Are you considering a career in dental hygiene? As a highly rewarding and rapidly growing profession, dental hygiene offers incredible opportunities to launch a stable and meaningful career in healthcare.
This guide will explore the landscape of top-notch dental hygiene programs available in the San Diego region to help you take the next steps towards an exciting career.
An Overview of Dental Hygiene Training
Before surveying schools, let‘s briefly overview key details on dental hygiene programs and career paths…
Dental hygienists are licensed preventive oral health professionals who provide a range of vital services including:
- Cleaning teeth
- Taking x-rays and dental impressions
- Supporting dentists during procedures
- Educating patients on proper dental care
Dental hygiene training typically takes 2-3 years to complete and includes coursework and intensive clinical experience focused on:
- Oral anatomy
- Physiology
- Radiography
- Periodontology
- Pain management
- Patient care skills
All dental hygiene graduates must pass national and state examinations to earn their license enabling professional practice.
There are many compelling reasons to pursue this growing field, including:
- Excellent job prospects, with a projected 6% growth nationally through 2030
- Lucrative pay, with an average salary of $76,000 nationally and over $100,000 in California
- Flexibility, with most dental hygienists working just 3 or 4 days per week
- Rewarding work focused on helping patients develop healthier smiles
Now let‘s explore the wealth of exceptional dental hygiene schools and programs available to students in San Diego…
Evaluating Dental Hygiene Training Programs
San Diego offers over a dozen accredited dental hygiene programs, most leading to an Associate Degree qualifying graduates for licensure.
These programs are housed within:
- Private career colleges: Providing accelerated programs focused strongly on gaining clinical capabilities
- Community colleges: Typically offering 2 to 3 year associate degree programs at significantly lower cost, with more variable clinical training opportunities
- Universities: Offering bachelor‘s degrees required for certain teaching and specialty roles beyond general licensure
All accredited programs, regardless of award level or institutional type, must meet stringent quality standards covering curriculum, training facilities, equipment, and policies.
However, prospective students should still carefully weigh factors like:
- Cost of attendance
- Program format and location – in-person, online or hybrid options
- Clinical training opportunities – vital for skill-development
- Instructor qualifications and faculty-to-student ratio
- Industry reputation and graduate outcomes – licensure exam pass rates and employment levels after graduation
Let‘s look at 12 of the top-rated dental hygiene schools and colleges located in the greater San Diego area…
1. Concorde Career College – San Diego
Type: Private Career College
Details:
- 78 credit hour Associate Degree program
- Comprehensive curriculum covers sciences, radiography, community dental health, clinical skills
Concorde San Diego has an excellent reputation for preparing graduates for success on licensure exams and dental hygiene careers through rigorous science-based coursework paired with abundant clinical experience.
The program highlights include:
- 650+ clinical learning hours integrated into the curriculum
- Low 8:1 student-to-instructor ratio ensures personalized training
- Newly upgraded dental hygiene teaching labs and facilities
Outcomes: Impressively, 100% of graduates pass their board exams on the first attempt! The program also has a solid 73% job placement rate.
Cost: $32,834 total tuition
Why Choose This Program
With a 100% licensure pass rate and excellent instructor support, Concorde offers intensive training in an enhanced facility making graduates extremely competitive dental hygiene job seekers.
2. Platt College – San Diego
Type: Private Career College
Details:
- Offers an Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene
- Programmatically accredited by the American Dental Association
- Combines classroom learning with extensive clinical experience
The dental hygiene program at Platt stands out for small class sizes and extremely qualified instructors, enabling high levels of personalized skill-building for students.
Program highlights include:
- Courses in oral pathology, periodontology, dental procedures, ethics and law
- Opportunity to deliver care to over 200 patients through on-site dental clinic
- 10:1 student-to-instructor ratio means abundant one-on-one mentoring
Outcomes: Impressive outcomes signify program rigor and quality:
- 100% licensure exam pass rate
- 90% graduate job placement rate
Cost: $47,950 Total Tuition
Why Choose This Program
Learners needing close mentoring and contact will appreciate Platt’s small classes and ADA-accredited training focused intently on cultivating professional-level dental hygiene skills.
3. San Diego Mesa College
Type: Public Community College
Details:
- Offers an intensive Associate Degree program
- Curriculum blending science foundation, community-based learning and clinical work
Mesa College is accredited with a strong reputation for clinically focused training aimed squarely at preparing graduates for professional dental hygiene practice.
