Dental hygienist

A dental hygiene educator!

Dental hygienists provide patients with care and advice to help prevent potential diseases from developing. Hygienists spend a lot of time with patients and end up forming a special bond with them!

The dental hygiene profession is for you if…

• You have good manual dexterity and excellent precision
• You’re a responsible person and are not afraid to take charge
• You like to give advice to the people around you
• You react effectively and calmly in stressful situations
• You’re a good team player and a good listener

Your job is to…

• Assess your patients’ oral health
• Perform diagnostic examinations, including taking x-rays, as prescribed by the dentist
• Polish and clean teeth, remove plaque, etc.
• Contribute to orthodontic treatments and follow-ups, according to the dentist’s prescription
• Educate patients about prevention and oral hygiene
• Apply anticariogenic or desensitizing agents and anesthetic gel
• Contribute to certain treatments as prescribed

Dental hygienists and their patients have a close relationship! In addition to providing care and reassurance, the hygienist gets to know them and checks up on them at every appointment.

Training and prerequisites

In Quebec, to become a dental hygienist, you must meet the following requirements:

• Obtain a DEC in Dental Hygiene at a Quebec CEGEP
• Obtain a permit to practise from the Ordre des hygiénistes dentaires du Québec
• Renew your membership in the Ordre des hygiénistes dentaires du Québec every year

Institutions offering this program

Here are the colleges in Quebec that offer the dental hygiene program:

Lower Saint Lawrence

• Cégep de Matane

Quebec City

• Cégep Garneau

Lanaudière

• Cégep régional de Lanaudière

Mauricie

• Cégep de Trois-Rivières

Montérégie

• Cégep Édouard-Montpetit
• Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe

Montreal

• Collège de Maisonneuve
• John Abbott College (English)

Outaouais

• Cégep de l’Outaouais

Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

• Cégep de Chicoutimi