Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy
Dental hygiene and dental therapy are oral health professions that sit at the intersection of preventive dentistry and direct patient care. Dental hygienists focus on the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease, providing scaling, root planing, dietary advice and oral health education to help patients maintain healthy teeth and gums. Dental therapists have an extended scope of practice that includes restorative procedures such as fillings and some extractions, particularly in children, as well as the full range of hygienist skills.
Practitioners who are dually qualified in both roles are increasingly valued for their flexibility within dental practices and NHS services.
At the University of Suffolk, studied part-time, you will develop the clinical knowledge and practical skills to practise in both roles, registered with the General Dental Council as a dental hygienist and therapist. You will study oral anatomy, periodontology, dental materials, radiology, local anaesthesia and the clinical procedures that the dual registration demands, alongside the communication and patient management skills that oral healthcare requires. Clinical placements are central to the programme, giving you supervised experience treating patients across the full range of hygiene and therapy procedures and developing the clinical judgment and professional responsibility that autonomous practice demands.
Graduates register with the General Dental Council and work in NHS and private dental practices, providing hygiene and therapy services to patients across the lifespan. The dual qualification is particularly valued as it allows practitioners to treat patients presenting with a wider range of needs. Community dental services, school dental programmes, care homes and hospital dental departments also employ dental hygienists and therapists.
Some graduates develop leadership roles within dental practice, and some go on to further training in areas such as implant nursing or dental public health. The profession offers flexible working patterns and consistent demand in both NHS and private sectors.