Program Highlights:
- Operates an on-campus dental hygiene clinic providing affordable services to over 200 community members yearly
- Students complete approximately 20 hours per week across 300 clinical training hours each semester, totaling 1100+ hours
- Completed renovations create a state-of-the-art clinical learning facility
Outcomes: Strong outcomes speak to graduate readiness for licensing and practice:
- 90% Licensure Exam Pass Rate
- 92% Job Placement Rate
Cost: Approximately $7,000 total tuition
Why Choose This Program
With extensive clinical rotations integrated into an affordable program, Mesa College is perfect for learners prioritizing abundant applied experience in a modern training clinic.
4. Cuyamaca College
Type: Public Community College
Details:
- Associate of Science Degree
- 72 credit unit curriculum covering science, dental and clinical coursework
Cuyamaca College is a recognized leader in dental hygiene education, balancing science foundations with intensive clinical capabilities development.
Program Highlights:
- Modernized dental hygiene instructional clinic mirror professional facilities
- Students deliver care for 80-100 patients under instructor supervision, totaling over 200 clinical hours per semester
- Courses utilize a “learning-over-time” approach focused on cementing student capabilities
Outcomes: Graduates are well prepared for licensure and practice:
- 93% Licensure Exam Pass Rates
- 95% Job Placement Rates
Cost: Approximately $7,000 total tuition
Why Choose This Program
With robust science grounding and abundant patient experience prioritizing skill cementation over time, Cuyamaca’s balanced approach produces exceptional dental hygiene professionals.
5. Pima Medical Institute
Type: Private Career College
Details:
- Associate of Occupational Science Degree
- Suite of dental assistant and dental hygiene programs
Pima Medical Institute offers accredited dental hygiene and assistant training pathways blending online delivery with hands-on learning.
Program Highlights Include:
- Web-based coursework combined with laboratory sessions
- Students can complete clinical rotations at approved external sites
- Dedicated career assistance with building professional portfolios and job placement
Outcomes: Strong employment outcomes demonstrate program effectiveness:
- 82% Job Placement Rate
Cost: $35,950 Total Tuition
Why Choose This Program
Pima’s blended training model pairing online courses with applied skills sessions provides scheduling flexibility alongside solid career preparation.
Comparing Degree Options
Beyond finding the right institutional fit, one key choice is whether to pursue an Associate‘s degree qualifying for dental hygiene licensure vs. a Bachelor‘s program offering advanced training.
While the core competencies and clinical skills covered are similar across both degrees, here are a few key tradeoffs to consider:
Associate Degree (2 years)
- Faster route to enter the job market
- Lower cost program
- Graduates can readily obtain licensure and work as dental hygienists
Bachelor’s Degree (4 years)
- Study emerging techniques and specialty competencies
- Develop leadership and critical thinking skills
- Opens up teaching, research, management careers
- 8-10% higher average salaries
Ultimately interests, budget, and career ambitions will determine whether an Associate or Bachelor pathway in dental hygiene is preferential.
Both degree routes provide excellent preparation! Now let‘s look at leading Bachelor degree program options in the San Diego region…
6. San Diego State University
Type: Public University
Details:
- 130-quarter unit Bachelor of Science degree program
- Robust science-based curriculum enhanced with critical analysis training
As a large public university, SDSU offers an intensive 4-year Bachelor of Science program focused on advanced dental hygiene skills for clinical practice plus critical thinking and leadership capabilities.
Key program features:
- Cutting-edge dedicated dental hygiene teaching clinic suites
- Research project completion mandatory for degree qualification
- Courses in healthcare policymaking, analysis, and administration
This combination cements clinical capabilities while preparing graduates to take on supervisory, quality assurance, and training roles.
Outcomes: Strong outcomes speak to graduate readiness:
- 98% Licensure Exam Pass Rate
- 93% Job Placement Rate
Cost: Approximately $46,000 total tuition
Why Choose This Program
SDSU offers an unparalleled Bachelor’s training pathway combining advanced clinical techniques with leadership and critical analysis skill-building vital for management roles.
Comparing Community Colleges vs Career Colleges
Another key program differentiator is whether its housed at a community college or specialized career college.
Here‘s an overview of key factors to consider with these institutional options:
Community Colleges
- Associate degree programs
- Can take 3 years to complete
- Far more affordable tuition
- Variable access to hands-on clinical experience
Career Colleges
- Usually accelerated Associate degree programs
- Completed in 2 years
- Higher tuition costs
- Emphasis on intensive clinical contact and training
While Community Colleges win out for affordability, some specialized private colleges excel at accelerated training with abundant patient experience. This focus pays dividends in skill development and employment.
Assessing priorities around cost, program length, and clinical practice intensity will aid selection between these solid options.
