Dental Hygiene is one of the nation’s fastest growing occupations, according to the U. S. Department of Labor, which projects a 43 percent increase in employment over a 10-year period.

Dental hygienists are employed in a variety of settings. While the private practice dental office is the most common, the changing health care needs of the public are providing opportunities in extended health care facilities such as dental clinics and nursing homes. 

Nebraska’s only two-year Dental Hygiene program is located at CCC- Hastings.  

The associate of applied science degree provides a well-rounded education in the areas of general education, basic sciences, dental sciences and dental hygiene sciences. A traditional approach to the classroom, laboratory and clinical portions of the program allows for practical application of theory throughout the curriculum.

Dental Hygiene students attend regularly scheduled group lecture and laboratory classes. They also gain practical experience in our 15-chair dental hygiene clinic by providing services to the public, including scaling, polishing, exposing and processing X-rays, applying topical fluoride and sealants and providing dental health education and nutrition counseling. 

Clinical practice is supervised by licensed dentists and registered dental hygienists.

A 1:5 faculty-student ratio in clinical practice and 1:15 ratio in lecture and laboratory classes assure plenty of personal attention for each student.

Students provide services to the public in the campus dental hygiene clinic as well as in a variety of office settings off-campus. Participation in dental health education programs in schools and community dental health projects is a continuing part of the curriculum as well.

Graduates are eligible to take national and regional examinations which are required to become a Registered Dental Hygienist (R.D.H.).

Accreditation - The Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation.

Admissions Requirements: Please talk with an admissions counselor or see our online catalog for information about special admissions requirements for this program.  After the catalog PDF file opens, use the bookmarks feature to locate the Dental Hygiene program. A printer-friendly copy of Dental Hygiene admissions requirements is included in the list below.

Following are printer-friendly forms needed to complete the application process for the Dental Hygiene program. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, please install it on your computer before trying to open any of these documents.

Dental Hygiene Admissions Requirements

Dental Hygiene Application

Dental Hygiene Application Checklist 

Criteria for Dental Observation

Dentist Acknowledgement of Observation

Estimated Additional Program Costs

For more information about the profession, go the the Web page for the American Dental Hygienist's Association  and the Nebraska Dental Hygienist's Association. 

Continuing Education for Dentists, Dental Hygienists, Dental Assistants 

30 Years of Excellence Reunion Reception

October 2, 2009 1:00 PM  

Central Community College

Dental Hygiene Alumni

Continuing Education Schedule