Dental hygienists working in general practice are licensed oral health professionals who focus on preventing and treating oral diseases-both to protect teeth and gums, and also to protect patients' total health. Dental hygienists work in collaboration with dentists as co-therapists rendering preventive and therapeutic interventions.
Description
Regulations in each state specify the range of services performed by dental hygienists.
They may include:
- Assess oral health care, including reviewing patients' health history, dental charting, oral cancer screening, and taking and recording vital signs
- Expose, process, and interpret dental radiographs
- Calculus and plaque removal
- Apply cavity-preventive agents such as fluorides and sealants to the teeth
- Oral hygiene instruction
- Counsel patients about plaque control
- Develop individualized at-home oral hygiene programs
- Counsel patients on the role of good nutrition in oral health
- Administer local anesthesia
- Place and carve filling materials, temporary fillings, and periodontal dressings
- Remove sutures
- Prepare clinical and laboratory diagnostic tests for the dentist to interpret
- Work chairside with the dentist during treatment.
Licensing
Dental hygienists must be licensed by the state in which they practice. To qualify for licensure in nearly all States, a candidate must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene school and pass both a written and clinical examination. The American Dental Association’s Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations administers the written examination, which is 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 the legal aspects of dental hygiene practice.
Personal qualifications
- Excellent judgment, conscientious performance
- Good manual dexterity
- Close attention to detail, scrupulous recordkeeping
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- High ethical standards, integrity
- Ability to work cooperatively with others
- Commitment to patient’s welfare
Employment opportunities
- Excellent, ranking among the fastest growing occupations according to the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Employment of dental hygienists is expected to grow much faster than average (Increase 27 percent or more) through the year 2014
- Graduates with an BS in Dental Hygiene from MCPHS are highly sought by employers; virtually all of our students are employed before or soon after they graduate
Salary
Median hourly earnings of dental hygienists were $29.15 (Source: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2005)
Progression
Promotions generally come in the form of increased wages and responsibilities. One can also become a patient administrator or manager within the dental setting.
Skills are transferable to a number of jobs, including: public health educator, teacher, consumer advocate, dental hygiene researcher. Opportunities also exist to work with specific populations such as children or geriatrics, or specialized areas such as periodontics.
Getting there: Your degree program at MCPHS
- BS in Dental Hygiene (Boston): full-time, 33-month program for in-coming freshmen who wish to become licensed dental hygienists
- Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Dental Hygiene (Boston): full-time, 2-year program for students with an earned bachelors degree from a regionally accredited college or university and wish to become licensed dental hygienists
- BS in Dental Hygiene Degree Completion (Boston): one-year (two semesters), on-campus program for licensed dental hygienists who wish to earn a baccalaureate degree
- BS in Dental Hygiene Degree Completion – Online Option: 21 month program is completed online, two to three courses per semester; ideal for licensed dental hygienists who wish to earn a BSDH while continuing to practice