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Dental hygienists treat and prevent oral diseases. They support people in maintaining their oral health by providing treatments and advice designed to improve the health of the mouth, teeth and gums.
If you want a career as a dental hygienist, this BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene degree course is for you.
Studying in our Dental Academy, you’ll get the skills and knowledge for registration with the General Dental Council (GDC), which is essential for practicing as a dental hygienist.
You may need to have studied specific subjects or GCSEs – see full entry requirements and other qualifications we accept.
See alternative English language qualifications.
We also accept other standard English tests and qualifications, as long as they meet the minimum requirements of your course.
If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
You may need to have studied specific subjects or GCSEs – see full entry requirements and other qualifications we accept.
See alternative English language qualifications.
We also accept other standard English tests and qualifications, as long as they meet the minimum requirements of your course.
If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
While we consider your grades when making an offer, we also carefully look at your circumstances and other factors to assess your potential. These include whether you live and work in the region and your personal and family circumstances which we assess using established data.
Dental Academy students Cynthia and Said talk about their experiences studying dentistry at the University of Portsmouth.
Cynthia: Reading about the University of Portsmouth in the Dental Academy, I realise it's a good place for me to harness my potential of becoming the dental nurse I've always wanted to become.
Said: Looking after the patient, caring for the patient has been the best part of my degree.
Cynthia: Right after your first year, you become a qualified dental nurse so while you are studying, you can still practice.
Said: The most useful skills were the clinical skills that I acquired during my phantom head sessions where I did extensive work on periodontal treatments. Working now in clinics with patients I feel more confident and having the support of the staff and other colleagues has helped me quite a lot.
Cynthia: We have a very friendly staff, nurses who are willing and always available to help students. When you find yourself in like any kind of confusion, they are there at your beck and call.
Said: You have to be really good with communication as well because you will continuously be communicating with patients. Also, staff and students and collaborative and professional work needs good communication skills.
Cynthia: For those willing to study at the University of Portsmouth, I would encourage you, once you get here, to make good use of all the facilities available.
Said: Caring for the patient is not just looking at their mouth and treating what we see but also is strongly correlated with the general health of the patient.
We embed the principles and values of the NHS Constitution in all our health and social care courses. When you apply for this course, we’ll expect you to demonstrate how your values align with the values of the Constitution.
As the title suggests, dental hygienists help patients keep their teeth clean, but there's much more to the role than this alone.
Dental hygienists provide treatments, carry out procedures and give dietary and oral hygiene advice to maintain a healthy mouth, teeth and gums. Patients are often referred to dental hygienists by dentists, although many opt to see a hygienist regularly themselves.
Dental hygienists are needed in both the NHS and within private healthcare. Once you graduate you'll be ready to take your skills into areas such as general dental practice, hospital dental services or the Armed Forces, so you'll have great employment prospects as you embark on your dental career.
Looking to study dental hygiene and learn how to carry out additional procedures such as fillings and extractions? Take a look at our BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy degree.
When you graduate, you'll be qualified to work in areas such as:
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
You could also continue your studies or do research at postgraduate level.
When you graduate, you'll be qualified to work in areas such as:
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
You could also continue your studies or do research at postgraduate level.
State of the art facilities, supportive teaching staff and a fun learning environment. The Dental Academy is the ideal starting place for any aspiring dental care professional.
Aaron Kinsey, BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene student
As an NHS dental hygienist in 2021, you could expect a Band 5 starting salary of £25,655, moving up to £31,534.
With more experience, you could earn from £32,306 to £39,027 (Band 6) and with a role training, you could make up to £45,839 (Band 7).
In the private sector, dental hygienists make from £16.56 to £31.18 an hour.
After you graduate, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability Service as you advance in your career.
As an NHS dental hygienist in 2021, you could expect a Band 5 starting salary of £25,655, moving up to £31,534.
With more experience, you could earn from £32,306 to £39,027 (Band 6) and with a role training, you could make up to £45,839 (Band 7).
In the private sector, dental hygienists make from £16.56 to £31.18 an hour.
After you graduate, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability Service as you advance in your career.
To help you gain professional experience, you'll help to provide free dental health services to the public at the Dental Academy and work with patients in local community settings.
You'll have the chance to offer preventative and educational dental support within institutions such as school clinics and hostels for homeless people, enabling you to gain a better understanding of the social impact of good dental care.
Our community work experience projects include:
Thanks to a collaborative partnership with Portsmouth Football Club, our undergraduate dental students gave first team players Clark Robertson and Liam Vincent a full oral health assessment at our Dental Academy.
Check ups like these are an opportunity to catch any potential issues early, such as dental trauma from the sport, tooth decay from a diet that’s often high in carbohydrates and sugars, or dental erosion caused by acidic sports drinks.
Professor Chris Louca: Today we are resurrecting a collaboration between the University of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club. So in this case, we've got final year Dental Hygiene students who are looking at the Portsmouth Football Club players and they're carrying out a full oral health assessment.
This is a really big area of interest, looking at the link between oral health and the performance of elite athletes. There's a growing body of evidence to show that there is a link between these two areas.
Francesca Lee: So an athlete's diet consists of high sugar, so the advice I'd give to athletes is to minimise eating sugary foods and drinks and if they're going to have it, eat it in one sitting rather than snacking throughout the day.
Liam Vincent: I've just had a check up and they've removed some decay off my teeth. My teeth are a lot better now!
I never really considered the health of my teeth before, as much as I will do now.
Clark Robertson: I didn't really think about it too much in relation to actually playing football, but it's something I'll be more aware of moving forward.
Tuition Fee
GBP 19,950Application Fee
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Portsmouth
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