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What Can I Do with a Bachelor's Degree in Dental Hygiene?
Discover the career possibilities you can pursue with a bachelor's in dental hygiene, whether you are new to the field or seek new career opportunities.
Advance Your Dental Career: Pathways to Growth and Leadership
A career in dental health offers stability, meaningful work, and diverse opportunities for growth. Whether you’re a Licensed or Registered Dental Hygienist (LDH/RDH), an experienced dental assistant, or just starting out, understanding your educational options is the key to unlocking the next level of your professional journey.
Dental hygienists not only provide preventive care, but they also educate patients about the oral–systemic connection and how oral health affects conditions like diabetes and heart disease. To find the path that’s right for you, choose where you are today:
1. I am already a dental hygienist with an associate degree
You’ve earn an Associate of Science (AS) degree and achieved your professional licensure. Now, it's time to see how a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Dental Hygiene can advance your career.
AS to BS Dental Hygiene Bridge Program
An AS to BS bridge program lets you earn your bachelor’s degree in DH faster than a conventional bachelor’s degree program. For example, our online Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene – Bridge program is designed for licensed dental hygienists and may be completed in as few as 12 months.
In as little as one year, this bridge program advances your clinical foundation into professional leadership. You’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to move into management or teaching roles and become a leader who influences patient care, teams, and the dental hygiene profession.
Benefits of an Online Dental Hygiene Bridge Program
- Complete your degree 100% online.
- Earn your bachelor’s degree in as few as 12 months.
- Work full- or part-time while you earn your degree.
- Focus your studies on the advanced topics needed for leadership: public health, research, and management.
Career Benefits of Earning a BS in Dental Hygiene
In addition to expanding your dental knowledge and skills, a bachelor’s degree can open the door to higher-paying roles where an advanced degree is often required, such as corporate educator or program administrator.
As a dental hygienist, a bachelor’s degree can help prepare you for leadership positions where you can make a significant impact:
- Public health policy: Work in public health to shape policies that increase access to care in underserved communities.
- Education: Become a clinical instructor or program director to mentor the next generation of professionals.
- Dental Hygiene Research: Participate in clinical research that advances best practices and new technologies in the field.
- Administrative/Management Roles: Oversee clinical operations as a Clinical Director or Practice Manager.
2. I am a dental assistant
The knowledge and experience you’ve gained as a dental assistant—scheduling appointments, preparing patients, and sterilizing instruments—is a great foundation for the next step: becoming a dental hygienist.
How to Become a Dental Hygienist (DA to LDH/RDH)
The path from dental assistant to hygienist involves a few key steps:
- Enroll in an accredited degree program. Apply and be accepted into a Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)-accredited dental hygiene program.1 These programs combine classroom study with supervised clinical experience.
- Earn your associate or bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene. Programs typically take 2–4 years to complete. Students may choose to earn their associate degree first, and then potentially bridge to a BS in Dental Hygiene in the future.
- Get certified and obtain licensure. To become a licensed DH, you must pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) and a regional clinical and state licensing exams.
Job and Salary Outlook for Dental Hygienists
Dental hygienists typically earn a significantly higher average salary than dental assistants:*
| Job / career | Per hour | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Assistants | $23.49 | $48,860 |
| Dental Hygienists | $45.14 | $93,890 |
| U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Occupational employment and wage statistics, May 2024: All data. United States Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm. | ||
This difference reflects the increased education, licensure requirements, and expanded scope of clinical practice (e.g., scaling and root planing, performing oral assessments, and administering local anesthesia in many states).
Additionally, the job outlook for dental hygienists according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics is very positive, with employment expected to grow 7% from 2024-2034, faster than the average across all other U.S. occupations.
Enrolling in a dental hygiene program
Herzing University offers a comprehensive dental hygiene program on-campus in Minneapolis. The CODA-accredited program offers a structured, hands-on learning environment putting academic learning into practice.1
This pathway offers key benefits for students:
- Fundamental knowledge and skills: Prepare for medical emergencies, preclinical and clinical practice, dental management and technology, pathology, and dental radiography
- Direct clinical experience: Train in state-of-the-art labs and clinical settings with real patients.
