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Becoming a Dental Hygienist in Arizona

This page provides detailed information on training and growing a career as a Dental Hygienist in Arizona. Below, you will find details on programs of study available across the state. While accreditation status is updated frequently, students are advised to check with the dental hygienist schools in Arizona before committing to a specific program. [Seguir leyendo en español]

According to the Arizona Department of Administration, Office of Employment and Population Statistics, there are currently over 3,630 people employed as Dental Hygienists in the Grand Canyon state: Job prospects are excellent with employment growth predicted to be 16.0% for the decade to 2020 to 2022. (Alternatively, you can find out about Dental Assistant Schools, state requirements and salaries in Arizona here.)

License Requirements to Become a Dental Hygienist in Arizona

In order to become a dental hygienist qualified to practice in the state you must be a graduate of a recognized Dental Hygiene school, pass the national dental hygiene board examination, a clinical examination (western regional examining board or equivalent) and the state jursiprudence exam. Typically, a recognized Dental Hygiene School will be one that has been accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

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In Arizona, a dental hygienist is permitted to perform prophylaxis, scaling, closed subgingival curettage, root planing, administering local anesthetics and nitrous oxide, inspecting the oral cavity and surrounding structures for the purposes of gathering clinical data to facilitate a diagnosis, periodontal screening or assessment, recording of clinical findings, compiling case histories, exposing and processing dental radiographs, all functions authorized and deemed appropriate for dental assistants and those restorative functions permissible for an expanded function dental assistant. There is however a separate certification requirement for local anesthesia and/or nitrous oxide analgesia.

Dental Hygienist Salaries by Area

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average Dental Hygienist salary in the state of Arizona was average of $84,930 annually or $40.83 per hour in 2020. Dental Hygienist jobs in Arizona are concentrated in the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottdale area.

AreaTotal EmployedMean Hourly WageMean Annual Salary
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO220$34.18$71,090
Fort Smith, AR-OK150$29.02$60,350
Hot Springs, AR50$27.77$57,760
Jonesboro, AR130$33.18$69,010
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR470$31.24$64,980
Memphis, TN-MS-AR730$28.44$59,150
Pine Bluff, AR**$26.48$55,080

Well-known Dental Hygienist Schools in Arizona

The US Department of Education recognizes 8 dental hygiene schools in the state. Of these, one is a four-year university, five are public-run community colleges and two are private, for-profit institutions. Your budget for tuition fees and availability to take classes and internships will determine the best school option for you.

At college, you can expect to study physiology, nutrition, pathology, radiography, medical ethics, anatomy, patient management, oral health and periodontics, which is the study of gum disease.

The following are accredited dental hygiene programs in popular locations:

Phoenix

Phoenix College is a community college, centrally located in Encanto Village, Phoenix. It offers a dental hygiene degree which is CODA-accredited. Graduates are eligible for board examinations and licensure in all fifty states. The requirements for Phoenix College’s Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene degree are: 61 credit hours of study including general education courses, dental hygiene courses and clinical practice. Admission requirements are: a high school diploma or GED certificate, a 2.5 GPA or higher in all prerequisite courses and a satisfactory score on an entrance exam.

Transfer articulation to Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff for a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene is also available. The NAU dental hygiene program is one of only four Bachelors degrees in the US that is accredited by CODA and offers a dual degree. NAU has been educating dental hygiene professionals since 1973.

Arizona State University (ASU) does not offer a accredited dental hygiene program but does accept transfer articulation to its Bachelor’s programs from dental hygiene graduates from other qualifying colleges.

Fortis College is a private, for-profit college, and its Phoenix Campus offers a Dental Hygiene program.

Mesa

Mesa Community College offers a CODA-accredited Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Dental Hygiene from its Red Mountain Campus. Clinical training takes place at A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, located south of the US 60 and west of Power Road in Mesa.

Carrington College is a private, for-profit college, and its Mesa Campus offers a Dental Hygiene program.

Tempe

Rio Salado is a Maricopa community college in Tempe, and offers a CODA-accredited program awarding an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Dental Hygiene. Graduates are eligible to take the written and clinical exams necessary to apply for state licensure. The prerequisites for this program include a high school diploma or GED equivalent, a current CPR card for Health Care Provider, completion of the Basic Science courses with a GPA of 3.5 or better and General Education courses with a GPA of 3.25 or better within the last five years and a grade C or better in the required courses listed here.

Other Locations

Northern Arizona University (NAU) offers a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene in Flagstaff. You will need to have completed two years of prerequisites before commencing this two-year program. The average Science GPA of accepted students in 2014 was 3.4 and cumulative GPA was 3.6.

Mohave Community College offers an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Dental Hygiene in Kingman, AZ. Prerequisites include all General Education coursework being completed with a GPA of 2.8 or above and a grade of “C” or higher in all courses.

Pima Community College’s AAS in Dental Hygiene is offered in Tucson. You can learn more about program prerequisites here.

Working as a Dental Hygienist in Arizona

A licensed dental hygienist in Arizona may perform prophylaxis, scaling, closed subgingival curettage, root planning, administering local anesthetics and nitrous oxide, inspecting the oral cavity and surrounding structures for the purposes of gathering clinical data to facilitate a diagnosis, periodontal screening or assessment, recording clinical findings and compiling case histories, exposing and processing dental radiographs, any functions authorized and appropriate for dental assistants, and those restorative functions permissible for an expanded function dental assistant if qualified.

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Related Links

How to Become a Dentist in Arizona