Dental Hygiene

Highlights

Receive full tuition fee support from NHS Wales plus £1,000 towards living costs when you commit to working in Wales for two years after graduation. Additional financial incentives are available if you choose to study in Welsh, helping you contribute directly to bilingual healthcare provision across Wales. Our DipHE Dental Hygiene is fully aligned with the General Dental Council (GDC) Standards for Education.

On successful completion, you’ll be eligible to register as a dental professional with the GDC - opening the door to a career that makes a real impact on community health. Develop your skills in a safe, supported environment using state-of-the-art simulation equipment, including VR technology and phantom heads. This allows you to put theory into action before working with patients.

Gain extensive hands-on experience through clinical placements in both primary and secondary care settings across North Wales, giving you a unique opportunity to practise within diverse communities and contribute to oral health improvement locally. Learn from experienced dental hygienists and therapists, alongside oral health promotion teams and industry experts. With guest sessions from leading organisations such as Oral-B, TePe and indemnity providers, your training is connected to real-world practice and future professional networks.

Course overview

This two-year DipHE in Dental Hygiene responds to Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW) reforms to tackle the shortage of dental professionals in North Wales and across the UK. It mixes theoretical, virtual and practical learning, incorporating substantial clinical placements in both primary and secondary care settings. Dental hygienists are registered dental professionals who help patients maintain their oral health by preventing and treating periodontal disease and promoting good oral health practice.

They can undertake a wide range of activities within their scope of practice, including clinical examination and diagnosis of disease, scaling and management of periodontal disease, care delivery planning, oral health promotion and application of topical fluoride and fissure sealants. Studying alongside students from other healthcare professions, such as nursing, midwifery, and radiography, you’ll learn the importance of teamwork in delivering safe and effective patient-centred care. Case-based immersive simulation and dedicated skills sessions build your knowledge, confidence and capability.

Clinical placements provide a range of dental hygiene experience and meet GDC requirements for registration. Under the guidance and mentorship of trained supervisors, you will undertake clinical placements* in a range of settings and with diverse patient populations, including dental practices and community clinics. As the Diploma in Dental Hygiene progresses, you will be given increased responsibility and independence as your clinical skills, knowledge and experiences grow.

For example, you may start off providing simple treatments, such as a scale and polish, and progress to managing complex periodontal conditions involving dental implants. Our simulation-based training equipment, using VR and phantom heads, lets you safely examine ‘patients’ and interact in real-time to clinical situations based on real-life examples. This prepares you for the realities of working and responding to such situations, both on placement and future practice.

Bangor University enjoys a close partnership with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCHUB), the largest health organisation and placement provider in Wales. *Please note that while every effort will be made to locate you in a placement close to your term time address, you will be expected to travel to placements across North Wales if required. General Dental Council registration To work in the UK as a dentist or dental care professional (DCP), you must be registered with the General Dental Council. To do this, you first need to…