Carl Sandburg College offers an associate degree in Dental Hygiene. The Dental Hygiene program prepares the student to work as a dental hygienist under the supervision of a licensed dentist in dental offices and other health agencies.

Dental hygienists remove soft and hard deposits from teeth, teach patients how to practice good oral hygiene, and provide other preventative dental care, such as cleaning and polishing teeth, taking radiographs and applying fluoride treatment. The dental hygienist also serves as an oral health educator in the clinical and community setting. Dental hygienists should work well with others and must have good manual dexterity to use dental instruments within a patient's mouth, with little room for error.

Working Conditions: Flexible scheduling is a distinctive feature of this job. Full-time, part-time, evening, and weekend schedules are widely available. Hygienists are frequently hired to work only two or three days a week, so hygienists may hold jobs in more than one dental office. Dental hygienists work in offices that are clean and well lit, and they must follow important health safeguards including wearing safety glasses, masks and gloves to protect themselves from infectious diseases.

Employment: Employment of dental hygienists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. Median hourly salary of dental hygienists was $30.19
in May 2006. Earnings vary by geographic location, employment setting, and years of experience.

Accreditation/Licensure: The Dental Hygiene program has been approved by the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Board of Higher Education. The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the American Dental Association and the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of "approval without reporting requirements". 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 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. Graduates from the Dental Hygiene program will be eligible to take the National Dental Hygiene Board Examination, the respective clinical dental hygiene board examination, and the examination for registration as a dental hygienist in the respective state.

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