Why study dental hygiene at Dal?
Learn in our new, modern dental clinic
Dental hygienists are health professionals who are educated to prevent dental disease and help people maintain oral health. Here in Dalhousie’s Faculty of Dentistry, you'll benefit from a current, dynamic, scientific, and professional education in a learning environment that is positive and student-centered. Additionally, you'll get to participate in extramural rotations at a variety of sites.
Degree overview
Diploma: Diploma of Dental Hygiene, DDHUndergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Dental Hygiene, BDH
Faculty: Faculty of Dentistry
Campus: Carleton Campus, Halifax
Diploma Length: 2 years
Degree Length: 1 year after completion of Diploma
Program Start: September
What will I learn?
Diploma in Dental Hygiene (DDH)
When you study dental hygiene at Dalhousie, you’ll learn about a wide variety of topics in the dental and medical professions. An emphasis is placed on technology, hands-on experience, and the applications you’ll use in your career, such as digital patient health records.
You’ll also learn in state-of-the-art facilities, such as Dalhousie’s dental clinic, that have the most up-to-date equipment available. You’ll leave with the knowledge and skills you need to become a qualified dental hygienist, whether you become part of a team in a private dental office or want to start your own dental hygiene practice.
Sample courses:
- Nutrition for Preventive Dentistry
- Oral Anatomy and Dental Histology
- Dental Hygiene Clinic
Bachelor of Dental Hygiene (BDH)
Once you’ve completed the DDH, you may opt to take our one-year degree completion program to receive your Bachelor of Dental Hygiene (BDH). The degree completion may be completed full-time (over a one-year period) or part-time (over a two-year period). You'll gain experience in areas such as alternative practice settings, research methods, health promotion, health policy, entrepreneurship, and teaching methods.
Visit the Academic Calendar to view degree options and course details.
Careers and future study
Your Diploma in Dental Hygiene (DDH) will prepare you with everything you need to know to become a licenced dental hygienist in Canada, the United States, and Australia. In addition, the Bachelor of Dental Hygiene (BDH) will prepare you for alternative clinical practice sites, research and teaching. Possible careers in dental hygiene include the following:
- clinical or mobile dental hygienists
- health educator or advocate
- dental health policy advisor
The natural next step after completing the DDH would be to take the Bachelor of Dental Hygiene completion program. After you’ve completed the BDH, you’ll be eligible to pursue a masters degree.
Admission requirements
Admission requirements vary based on your previous education and your intended program of study at Dalhousie. Applying for Dental Hygiene is done using the undergraduate application form and must be submitted to the Registrar's Office, with academic grades, by February 15 for you to be considered for admission in the following academic year.
School of Dental Hygiene equity, diversity, and inclusion
The School of Dental Hygiene is committed to increasing the number of qualified dental hygienists who are African Nova Scotian or Indigenous peoples of the Atlantic region.
Applicants from these groups who have completed the entrance requirements by May 30 of the year of expected entry, have achieved a B average or higher in a full course load (five courses per semester) in their most recent year of university study, and have acceptable scores on all other admissions criteria for entry to the Diploma in Dental Hygiene (DDH) program, will be admitted.