Dental Hygiene Programs in Maine
Maine has 2 CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs, in Portland and Bangor.
Each program is listed below with its city, address, website, and current accreditation status, pulled directly from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Graduating from a CODA-accredited program satisfies the education requirement for licensure in every U.S. jurisdiction, though how a program prepares you for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and Maine's own licensing process is worth understanding before you apply.
Verify before you apply
At a glance
In Maine
Programs
2
With a program
Cities
2
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
2 of 2
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Maine
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading Maine's Program List
"Approval (without reporting requirements)" means CODA has found the program meets or exceeds its accreditation standards, with no open issues. "Approval (with reporting requirements)" means CODA has identified specific deficiencies the program must document correcting within a set timeframe — it's not a warning to avoid the program, just a status CODA is actively tracking. "Initial Accreditation" applies to a program that isn't yet fully operational, meaning it hasn't enrolled and graduated its first class.
The accreditation visit years shown above are CODA's own site-visit schedule for each program, not anything the program sets itself — for admissions, cost, or any other program detail, contact the program directly or check CODA's own directory.
Why Accreditation Matters for Your License
CODA accreditation is the credential jurisdictions look for when they evaluate a hygiene applicant's education, and graduating from a CODA-accredited program satisfies that education requirement in every U.S. jurisdiction, including Maine.
The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) fulfills or partially fulfills the written-exam requirement most jurisdictions set.
For the full path from enrollment to license, see our step-by-step guide to becoming a dental hygienist, and for what Maine itself requires beyond a CODA-accredited education, see our Maine dental hygienist requirements and scope of practice page.
If you're also weighing degree level or program length, see associate vs. bachelor's in dental hygiene and how long dental hygiene school takes.
After You Graduate in Maine
A CODA-accredited education is the first step toward practicing, not the last — graduates still need to pass the required exams and apply for licensure with the state board before they can work.
Once you're licensed, see our Maine dental hygienist salary guide for what the role pays in the state, and browse current open dental hygienist jobs to see what practices are hiring.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs are in Maine?
Maine has 2 CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs, located in Portland and Bangor.
Each is listed above with its current CODA accreditation status, address and website.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date list — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
Does a program have to be in Maine to count toward a Maine license?
No. Maine licenses hygienists who graduated from any CODA-accredited program, not only ones located in Maine — CODA accreditation is a national credential.
What matters for licensure eligibility is the program's CODA accreditation and passing the required exams; see our Maine requirements page for the state's own licensing rules.
What does "Initial Accreditation" mean for a program I'm considering?
Initial Accreditation is the classification CODA grants to a program that isn't yet fully operational, meaning it hasn't yet enrolled and graduated its first class of students.
It's a distinct status from Approval, not a lesser version of it — check a program's current status directly with CODA before applying, since accreditation status can change between site visits.
How do I check a program's current CODA accreditation status?
CODA maintains its own searchable directory of accredited programs at coda.ada.org, which is the definitive source for a program's current status, since a program's status can change between the site-visit years shown above.
If you're weighing multiple programs, contact each one directly for its current curriculum, admission requirements, and application deadlines — none of that is published in CODA's accreditation data.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More Maine & Dental Hygienist Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.