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The University of Alaska Fairbanks is offering a new degree in dental hygiene.

The two-year associate’s degree was approved earlier this month by the university’s Board of Regents. According to officials at the university, the goal of the new program, which will be offered through the Tanana Valley Campus, is to bolster the local pool of dental hygienists, the licensed dental assistants who specialize in preventative care such as cleanings, scalings and taking X-rays.

“Ideally, if they go to school here, hopefully they’ll stay here,” said Rena Bower, the coordinator of the program.

Six students started in the program this semester. The plan is to have 12 students enrolled in the program at any given time with six graduating each May. The program’s curriculum will be a mix of general classes, like English, chemistry, communication and biology, as well as a string of specialized dental classes.

“They’ll be taking head and neck anatomy, pharmacology, radiology and dental histology,” Bower said.

The students also will get hands-on experience in the university’s dental clinic, located at TVC’s main building downtown. This summer, the first cohort of students will begin to see patients in the clinic under the supervision of licensed dentists and dental hygienists. Bower said she’s hoping for a steady stream of patients from the community to help the students hone their skills. At first, the students will only be able to handle simple, routine cleanings, but the clinic’s offerings will expand in step with the students’ experience.

The University of Alaska Anchorage already has a dental hygiene program nearly identical to the one being introduced. The Anchorage program graduates up to 12 students a year, which is just not enough, according to Jim Towle, the executive director of the Alaska Dental Society. Towle said dental hygienists are a “precious commodity” across the state.

Towle noted that despite relatively high wages and plenty of job openings, Alaska is seeing a marked shortage of dental hygienists.

“For the right person, you can make a very good living,” he said. “But the job is not without its stresses. It’s not without its challenges.”

Dealing with issues in oral health is not always the most glamorous prospect, Towle noted, but he’s hopeful that the new Fairbanks program will help to encourage more Alaskans to consider the profession. His organization recently set up an endowment to help the university fund dental programs like the new UAF associate’s degree. The fund was started with $25,000 seed money, Towle said, that will hopefully be added to in the coming years.

“Who knows, someday we may need to have a dental school in Alaska,” he said. “This fund could help with that.”