Hygienists are in demand in general dental practices and in specialty practices such as periodontics or pediatric dentistry. They also may be employed to provide dental hygiene services for patients in hospitals, nursing homes and public health clinics.
UA's mascot is an elephant called Big Al.. The name was chosen in the late 1970s in a campus-wide contest. The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. On October 8, a sportswriter wrote about the previous weekend's Alabama-Ole Miss football game.
In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul âBearâ Bryant. With Bryantâs support, the university made an elephant the teamâs official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football.