Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy
Dental hygiene and dental therapy are complementary oral health professions that together cover a broad scope of clinical practice. Dental hygienists focus on preventive care, including scaling, polishing, oral health education, and supporting patients to maintain good dental health over time. Dental therapists can do all of this and more, carrying out additional clinical procedures under prescription from a dentist, including tooth extractions, fillings, and treatment of children and adults.
Qualifying in both roles through a single programme gives you a particularly versatile clinical profile.
This 27-month programme at the University of Sheffield begins in April and leads to professional accreditation as both a dental hygienist and a dental therapist. You will study and learn alongside dental surgery students, which prepares you for the collaborative realities of working in a dental practice where multiple professionals work together in the patient's interest. A distinctive feature of the programme is its outreach component, which takes you into real-world community and practice settings to treat patients of all ages and backgrounds, developing the clinical confidence, cultural sensitivity, and communication skills that characterise excellent oral health practice.
The course includes a sandwich placement year and a year abroad, alongside embedded work placement opportunities that deepen your clinical exposure across different environments.
Graduates are eligible to register with the General Dental Council and work as dental hygiene-therapists in NHS and private dental practices, community dental services, hospital settings, and specialist clinics. The dual qualification broadens your scope of practice significantly compared to holding either registration alone. Further study and continuing professional development are important parts of the profession, and some graduates go on to pursue additional clinical training, research, or roles in dental education and public oral health.