- Faculty mentorship: Receive personalized guidance from experienced dental hygienist faculty.
3. I am new to the dental field
The dental industry is a stable and rewarding sector of healthcare. Whether you prefer a quick entry point or a longer-term educational commitment, there's a path for you. Two key careers are dental hygiene and dental assisting:
Dental Hygienist vs. Dental Assistant
- Dental assistant: Earning your diploma or associate degree in dental assisting is a great way to enter the field quickly. DAs work alongside a dentist to schedule appointments, sterilize equipment, take X-rays, and educate patients. You can earn your diploma or associate degree in 16-20 months.
- Dental hygienist: Dental hygienists are licensed clinicians who perform more advanced, independent care. They remove plaque and calculus, apply preventive materials like fluoride and sealants, and provide in-depth patient education. You'll need at least an associate degree from a CODA-accredited school, but many pursue a bachelor’s degree for increased earning potential and career advancement.
Job Outlook for Dental Careers
Dental hygienists typically earn a significantly higher average salary than dental assistants from 2024-2034:*
| Job / career | % increase | Jobs added |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Assistants | 6% | 24,400 |
| Dental Hygienists | 7% | 15,500 |
| The table was created using the employment projections industry-occupation matrix data generated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics (https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/industry-occupation-matrix-occupation.htm), 2025.2 | ||
Strong projections are primarily driven by:
- Increased demand for dental care: A growing and aging population is retaining more natural teeth, increasing the need for preventative care.
- Awareness of the oral-systemic link: Greater public awareness of how oral health affects whole-body health is driving more regular dental visits.
4. I already have a bachelor’s in dental hygiene and I’m looking for something new
If you’re a dental hygienist with a bachelor’s degree, you’re in a good position to move beyond the clinical setting and into influential leadership roles.
Non-Clinical Dental Hygiene Careers
Your BS opens many doors for those seeking a change. Some focus areas and career opportunities include:
- Education: Clinical instructor in a dental hygiene program.
- Public Health: Local or state dental public health officer.
- Corporate: Roles in dental supplies sales or education.
- Administration: Serving as a dental office manager or clinical director.
- Medical Settings: Providing oral health education and preventive/therapeutic treatment in hospitals or other medical facilities.
Advanced Degree Pathways: The Next Step in Leadership
If you’re looking for a major career shift, including pursuing executive-level leadership or teaching, a master's degree is the logical next step. Your BS in Dental Hygiene provides a strong foundation for several potential master’s degree pathways, including:
- Healthcare Administration: Prepares you for executive-level roles overseeing large dental practices, hospital dental departments, or healthcare systems, with a focus on finance, policy, and management.
- Health and Human Services Leadership: Develops ethical and effective leaders for non-profit, government, and public health agencies, ideal for those who want to lead community-based initiatives or oversee large-scale public health programs.
- Nursing Pathways: Interested in a more significant career change in healthcare? Your bachelor’s degree may prepare you for accelerated routes into nursing:
- Accelerated BSN (ABSN): A fast-track style program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which can be completed much faster than a traditional BSN program.
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Direct Entry: For those without a BSN, this path leads straight to a Master's degree, often preparing you to pursue an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) role, such as a Nurse Practitioner (NP).
Start your path today.
A career in dental health is a foundation built on stability, meaningful patient work, and potential for career growth in many possible directions.
No matter where you are in your career today, our career-focused university is designed to help you successfully navigate the educational pathway to a brighter future.
Learn more about Herzing University’s dental hygiene programs
Disclosures
- Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene: This program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. The Commission’s web address is: http://www.ada.org/100.aspx. Consequently, graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene are eligible to sit for the national board dental hygiene exam, jurisprudence exam, and the CRDTS examination, which (upon successful completion) would provide the graduate the opportunity to become a licensed dental hygienist (LDH) in Minnesota.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). Employment projections: Industry-occupation matrix data, by occupation. United States Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/industry-occupation-matrix-occupation.htm