Mesa Community College has a dental hygiene program that takes two years to complete. The school accepts 20 students into the program each fall term. Graduates receive an associate in applied science degree in dental hygiene. Prerequisites include general education and basic science classes, such as introduction to sociology and psychology, fine arts and microbiology. Core-degree required courses include head and neck anatomy, community oral health and dental hygiene theory.
Mesa Community College
1833 W. Southern
Mesa, AZ 85202
480-461-7000
mc.maricopa.edu/dept2/dental
Northern Arizona University (NAU) has a bachelor of science dental hygiene program, which is a four-year degree. The first year consists of prerequisite classes, and the following three years include professional training. Instructors include dental hygienists, orthodontists, periodontists, pediatric dentists and oral surgeons. Students will also get hands-on training in the NAU radiographic and dental hygiene clinics. The school also offers a bachelor of science completion in dental hygiene for those already working as licensed dental hygienists.
Northern Arizona University
South San Francisco Street
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
928-523-9011
home.nau.edu/images/userimages/jmk283/9726/ps-dental-hygiene.pdf
Pima Community College offers an associate's degree program for dental hygiene, which will prepare students to work in dental offices and clinics, hospitals and schools. Students must take a minimum of 25 credit hours of prerequisite courses in subjects such as human anatomy and physiology, fundamentals of organic and biochemistry, and computer fundamentals and literacy. Required degree course work includes oral embryology and histology, oral pathology, pharmacology, and preventative dentistry and nutrition. The clinic portion of the program includes dental and oral morphology lab, oral radiography clinic, dental materials lab and clinical dental hygiene lab.
Pima Community College
4905 E. Broadway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85709-1010
520-206-4500
bannerweb.pima.edu/pls/pima/az_tw_subcrse_catalog.p_subjcrse_list?p_subject_code=DHE
Rio Salado College offers students an associate's degree in applied science in dental hygiene. The program trains students to give preventive and therapeutic care to patients. Students must complete at least 98 credit hours to complete the degree. Forty of those hours are for prerequisite courses such as chemistry for allied health, CPR for the health-care provider and math. Required classes for the degree include emergency medicine, periodontics, practice management and dental anesthesia. Clinical instruction includes dental hygiene clinic and dental radiography lab.
Rio Salado College
2323 W. 14th Street
Tempe, AZ 85281
800-729-1197
riosalado.edu/programs/dental_hygiene/Pages/aas.aspx