Now let‘s profile additional leading community and career college programs in the San Diego region.
7. Western Career College
Type: Private Career College
Details:
- Associate of Science Degree
- Comprehensive 21-month accelerated program
Dedicated exclusively to healthcare fields, Western Career College offers a concentrated 21-month private dental hygiene program focused squarely on clinical preparations.
Program Highlights:
- Classes held once weekly with ample study time built-in
- Externships providing 200+ patient clinical hours
- Brand new campus and upgraded dental hygiene teaching clinic
This accelerated format condenses essential training, making WCC graduates exceptionally prepared for licensure and practice.
Cost: $47,388 Total Tuition
Why Choose This Program
The accelerated 21-month program offers focused training pairing once weekly classes with intense skills development.
8. Southwestern College
Type: Public Community College
Details:
- 76-unit Associate of Science Degree
- Well-rounded curriculum focused on clinical capabilities
As a designated Hispanic Serving Institution, Southwestern College holds acclaim for its diverse student-centered education programs including dental hygiene.
Dental Hygiene Training Program Features:
- On-campus Dental Hygiene Clinic and Radiology Lab
- Interdisciplinary team simulations using high-tech manikins
- Strong general education curriculum focused on critical thinking
This comprehensive approach produces knowledgeable and skilled professionals.
Cost: $2,388 Estimated Yearly Tuition
Why Choose This Program
The blend of advanced dental capabilities development and general critical analysis skills cements both clinical and cognitive readiness.
9. Carrington College
Type: Private Career College
Details:
- Associate of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene
- Accelerated 18-month program
Carrington College offers an intensive 74 credit unit dental hygiene program compressing key competencies into just 18 months.
Program Attributes:
- Blended course delivery combining online and classroom sessions
- Simulation labs and clinical rotations at partner dental clinics
- 180 hours focused exclusively on clinical technique practice
This accelerated blended program creates flexibility alongside robust skills training.
Cost: $47,536 Total Tuition
Why Choose This Program
The compressed 18-month program offers focused training in an accelerated hybrid delivery model ideal for self-motivated learners.
10. Palomar College
Type: Public Community College
Details:
- 76-credit unit Associate Degree curriculum
- Program initiated in 1973 with long track record
The dental hygiene program at Palomar College is well-established with decades of quality training and strong community connections making it a top pick.
Standout features include:
- Operating an on-site dental hygiene clinic since 2002 providing affordable preventive care
- Program instructors all maintain part-time clinical practices creating real-world education
- Optional completion pathway to gain a Bachelor’s Degree through partnership with Loma Linda University
This rich heritage and focus on clinical service cements graduate readiness.
Cost: $1,150 Estimated Yearly Tuition
Why Choose This Program
With an extensive history and emphasis on community care, Palomar College is perfect for those seeking established training deeply ingrained into regional professional circles.
What Comes After Graduation? Licensure and Career Paths
Once you successfully complete an accredited dental hygiene program and receive your Associate‘s or Bachelor’s degree, there are a few final steps along the path to professional licensure.
Licensing Examinations
Expect to take both of these exams:
- National Board Dental Hygiene Exam (NBDHE) – Assesses knowledge of theory
- State Clinical Board Exam – Confirms clinical competence
Continuing Education
As licensed providers, dental hygienists must complete regular CE courses on new research and techniques. This ensures skills remain updated.
Career Trajectory
Common settings dental hygienists work within include:
- Dental Offices – Cleanings, exams etc.
- Hospitals and Dental Clinics – Educate patients, support dental teams
- Schools and Nursing Homes – Provide assessments, cleanings, basic care
With further certifications, experienced dental hygienists may transition into other roles such as:
- Clinical Instructors
- Corporate Trainers
- Health Clinic Managers
- Entrepreneurs Operating Independent Hygiene Practices
Your career path can evolve over time as you accumulate deeper expertise!
Final Thoughts
As this guide outlines, you have an abundance of exceptional dental hygiene programs to choose from in the San Diego region whether at public, private non-profit or private career colleges.
Combined with flexible career options and strong growth, dental hygiene represents an extremely promising profession right now, especially in California.
By assessing your individual interests, budget, location needs and learning priorities, narrowing down the many quality programs on offer becomes more manageable.
Reach out to admissions officers and current students, schedule campus visits, and evaluate all dimensions of culture and fit. This will pay dividends in landing in the ideal program for your talents and ambitions.
If you have a passion for healthcare and helping patients – there is no better time than now to get started on an exciting dental hygiene career path!
I wish you the very best as you take the next steps towards your promising future!