Dental Hygiene

On this exciting new degree programme, you’ll gain the skills and experience to become a confident and proficient dental hygienist. Upon successful completion of the course you will be eligible to apply for registration with the General Dental Council as a Registered Dental Hygienist.

Dental hygienists play a key role in preventing and treating periodontal disease and helping patients maintain good oral health. This rewarding career path will see you working closely with patients, helping them maintain their oral health and working as a core member of a wider multidisciplinary dental care professional team.

You’ll study at our brand new £3m dental school and treatment hub in Gloucester, Three Counties Dental School, due to open in 2027 in partnership with the NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB).

The dental school is also home to the Gloucestershire Dental Treatment Hub providing community NHS dental services offering dentistry to patients across Gloucestershire.

Please note: Modules for this course are still undergoing validation. They will be added to this page once the process has been completed.

In your first year, you’ll build strong theoretical foundations in dental hygiene, exploring topics such as oral anatomy, human physiology, oral health promotion. You will start exploring core concepts such as professionalism, multi-disciplinary team working and evidence-based practice. You will begin developing clinical skills in simulated environments, learning how to assess patients, carry out basic treatments and promote good oral health.

In Year 2, you’ll deepen your clinical knowledge and instrument skills and begin applying these in clinical settings. In readiness, you’ll study periodontal and preventative treatments, dental radiography, treatment planning, as well as ethical, legal and professional aspects of dental care.

In your final year, you’ll further develop and refine the advanced clinical skills required of dental hygienists as you progress your learning journey into external placements. You will learn how to manage more complex patient cases, complete your dissertation, and develop leadership skills to prepare you for professional practice as an autonomous, safe, dental care practitioner.

Successful completion of this BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene degree course will equip you with the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to apply for registration with the General Dental Council as a dental hygienist.

This marks the start of a rewarding career as a core member of the dental care team working in a sector which is currently experiencing workforce shortages at a time of high patient demand.