![group of four dental hygiene students watch a student demonstrate on a plastic model patient](/sites/dentistry.umn.edu/files/styles/max_800/public/2023-10/DH-July2022-Streble-10.jpg?itok=SQy4MC4n)
Program at a Glance
![dental hygiene students looking at a laptop](/sites/dentistry.umn.edu/files/styles/cropped_2_3_max_600px/public/2023-10/DH-July2022-Streble-30_0.jpg?itok=BRrMXV3O)
![dental hygiene student inspects the mouth of a fellow student in a clinic demonstration](/sites/dentistry.umn.edu/files/styles/cropped_2_3_max_600px/public/2023-10/DH-July2022-Streble-35_0.jpg?itok=sZ0sZySX)
![preclinic demonstration with instructor and eight students](/sites/dentistry.umn.edu/files/styles/cropped_2_3_max_600px/public/2023-10/8S%20preclinic-15.jpg?itok=TPNVFhGi)
About Our Program
Our mission is to educate individuals who are prepared intellectually, technically, and ethically to meet the oral health care needs and challenges of the future. We are committed to excellence in dental hygiene education, practice, public health, management and research.
Our purpose is to create a learning environment that fosters collaboration, lifelong learning, informed citizens and leaders, and oral health care professionals who provide quality care to diverse populations in a variety of settings.
We are the only dental hygiene program in the state associated with a dental school. We offer programs at both the baccalaureate and master of science degree levels.
![The BSDH Class of 2025 has 21 students, with 20 female and 1 male. 95 percent are previous Minnesota residents. The average age is 20. 57 percent are ethnically diverse. The average GPA is 3.52. Nearly half were the first in their family to complete a four-year degree.](/sites/dentistry.umn.edu/files/styles/folwell_full/public/2023-11/bsdh_class_of_2025_new.jpg?itok=F4LBbqx2)
![Students in classroom lecture wearing maroon scrubs](/sites/dentistry.umn.edu/files/styles/scale_down_max_450/public/2023-10/Woit_181119_0131.jpg?itok=8hWFiMNQ)
Through this accelerated dental hygiene program, students can earn their BSDH in just three years, versus completing a four-year program.
The MSDH program prepares leaders in the profession for research, the healthcare industry and academia.
Our Division
Our Division of Dental Hygiene is committed to excellence in dental hygiene education, practice, management, and research.