Dental Hygiene (DipHE)

Why study this courseAs a Dental Hygienist, you’ll support patients during their treatment journey, and give them the knowledge and confidence to look after their oral health.You’ll also be able to carry out procedures such as scaling, polishing, gum disease treatments, and prevention.You’ll safely practice your clinical skills in our dental simulation suite, on mannequins that are fondly known as ‘phantom heads’. This hands-on experience will prepare you for the wide range of real clinical scenarios that you’ll get stuck into later in the course, thanks to our strong links with the NHS.Not only will you study in the University Dental Hospital which we're luck enough to call our home, but you’ll also embark on clinical placements in Wales, where you’ll be surrounded by an experienced team of clinicians, supporting you to become the best dental professional you can be.When you graduate, you can register with the General Dental Council and work across the dental sector including general dental care, community dental care, dental public health, hospital dental care and the armed forces.Learning and assessmentTeaching on the programme is integrated, so you will learn the scientific and pathological processes underlying oral and dental disease at the same time as you acquire the clinical skills to manage patients appropriately. We use a variety of methods to enrich your learning experience. These include lectures, small-group seminars and tutorials, direct clinical teaching and e-learning packages. You will be encouraged to research topics and on occasions to present work to your peers.Knowledge, skills and professional attitudes are assessed both formatively and summatively throughout the course, using a range of assessment tools. Assessment tasks include written examinations and assignments, clinical case reports, practical skills tests, projects, portfolios, competency assessments, online assessments, oral presentations and clinical examinations.