Diploma in Dental Hygienist: Course, Eligibility, Syllabus, Jobs and Salary 2023

Q: Question: What is the difference between Dental Hygienist and Dental Assistant?

Answer: Dental Hygienists can work on patients independently. They can provide preventive measures and healthy habits that patience should inculcate to remain healthy. They are also responsible for numbing the patients and working with ultrasonic scalers whereas Dental Assistants are responsible for greeting patients, taking X-rays, and assisting doctors in the Diagnosis and treatment process.

Q: Question: Is a Diploma in Dental Hygienist worth taking?

Answer: Yes, diploma courses are skill-enhancing courses that are worth taking, especially in a medical field where technology advancement is non-static. Therefore to learn new techniques and procedures Diploma in Dental Hygienist course is very beneficial.

Q: Question: Can we do a Diploma in Dental Hygienist abroad?

Answer: Yes, Diploma in Dental Hygienist has more opportunities abroad as compared to India. Therefore, pursuing a course abroad is a very wise decision.

Q: Question: In which countries is the Dental Hygienist course in demand?

Answer: Countries like The United Kingdom, Canada, the USA, Australia have a very high demand for specialists in the field of dental hygiene. In Canada, a Dental Hygienist can earn up to INR 50 Lakhs per year.

Q: Question: What is the admission process to pursue a Diploma in Dental Hygienist program abroad?

Answer: To pursue Diploma in Dental Hygienist program abroad, an aspirant must complete class 12 with a minimum aggregate of 60% overall as well as in English and Biology. They should also be at least 18 years of age. The university can also conduct a pre-admission test in the form of a written entrance examination or interview that the candidates will have to qualify to be eligible to take admission in any university abroad.

Q: Question: What is the initial salary of a Dental Hygienist?

Answer: The initial salary of a Dental Hygienist varies from person to person depending upon their skills and educational qualifications. However, the estimated salary ranges from INR 20,000 to INR 25,000.

Q: Question: What are the other diploma courses to pursue after completing a Diploma in Dental Hygienist?

Answer: After completing a Diploma in Dental Hygienist, candidates can either go for BDS or pursue a diploma in specialization courses related to Dentistry such as Diploma in Dental Operating Room Assistant (DORA), Diploma in Dental Mechanics, Diploma in Dental Technician, etc. They can also pursue a PG Diploma in Dental Hygienist but only after completing a graduate degree from a recognized university.

Q: Question: What are the skills required for candidates to pursue Diploma in Dental Hygienist?

Answer: Candidates who have a high grasping power and are passionate about learning Dental Hygienist courses are suitable for pursuing this course. Apart from this, they should also have soft communication skills, should be dexterous, and must have a high patience level to deal with all types of patients.

Q: Question: What is the syllabus of the practical coursework of Dental Hygienist?

Answer: The syllabus of the practical coursework of Dental Hygienist includes learning to remove plaque, tartar, bacteria, learn deep teeth cleaning, using to administer anesthetic agents and cavity prevention agents like fluoride, learning about whitening procedures, etc.

Q: Question: Can a diploma in Dental Hygienist be pursued online?

Answer: A diploma in Dental Hygienist cannot be pursued online. However, there are certain certificate courses of a minimum 2-hour duration by various online courses providing sites such as Udemy and Coursera. But it is advised to take the diploma courses from colleges rather than from these online course providing sites as it would help learn more about the practical aspects of the course and will also enhance practical skills of the candidate along with imparting more knowledge.

Arunima Sethi

Content Curator

Diploma in Dental Hygienist 2-year diploma program that trains students about oral hygiene and preventive dentistry. Admission to the Diploma in Dental Hygienist program is done on the basis of merit or a candidate’s performance in a relevant entrance exam, and subsequent round of counselling.

The average tuition fee for pursuing the course in the top dental colleges of India, ranges from INR 12,000 - 2 LPA. After successful completion of the course, candidates can work as Dental Assistants, Medical Assistants etc. They can even pursue a career as a Dentist and can earn an average salary of INR 1-8 LPA.

