How to Become a Dental Hygienist in Hawaii

The Aloha State offers some tremendous job opportunities for people working in dentistry. According to the employment figures published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hawaii is one of the top five states with the highest concentration of jobs in dentistry. Moreover, dentists working in Hawaii made an annual mean pay of $182,210 in May 2019, which was higher than the national average.

If you are thinking about pursuing a career in this exciting field, then you have landed on the right page. Skim through this informative guide to learn how to become a dentist in Hawaii.

If you are dexterous and comfortable working for long hours, often under stressful conditions, then a career in dentistry might be ideal for you.

The employment information presented in the table below has been taken from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Take a look at it to understand the typical education, skill-set, and license requirements for dentists.

According to BLS, Dentists are expected to enjoy an employment growth of 7% from 2018 to 2028. Thus, it’s a good time to establish a career in this field.

In order to become a licensed dentist in Hawaii, individuals have to pass through the following set of steps:

1. 1. Complete a Bachelor’s Program

 

Aspiring dentists are required to complete a bachelor’s degree in order to get into a dental program. While there is no particular major required, students do have to complete the dental pre-requisites that include modules related to Biology or Chemistry. The bachelor’s degree may take around four years to complete.

 

2. 2. Clear the Dental Admission Test (DAT)
      

In order to get into a good dental school, individuals are expected to obtain a high score on their Dental Admission Test (DAT).  Dental schools use this aptitude test, along with other factors, such as recommendations, interviews and CGPA scores, to admit students into their programs. DAT tests the person’s academic knowledge and thinking skills, thus applicants should study hard before appearing for this exam.

 

3. 3. Get Admitted to a Dental School

 

This stage involves sending an admission application to the dental school. Individuals have the option of enrolling in either a Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) program or a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) program. These degrees take four years to complete and include coursework in subjects related to Radiology, Periodontics, Anatomy and Local Anesthesia.

 

4. 4. Apply for a State License

 

Once candidates have met the minimum education requirements, they can send their licensure application to the state board. Please note that aspiring dentists are required to pass the National Board Dental Examination and the ADEX dental exam if they wish to get the license.

The process of becoming a dentist in Hawaii is pretty similar to the process of becoming a dentist in other U.S. states. First, individuals have to complete a four-year long bachelor’s program. Then, they have to graduate from a dental school, which may take another four years. Therefore, it takes approximately eight years to complete the minimum education requirements. Once the candidates have obtained the degrees and cleared the required exams, they can apply for the state license.

The candidate must:

 

As per the estimates reported by BLS, Dentists (General) working in Hawaii made an annual mean salary of $182,210 in 2019. This is higher than the national mean income of $178,260.