Becoming a Dental Hygienist in Wisconsin
Dental hygiene is a growing field that offers a well-paying, rewarding career track for those who like to work with their hands and with patients on a daily basis. In Wisconsin, numerous school and training options for dental hygiene are available to those who wish to enter the field.
Dental hygienists in Wisconsin generally perform tasks such as cleaning teeth or applying bandages to sutures in the mouth. To become a licensed dental hygienist in Wisconsin, it’s necessary to complete training and take licensure exams, which will certify you as a licensed or Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH).
Find information on dental assistant schools in Wisconsin here
Requirements for Dental Hygienist in Wisconsin
Anyone who wants to become a dental hygienist in Wisconsin must train in an accredited dental hygiene program and pass a standardized licensure exam. Only schools that are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) can give students eligibility to take the national dental hygiene exam. Most dental hygiene programs are two-year associate’s degrees, though other degree options are available.
Dental Hygienist Schools in Wisconsin
Ideally, study in a program accredited by CODA so that you gain eligibility to take your licensure exams upon graduation. The Wisconsin Technical College System offers a number of Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene options across the state. Here are examples of a few available programs:
- Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). Located in downtown Milwaukee, this school offers an accredited Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene. Like many dental hygiene programs, you may need to have completed certain prerequisites. For MATC, it is required that students finished high school or earned their GED with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5, and took at least one year of biology and one year of chemistry classes in high school.
- Madison Area Technical College. This school’s Truax campus offers an Associate Degree in Applied Science for Dental Hygiene. The school’s website states that most students must attend classes full-time. The only prerequisites for this school are the completion of a high school diploma, GED or associate’s degree. The cumulative GPA for these school records must be at least 2.0.
Dental Hygienist Licensure in Wisconsin
After graduating from school, Wisconsin dental hygienists must pass the National Board Examination as well as a regional licensing exam. Acceptable licensing exams in Wisconsin can be accredited by:
- Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA)
- The Council of Interstate Testing Agencies, Inc. (CITA)
- Central Regional Dental Testing Service, Inc. (CRDTS)
- The Southern Regional Testing Agency (SRTA)
- The Western Regional Examining Board, Inc. (WREB)
Dental Hygienist Salary in Wisconsin
A good number of Wisconsinites worked as dental hygienists in 2018, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reporting that 5,040 dental hygienists were employed that year throughout the state. They earned a strong mean hourly income of $34.18, similar to the national mean income for this field. The BLS also predicts that employment in this field in Wisconsin will grow 7 percent by the year 2028.
| Area | Total Employed | Mean Hourly Wage | Mean Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appleton, WI | 240 | $29.60 | $61,570 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 6,320 | $36.77 | $76,490 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 280 | $29.42 | $61,190 |
| Eau Claire, WI | 170 | $33.23 | $69,120 |
| Fond du Lac, WI | 60 | $31.83 | $66,210 |
| Green Bay, WI | 320 | $30.95 | $64,380 |
| Janesville-Beloit, WI | 100 | $31.70 | $65,930 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 180 | $31.48 | $65,480 |
| Madison, WI | 680 | $31.92 | $66,400 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | 1,390 | $31.15 | $64,790 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 3,360 | $35.13 | $73,070 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 120 | $30.66 | $63,770 |
| Racine, WI | 60 | $30.81 | $64,090 |
| Sheboygan, WI | 90 | $30.23 | $62,880 |
| Wausau, WI | 190 | $29.47 | $61,300 |
Working as a Dental Hygienist in Wisconsin
By far, the best place to find a job in Wisconsin as a dental hygienist is the Milwaukee area, which employed 1,340 dental hygienists in 2017. The highest-paid dental hygienists in the state were in Eau Claire and Sheboygan. Even if you don’t stay in Wisconsin forever, with a nationwide projected career outlook of 6 percent, a career in dental hygiene is bound to offer opportunities well into the future.