About Dental Hygiene in Algonquin College

Give people a reason to smile.

The three-year Dental Hygiene Ontario College Advanced Diploma program, delivered over two and half years, combines theory and hands-on skills to prepare you for a challenging and rewarding career in preventive dental health care. It allows you to fulfil the role of the dental hygienist as researcher, advocate, educator, administrator, clinician and health promoter.

This program teaches you how to provide safe and effective dental hygiene care in collaboration with the client, community, and other healthcare providers. This happens through a variety of learning experiences including seminars, case presentations and on-site and off-site practicums. You provide preventive services in our on-site dental clinic under the supervision of Registered Dental Hygienists and Dentists. These experiences increase your employability upon graduation and help prepare you for the workforce.

This program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada. Graduates are eligible to write the National Dental Hygiene Certification Exam, which, once passed, allows you to register with the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario.

Once registered as a Dental Hygienist, you may find employment working in:

• general and specialty practices
• healthcare facilities
• community health settings
• research and education
• dental sales
• dental supply companies

SUCCESS FACTORS

This program is well-suited for students who:

• Are self-directed.
• Are critical thinkers.
• Are able to manage time and a demanding workload.
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Are detail-oriented, organized and committed to achieving excellence in their work.

Careers

Graduates may find employment as dental hygienists working in general and specialty practices, healthcare facilities, such as hospital dental clinics and long-term care facilities, community health settings, research and education, dental sales and dental supply companies.

Graduates must hold a credential as a Registered Dental Hygienist to practise in Ontario. In the final level of the program, students apply to the National Dental Hygiene Certification Board (NDHCB) to write the national exam upon graduation. Successful candidates are then eligible to apply for registration with the dental hygiene regulatory body in Ontario, the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario (CDHO).

Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. Practise in a professional and competent manner within the defined scope of practice and consistent with current regulations and standards of practice.
2. Evaluate clients` oral health status using determinants of health and risk analysis to identify needs, justify treatment decisions and provide appropriate referrals to other health care professionals as required.
3. Design, implement and evaluate a range of primary, interceptive, therapeutic, preventative and on-going oral health-care services to meet the unique needs of clients.
4. Analyze oral health issues in need of advocacy, identify networks and promote actions that will support change and facilitate access to care.
5. Identify, select, implement and evaluate quality assurance standards and protocols which contribute to a safe and effective working environment.
6. Establish and maintain professional and inter-professional relationships which contribute to client-care safety and positive health-care outcomes.
7. Facilitate the development of specific oral health attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviours in clients by selecting and utilizing principles of teaching and learning.
8. Develop and present a model for dental hygiene practice that addresses relevant business principles, current legislation and standards of practice.
9. Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

Program Eligibility

• English, Grade 12 (ENG4C or equivalent) with a grade of 65% or higher.

• Mathematics, Grade 11 or 12 (MBF3C or MAP4C equivalent) with a grade of 65% or higher.
• Biology, Grade 11 or 12 with a grade of 65% or higher.
• Chemistry, Grade 11 or 12 with a grade of 65% or higher.
• All applicants must complete an assessment of their knowledge and skills through the Test Centre, and pay an exam fee. Results from the Algonquin College Health Program Admissions Test (AC-HPAT) will be utilized to establish minimum eligibility and applicant ranking. The AC-HPAT can only be written once per academic cycle. For further information on the HPAT and how to book your assessment, please visit Algonquin`s Test Centre.
• Applicants with international transcripts must provide proof of the subject specific requirements noted above and may be required to provide proof of language proficiency. Domestic applicants with international transcripts must be evaluated through the International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS) or World Education Services (WES).
• IELTS-International English Language Testing Service (Academic) Overall band of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each band; OR TOEFL-Internet-based (iBT)-overall 88, with a minimum of 22 in each component: Reading 22; Listening 22; Speaking 22; Writing 22.
• International applicants who meet the program eligibility requirements are required to complete preparatory courses (4-months in duration): Introduction to Canadian Health Studies (ICHS). Students who successfully complete the introduction will then proceed to their original health program of choice. The ICHS requires applicants to submit an academic IELTS score.

Algonquin College Highlights

Algonquin College Average Tuition Fees And Other Expenses