Dental Courses	Top Dental Colleges in India

Table of Contents

All about Diploma in Dental Hygienist Course

1.1 Why study Diploma in Dental Hygienist?

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Admission Process
2.1 Eligibility

2.2 Merit-Based

2.3 Entrance-Based

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Syllabus
Top Diploma in Dental Hygienist Colleges

4.1 Government Colleges

4.2 Private Colleges

What after Diploma in Dental Hygienist Course
Diploma in Dental Hygienist Jobs & Scope

6.1 Job Profiles

6.2 Top Recruiters

Diploma in Dental Hygienist: FAQs

All About Diploma in Dental Hygienist Course

A Diploma in Dental Hygienist is a 2-year program. With the help of this degree, candidates will become oral health professionals whose primary responsibility would be to critically examine, perform diagnosis, and treatments related to oral health issues such as teeth or gum diseases, mouth injuries, or other dental contingencies.
The annual fee of colleges offering a Diploma in Dental Hygienist course varies from college to college. Government colleges have lower fees as compared to private colleges. Therefore the average range of fees is INR 20,000 to INR 2 Lakhs.
After completing the course, candidates can find employment in multiple sectors such as Government and private hospitals (dental wards), private dental clinics, community health centers, NGOs, etc.
The average annual salary of a dental hygienist is Rs 2.5 Lakhs to INR 8 Lakhs. The salary can further increase depending upon the clinical experience, knowledge, and patient management of the professional.
After completing the course, students can pursue other certificate courses to further enhance their skills or they can pursue Bachelors of Dental Surgery through which they will be eligible to open their private clinic and practice independently.

Why study Diploma in Dental Hygienist

A diploma in Dental Hygienist is a course of many advantages. The career might be a bit challenging but it is rewarding. Some of the advantages on why a candidate should pursue this course are given below -:

High Income: Pursuing a career in Diploma in Dental Hygienist not only comes with high income but also respect. As the health sector is non-static, one can always find job opportunities with higher pay as well as can see a huge increment in pay more easily as compared to other career options.
Huge Career opportunities: After pursuing the Diploma in Dental Hygienist course, candidates can choose from a plethora of job opportunities. They can expect high salaries and even work in their own clinics.

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Admission Process

The admission process to the Diploma in Dental Hygienist program is given below. The students are expected to fulfill the minimum eligibility criteria to take admission in the program.

Diploma in Dental Hygienist: Eligibility Criteria

To take admission in Diploma in Dental Hygienist, candidates must fulfill the below-given eligibility criteria -:

The candidates must have completed class 12 with minimum aggregate marks of 50% from a recognized board.
The candidates must have Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as compulsory subjects in class 12.
The candidates must be a minimum of 17 years and a maximum of 25 years old while applying for this course.

Merit Based

To take admission in colleges offering Diploma in Dental Hygienist course on the basis of merit, candidates will have to follow the given below steps -:

Register with the college by providing the basic and demographic details.
Fill the application form by providing the necessary qualification details and uploading the necessary scanned documents such as Marksheets of classes 10th and 12th, character or provisional certificates, Category certificates, etc., and pay the requisite fee of the application form.
After submission of the application form, students are required to wait for the college to release the merit list which will contain the names of the students selected to seek admission. Sometimes, instead of releasing student selection lists, colleges can also release the cut-offs. If a student has secured the necessary marks as in cut-off then the students would have to visit the university or college for the further verification process.

Entrance Based

To take admission in colleges offering Diploma in Dental Hygienist course on the basis of entrance exam score, candidates will have to follow the given below steps -:

Candidates will have to register themselves with the college by providing basic information like name, parent’s name, address, Phone no., etc.
After registration, they will have to fill the application form by providing the necessary educational qualifications and scanned documents. After uploading the scanned documents, candidates will have to pay the application form fee after which the application form would be submitted to the college.
The college will then release the admit card of the entrance examination that can be downloaded from the college's website by logging in with the previously filled credentials.
Candidates then have to appear for the entrance examination.
After giving the entrance, the college would release the cut-offs or rank obtaining which the candidate can move onto the next round of counseling or document verification.
After the document verification, the candidate can pay the required fee of the college and officially take admission in the Diploma in Dental Hygienist course.

The entrance exam for admission in Diploma in Dental Hygienist course will be based on 3 subjects primarily, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Hence, students are advised to prepare for the exam by perfecting these 3 subjects.
Students can make a separate formula book for Physics and Chemistry as it will help in eliminating confusion as compared to learning from textbooks during the revision phase.
Students are advised to focus on the easy topics or topics of their knowledge first. When these topics have been perfected, then the student can move on to the difficult ones. This will help in covering the syllabus faster.
Students are recommended to practice by giving mocks or practice tests. Practice tests help in analyzing weaker topics as well as in increasing one’s speed.
Don’t forget to rest. Sleep helps in consolidating memory. Therefore, take proper sleep of 7 hours and don't overwork or overburden yourself with exam stress or anxiety.
Keep a track of a healthy balanced diet and drink loads of water to keep fatigues at bay. Try to exercise once a day to improve blood circulation which will in turn help in keeping mind and body positive.

