Check your high school course list. A dental hygienist is a regulated health professional who works with a dental team, including a dentist, to provide dental care. Tasks include cleaning teeth, taking X-rays, recording the presence of disease or abnormalities, and educating patients. Most dental hygiene programs will expect applicants to have courses like math, chemistry, biology, psychology and health.
Contact the dental hygiene program you're interested in to find out its specific requirements. Prerequisites will differ, depending on whether you want to attend a community college, technical college, dental school or university. Most programs show a preference for students who have completed at least one year of college. Some degree programs require that you complete two years of college prior to applying. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 301 accredited dental hygiene programs in the U.S. in 2008.
Talk to dental hygienists about their experience in school. What helped them get accepted to the program? What did they do to prepare? What helped them get the most out of their first year? What was a surprise to them? There's nothing better than getting your information straight from the hygienist's mouth.