A New Home for Augusta’s Dental Hygiene Program

Augusta University’s Dental Hygiene Program is entering a new chapter with its official move to the Dental College of Georgia in Augusta, a transition designed to strengthen collaboration, streamline resources, and better reflect the realities of team-based oral healthcare. The move brings 11 faculty members, one staff member, and 59 undergraduate students under the umbrella of Georgia’s only dental school.

Leading the program is Erin Boyleston, MS, RDH, associate professor and director of the Dental Hygiene Program at the Dental College of Georgia. Boyleston also serves as clinic coordinator for first-year dental hygiene students and course director for introduction to Clinic I, Clinic II, and pharmacology. Her leadership places her at the center of a transition that aligns dental hygiene education more closely with the clinical and academic environment where students train for practice.

While Boyleston comes from a long line of educators that includes her mother, father, and sister, she became interested in dental hygiene as a sophomore in college. “My mother saw an advertisement from the Medical College of Georgia highlighting baccalaureate programs in allied health professions, including dental hygiene. Growing up in a small town in the 1980s, I had little exposure to health careers. Although I had been a patient at the Dental College as a child, I thought they taught only dental students. When I learned about the dental hygiene program, I could immediately envision myself as a dental hygienist,” she explained. “What I didn’t anticipate was the impact my dental hygiene faculty would have on my life. Although I developed a true passion for patient care and relationships with my patients, it was the faculty who ultimately shaped my career path. Through their example, I realized I could combine my interest in teaching with my love of dental hygiene and pursue a career in academia.”

The significance of the move goes beyond administration. Housing dental and dental hygiene students within the same college supports a more integrated educational experience and mirrors the collaborative care models graduates will encounter in practice. It also creates opportunities for stronger interdisciplinary learning while preserving the program’s established relationships with the College of Allied Health Sciences.

Boyleston shares how this transition came to be. “In January 2024, Governor Brian Kemp amended the state budget to include $178 million for a new satellite site for the Dental College in Savannah, Georgia, to help address the state’s shortage of oral health professionals. At that time, Dean Nancy Young, DMD, MEd, saw an opportunity to include dental hygiene in the growth of the Dental College. Moving the program fully into the college allowed it to be better supported and more closely aligned with the college’s mission and resources. This transition made sense not only structurally, but also educationally, as our students and faculty already worked and learned alongside dental students and faculty every day.”

Founded in 1967, Augusta University’s Dental Hygiene Program has built a strong reputation for education, service, and innovation, and joining the dental school has brought significant benefits. Boyleston states, “Access to the resources of the Dental College, such as clinical support, academic services, and shared learning experiences, is a big plus for us. A particularly valuable resource is the involvement of senior dental students as teaching assistants in clinic. This arrangement is mutually beneficial, as working together helps both groups build collaborative relationships that reflect real-world practice and strengthen their readiness for the team‑based care model they will encounter professionally.”

Now, with a new academic home, the program is poised to build on that foundation. For dental hygienists watching the future of education evolve, Augusta University’s move signals a growing emphasis on closer collaboration, stronger clinical alignment, and preparing the next generation of oral health professionals together.