BSc Oral Health Science

Dental Hygienists/Therapists are highly skilled professionals who work as part of the dental team providing care to help patients have good dental health.

They play an essential role in preventing oral diseases such as gum disease, tooth decay and mouth cancers. Their skills include providing preventative, periodontal and restorative therapies in adults' and children's teeth through clinical treatment and education.

This exciting and challenging programme is taught in Glasgow Dental Hospital, Glasgow Caledonian University and a number of outreach centres. The Dental School's clinical skills laboratories have superb facilities and state of the art teaching technologies.

Good communication skills are essential to be able to deal with patients and parents or carers. Students are expected to adhere to the strict code of conduct outlined by the General Dental Council and a high standard of maturity, confidentiality and professionalism is expected to be maintained throughout the course.

Assessment methods

We use a wide range of learning and teaching methods to ensure that you have both the necessary knowledge and understanding of business and management and a portfolio of intellectual and personal skills.

Each module on the programme uses its own learning, teaching and assessment strategy to achieve learning objectives. Assessment methods vary between modules and may include unseen examinations, class tests, essays, management reports, case studies, presentations, and group work.

Teaching methods

The learning and teaching methods we use ensure that our programme is both vocationally relevant and academically challenging. Our approach is student-centred, practical, participative and relevant to the needs of employers.

We've moved away from the traditional teacher-centric learning to a more independent learning approach, where you are encouraged to develop critical thinking skills.

Professional accreditation

Graduates will be eligible to apply for registration with the General Dental Council.

Your career

Graduates will be eligible to apply for registration with the General Dental Council. There are many career opportunities in general dental practice in the NHS, private practice or Community Dental Service, which could also involve home care and hospital services. Graduates may also be involved in research and oral health promotion.