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Syllabus

Anatomy, General & Dental	Physiology & Histology, General and Dental	Dental Hygiene and Oral Prophylaxis
Physiology & Histology, General and Dental	Food and Nutrition	(i) Dental Health Education (ii) Community Public Health Dentistry (iii) Preventive Dentistry
Pathology & Microbiology	Dental Materials	Dental Ethics and Jurisprudence; Orientation in dentistry

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Colleges

There are various Government and Private colleges in India that offer Diploma in Dental Hygienist. The fee of Government colleges is way less than private colleges. However, to take admission in Government colleges, students must score a high percentage of marks in 12 as well as in the entrance examination, and then only one can expect to get a seat in a Government college. The various Government and Private colleges are tabulated below.

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Government Colleges

Name of the College	City	Average Annual Fees
King George’s Medical University	Lucknow	INR 58,500
Patna Dental College & Hospital	Bankipur	INR 1,000
Tamil Nadu Government Dental College & Hospital	Chennai	INR 6,36,000
Maharishi Markandeshwar College of Dental Science and Research	Ambala	INR 1,15,800
Buddha Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital	Patna	INR 5,00,000
Himachal Institute of Dental Sciences	Sirmaur	INR 91,300
Banaras Hindu University	Varanasi	INR 10,000
Aligarh Muslim University	Aligarh	INR 1,10,000
J.N. Medical College	Aligarh	INR 1,000,00
Government Dental College & Hospital	Mumbai	INR 1000
Government Dental College	Thiruvananthapuram	INR 5,000
Government Dental College	Srinagar	INR 5000

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Private Colleges

Name of the College	City	Average Fees
Manipal College of Dental Sciences	Mangalore	INR 5,80,000
The Oxford Dental College and Hospital	Bangalore	INR 2,40,000
HKE Society's S.Nijalingappa Institute of Dental Science and Research	Gulbarga	INR 6,50,000
Ragas Dental College and Hospital	Chennai	INR 10,300
People’s University	Bhopal	INR 2,05,000
Swami Devi Dyal Hospital and Dental College	Panchkula	INR 1,20,000
Bareilly International University	Bareilly	INR 2,25,000

After Diploma in Dental Hygienist

After pursuing a Diploma in Dental Hygienist, aspirants can either look for job opportunities or can opt to continue higher studies in the field. Going for higher studies is the best option if one doesn’t have the pressure to earn as higher studies will not only provide more career prospects in the future but also stability.
Aspirants can pursue a Bachelor in Dental Surgery which will help them in getting a license from the Dental Council of India, after which they will be eligible to open their dental clinic. Getting a BDS degree after Diploma in Dental Hygienist will also help them in qualifying for advanced positions in the field where they can earn better and higher.
Their career opportunities would also increase and they can also find work easily in the hospitals and Defence forces as doctors after registering themselves as Dental Practitioner
In case the aspirant is more interested in earning rather than pursuing higher studies, then they can find job options in Private Dental Clinics, NGO’s, Government jobs, Hospitals, etc,

Ph.D. After Diploma in Dental Hygienist

If a student is pursuing a Diploma in Dental Hygienist after class 12, then the students will have to complete graduation after which they will be eligible to pursue Ph.D. Diploma in the field of Dental Hygienist. In India, the Ph.D. Diploma in Dental Hygienist course is not available. Therefore, students will have to go abroad to pursue the course.

However, if one has pursued a Diploma in Dental Hygienist after completing BDS, then the student will have to pursue a Master of Dental Surgery after which they will be eligible to pursue a Ph.D. in the same field.

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Jobs & Placements

A diploma in Dental Hygienist is a fulfilling career with many lucrative job opportunities. Aspirants with a great amount of dexterity and passion for the job can find numerous profiles in the field. Some of these are given below -:

Top Job Profiles

Job profile	Job Description
Dental Hygienist	A Dental Hygienist is responsible for diagnosing and treating patients related to oral healthcare problems. Their responsibilities are vast and majorly include scaling, polishing, and whitening of teeth. They use hand scaling instruments.
Dental Assistant	A dental assistant assists the senior Dentists in screening and diagnosis. They take X-rays as well as help in scheduling appointments and providing counseling related to the preventive measures to the patients. They also help in preparing the instrumentations.
Dental Laboratory Technician	They have a bit more advanced work as compared to dental hygienists. Their primary responsibility is to construct and repair denatures and other dental appliances. They have a very major role in designing dental products, creating molds, repairing denatures, testing dental products, etc.
Nursing Assistant	A nursing assistant is a job for people with a higher experience in Dental Hygienist. Their responsibilities are diverse but centres around taking care of the patient and providing them with effective treatment.

