Dental hygienists who choose to work in the dental specialty periodontics are licensed oral health professionals who work with a dental health care team to prevent, co-diagnose and treat diseases that affect the gum tissue and bone that support teeth.
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 blood pressure
- Examine gums, using periodontal probes to locate periodontally recessed gums and signs of gum disease
- Examine gums for sores and signs of disease
- Apply periodontal dressings
- Remove sutures
- Teach patients proper oral hygiene techniques
- Expose, process, and interpret dental radiographs
- Prepare clinical and laboratory diagnostic tests for the dentist to interpret
- Calculus and plaque removal
- Assist with periodontal surgical procedures
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 an administrator or manager.
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