Dental Hygiene

Dental hygiene is a clinical healthcare profession concerned with preventing oral disease and promoting the dental health of patients. Dental hygienists work primarily in primary care dental practices, delivering preventive treatments including scaling and polishing, fluoride application, fissure sealing, and radiography, and providing the patient education and behaviour change support that is central to long-term oral health. They work as part of the dental team, operating to the clinical scope defined by their registration with the General Dental Council.

At Cardiff University, this two-year full-time programme prepares you for registration as a dental hygienist. Cardiff's dental school is one of the leading dental education centres in the UK, and students benefit from training within a well-resourced clinical environment that provides experience across a diverse patient base. You will study oral anatomy, periodontology, preventive dentistry, radiography, dental materials, and the communication and patient management skills that clinical practice requires.

Clinical placements are integrated throughout the programme, and you will develop competence in the full scope of dental hygiene practice under supervision before graduating as an independent practitioner.

Registered dental hygienists work predominantly in NHS and private dental practices, and the profession has been growing as demand for preventive dental care increases and the scope of dental hygiene practice has expanded. Experienced practitioners can move into extended clinical roles, practice management, education, and dental public health. The two-year duration of this programme provides a relatively fast route to a regulated healthcare profession, and Cardiff's reputation in dental education is a meaningful credential in the job market.