Dental Hygienists Career Information
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Significant Points
· Dental hygienists are projected to be one of the 30 fastest growing
occupations.
· Population growth and greater retention of natural teeth will stimulate demand for dental hygienists.
· Opportunities for part-time work and flexible schedules are common.
Nature of the Work
Dental hygienists remove soft and hard deposits
from teeth, teach patients how to practice good oral hygiene, and provide other
preventive dental care. Hygienists examine patients' teeth and gums, recording
the presence of diseases or abnormalities. They remove calculus, stains, and
plaque from teeth; take and develop dental x rays; and apply cavity-preventive
agents such as fluorides and pit and fissure sealants.
In some States, hygienists administer anesthetics; place and carve filling materials,
temporary fillings, and periodontal dressings; remove sutures; perform root-planing
as a periodontal therapy; and smooth and polish metal restorations. Although
hygienists may not diagnose diseases, they can prepare clinical and laboratory
diagnostic tests for the dentist to interpret. Hygienists sometimes work chairside
with the dentist during treatment.
Dental hygienists also help patients develop and maintain good oral health. For example, they may explain the relationship between diet and oral health, or even the link between oral health and such serious conditions as heart disease and strokes. They also inform patients how to select toothbrushes and show them how to brush and floss their teeth.
Dental hygienists use hand and rotary instruments and ultrasonics to clean and polish teeth, x-ray machines to take dental pictures, syringes with needles to administer local anesthetics, and models of teeth to explain oral hygiene.
Working Conditions
Flexible scheduling is a distinctive feature
of this job. Full-time, part-time, evening, and weekend schedules
are widely available. Dentists frequently hire hygienists to work only 2 or
3 days a week, so hygienists may hold jobs in more than one dental office.
Dental hygienists work in clean, well-lighted offices. Important health safeguards include strict adherence to proper radiological procedures, and use of appropriate protective devices when administering anesthetic gas. Dental hygienists also wear safety glasses, surgical masks, and gloves to protect themselves from infectious diseases.
Dental hygienists held about 158,000 jobs in 2009. Because multiple jobholding is common in this field, the number of jobs exceeds the number of hygienists. More than half of all dental hygienists worked part time—less than 35 hours a week.
Almost all jobs for dental hygienists were in offices of dentists. A very small number worked for employment services or in offices of physicians.
Training, Qualifications, Adv.
Dental hygienists must be licensed by the State in which they practice. To qualify for licensure, a candidate must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene school and pass both a written and clinical examination. The American Dental Association Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations administers the written examination accepted by all States and the District of Columbia. State or regional testing agencies administer the clinical examination. In addition, most States require an examination on legal aspects of dental hygiene practice. Alabama allows candidates to take its examinations if they have been trained through a State-regulated on-the-job program in a dentist's office.
In 2009, the Commission on Dental Accreditation accredited about 356 programs in dental hygiene. Although some programs lead to a bachelor's degree, most grant an associate degree. A dozen universities offer master's degree programs in dental hygiene or a related area.
An associate degree is sufficient for practice in a private dental office. A bachelor's or master's degree usually is required for research, teaching, or clinical practice in public or school health programs.
About half of the dental hygiene programs prefer applicants who have completed at least 1 year of college. However, requirements vary from one school to another. Schools offer laboratory, clinical, and classroom instruction in subjects such as anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, nutrition, radiography, histology (the study of tissue structure), periodontology (the study of gum diseases), pathology, dental materials, clinical dental hygiene, and social and behavioral sciences.
Dental hygienists should work well with others and must have good manual dexterity because they use dental instruments within a patient's mouth, with little room for error. High school students interested in becoming a dental hygienist should take courses in biology, chemistry, and mathematics.
Population growth and greater retention of natural teeth will stimulate demand for dental hygienists. Older dentists, who are less likely to employ dental hygienists, will leave and be replaced by recent graduates, who are more likely to do so. In addition, as dentists' workloads increase, they are expected to hire more hygienists to perform preventive dental care such as cleaning, so that they may devote their own time to more profitable procedures.Job Outlook
Employment of dental hygienists is expected to for all occupations through 2010, in response to increasing demand for dental care and the greater substitution of the services of hygienists for those previously performed by dentists.
Median hourly earnings of dental hygienists were $28.05 in May 2009. The middle 50 percent earned between $22.72 and $33.82 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18.05, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $40.70 an hour.
Earnings vary by geographic location, employment setting, and years of experience. Dental hygienists may be paid on an hourly, daily, salary, or commission basis.
Benefits vary substantially by practice setting and may be contingent upon full-time employment. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), almost all full-time dental hygienists employed by private practitioners received paid vacation. The ADA also found that 9 out of 10 full-time and part-time dental hygienists received dental coverage. Dental hygienists who work for school systems, public health agencies, the Federal Government, or State agencies usually have substantial benefits.
Other workers supporting health practitioners include dental hygienists, medical assistants, surgical technologists, pharmacy aides, pharmacy technicians, occupational therapist assistants and aides, and physical therapist assistants and aides.Related Occupations
For information on a career in dental hygiene, including educational requirements, contact: For information about accredited programs and educational requirements, contact: The State Board of Dental Examiners in each State can supply information on licensing requirements.Sources of Additional Information