earning the accolades to gain entrance into that career. In particular, what are the key courses in earning a four-year degree in dental hygienic studies? Each school has its own course requirements and may differ in some focuses. However, one can expect to be required to satisfactorily pass the following courses in virtually all formats of the degree.

Resource: 15 Most Affordable Online Dental Hygiene Degree Programs

Process of Care I

As its name denotes, this course is all about the actual process that is administered in handling each individual patient that may come into a practice. Students here will learn the exact sequence of care for each case. Such sequential components include assessments, planning, implementing treatment strategies, and more.

Process of Care II, III, IV

Above, we mentioned the basics of sequence learned in the Process of Care I course. Being able to understand and administer this sequence for each differing patient in a real-life situation is actually so important that there are multiple tiers of this course typically involved in the bachelor's in dental hygienic studies. Levels two, three, and four explore the more finite details of each step as well as individual patient conditions and circumstances that can completely dictate process of care.

Orofacial Biology

It's also very important that anyone working in the dental field possesses an in-depth knowledge of the physiology of the human mouth. In collegiate terms, this is represented by a course subject we refer to as Orofacial Biology. Upon completion of this course, students will feel intimately familiar with the palate, gums, skeletal structure, muscular structure, the frenulum, molars, incisors, and much more.

Oral Medicine

Picking up where Orofacial Biology leaves off, the Oral Medicine course will explore the anatomy of the mouth, but beyond this, specific conditions that can occur in different parts of the mouth. Students will learn about the many possible conditions, their individual attributes, assessment and treatment techniques, and more. This is particularly key, core material for the dentist or dental hygienist in training.

Cariology

Cariology is the study of dental caries, also known as tooth decay. How does it manifest, and what can best battle it? What are the active processes behind plaque, cavities, gingivitis, and others? One can expect to gain a thorough understanding of this commonly encountered dental dilemma through this course.

Virtually any career in dentistry is a good choice at this point in time. Getting there, though, requires some college coursework that will prepare anyone for treating the dental needs of others. These aforementioned courses are a crosscut example of the many that will be encountered in the Bachelor's of Dental Hygiene.