Top Recruiters

The top recruiters of Dental hygienists consist of hospitals, private clinics, NGOs, etc. Some of the top recruiters of this course are tabulated below -:

Max Healthcare	Dr. Garg’s Multispeciality Dental Clinic	HCL Healthcare Clinic Noida
Fortis Hospital	Dentsply India	Dental Lab Expo-India
Septodont Healthcare India Private Limited	Shah Dental	Corona Dental Lab

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Salary

The salary of a Dental Hygienist varies from person to person depending upon their skills, experience, and educational qualifications. However, the average salary of Dental Hygienist and other job profiles related to the field are tabulated below -:

Specialization	Average Annual Salary (INR)
Dental Hygienist	2 Lakhs - 8 Lakhs
Dental Assistant	2 Lakhs - 5 Lakhs
Dental Laboratory Technician	2 Lakhs - 6 Lakhs
Nursing Assistant	1 Lakh - 4 Lakhs

Diploma in Dental Hygienist: FAQs

Question: What is the difference between Dental Hygienist and Dental Assistant?

Answer: Dental Hygienists can work on patients independently. They can provide preventive measures and healthy habits that patience should inculcate to remain healthy. They are also responsible for numbing the patients and working with ultrasonic scalers whereas Dental Assistants are responsible for greeting patients, taking X-rays, and assisting doctors in the Diagnosis and treatment process.

Question: Is a Diploma in Dental Hygienist worth taking?

Answer: Yes, diploma courses are skill-enhancing courses that are worth taking, especially in a medical field where technology advancement is non-static. Therefore to learn new techniques and procedures Diploma in Dental Hygienist course is very beneficial.

Question: Can we do a Diploma in Dental Hygienist abroad?

Answer: Yes, Diploma in Dental Hygienist has more opportunities abroad as compared to India. Therefore, pursuing a course abroad is a very wise decision.

Question: In which countries is the Dental Hygienist course in demand?

Answer: Countries like The United Kingdom, Canada, the USA, Australia have a very high demand for specialists in the field of dental hygiene. In Canada, a Dental Hygienist can earn up to INR 50 Lakhs per year.

Question: What is the admission process to pursue a Diploma in Dental Hygienist program abroad?

Answer: To pursue Diploma in Dental Hygienist program abroad, an aspirant must complete class 12 with a minimum aggregate of 60% overall as well as in English and Biology. They should also be at least 18 years of age. The university can also conduct a pre-admission test in the form of a written entrance examination or interview that the candidates will have to qualify to be eligible to take admission in any university abroad.

Question: What is the initial salary of a Dental Hygienist?

Answer: The initial salary of a Dental Hygienist varies from person to person depending upon their skills and educational qualifications. However, the estimated salary ranges from INR 20,000 to INR 25,000.

Question: What are the other diploma courses to pursue after completing a Diploma in Dental Hygienist?

Answer: After completing a Diploma in Dental Hygienist, candidates can either go for BDS or pursue a diploma in specialization courses related to Dentistry such as Diploma in Dental Operating Room Assistant (DORA), Diploma in Dental Mechanics, Diploma in Dental Technician, etc. They can also pursue a PG Diploma in Dental Hygienist but only after completing a graduate degree from a recognized university.

Question: What are the skills required for candidates to pursue Diploma in Dental Hygienist?

Answer: Candidates who have a high grasping power and are passionate about learning Dental Hygienist courses are suitable for pursuing this course. Apart from this, they should also have soft communication skills, should be dexterous, and must have a high patience level to deal with all types of patients.

Question: What is the syllabus of the practical coursework of Dental Hygienist?

Answer: The syllabus of the practical coursework of Dental Hygienist includes learning to remove plaque, tartar, bacteria, learn deep teeth cleaning, using to administer anesthetic agents and cavity prevention agents like fluoride, learning about whitening procedures, etc.

Question: Can a diploma in Dental Hygienist be pursued online?

Answer: A diploma in Dental Hygienist cannot be pursued online. However, there are certain certificate courses of a minimum 2-hour duration by various online courses providing sites such as Udemy and Coursera. But it is advised to take the diploma courses from colleges rather than from these online course providing sites as it would help learn more about the practical aspects of the course and will also enhance practical skills of the candidate along with imparting more knowledge.