The demand for professionals dedicated to the dentistry and oral hygiene sector is increasing, not only due to the importance of oral health, but also for aesthetics. That is why it is currently one of the health sectors with the greatest employability. One of the trainings that allows access to the oral sector is the Higher Degree in Oral Hygiene. This degree lasts two years, and the subjects that make up the study plan include: Oral Intervention, Epidemiology in oral or conservative health, periodontics, surgery and implants, among many others.
At Escola Pejoan they are committed to a teaching method based on technical, personal and social skills, combining the theoretical part with practice from the first day. The coordinator of the cycle is Mari Carmen Montenegro, and she details that in total, the course consists of 2,000 hours, of which 449 are carried out in work centers, that is, in clinics. “In both the first and second years there are theoretical modules and others in which the theoretical part is combined with practice in the center’s technical classrooms,” comments the professional.
Both years are both practical and theoretical, although in the second year the practical part intensifies, since students combine classes with internships in a workplace. “Students who study in the morning do their practices in the afternoons in a dental clinic, unlike those who go in the afternoons,” says Montenegro, who adds that the practical modules, such as exploration of the oral cavity or oral intervention, are the that generate more enthusiasm among students.
All subjects are taught by expert teachers in the subject. There are hygienists and dentists and nurses who were previously hygienists, which gives a very specific focus on the subject taught. They bring all their experience to the classrooms to bring students as close as possible to the day-to-day life of a dental clinic.
People who do not meet any of these requirements have to pass an access test. Applicants must be 19 years old, or turn 19 during the calendar year in which the test is taken. After obtaining the title of senior oral hygienist technician, you can now practice as a professional in oral hygiene.