Activities	Clean teeth and examine mouth, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. May educate patients on oral hygiene, take and develop X-rays, or apply fluoride or sealants.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$62,800 per year in 2006
Work Context & Conditions	Flexible scheduling is a distinctive feature of this job. Full-time, part-time, evening, and weekend schedules are widely available.
Minimum Education Requirements	Associate's Degree
Skills	Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Time Management, Active Learning, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Speaking
Abilities	Finger Dexterity, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision
Interviews	Sherri Gollins

Job Category		Healthcare Practitioners & Technical
Job Description		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. They help patients develop and maintain good oral health. 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.
Salary Range		Median earnings of dental hygienists were $62,800 per year in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $51,200 and $74,200. The lowest 10 percent earned $40,500, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $86,500 per year. Earnings vary by geographic location, employment setting, and years of experience. Dental hygienists who work in private dental offices 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, 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.

Education Required		In 2006, the Commission on Dental Accreditation accredited 286 programs in dental hygiene. Most dental hygiene programs grant an associate degree, although some also offer a certificate, a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree. A minimum of an associate degree or certificate in dental hygiene is generally required 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. 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. 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.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Biology, Medicine and Dentistry, Education and Training
Certification and Licensing		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.

Interest Area		Social Involves working and communicating with, helping, and teaching people.
Work Values		Moral Values Never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong. Social Service Do things for other people. Security Have steady employment.
Skills		Social Perceptiveness Be aware of others' reactions and understand why they react the way they do. Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Time Management Manage one's own time and the time of others. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Coordination Adjust actions in relation to others' actions. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information.
Abilities		Finger Dexterity Able to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. Manual Dexterity Able to make quick, coordinated movements of one or two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. Near Vision Able to see details of objects at a close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Related Jobs		Dentist, Orthodontist, Dentist, Dentist, Prosthodontist, Therapist, Respiratory, Assistant, Medical, Nurse, Registered, Technician, Radiologic, Assistant, Dental, Assistant, Occupational Therapy, Aide, Occupational Therapist, Technologist, Surgical, Assistant, Physician
Job Outlook		Employment of dental hygienists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016, in response to increasing demand for dental care and the greater utilization of hygienists to perform services previously performed by dentists. Job prospects are expected to remain excellent. In fact, dental hygienists is expected to be one of the fastest growing occupations through the year 2016. Population growth and greater retention of natural teeth will stimulate demand for dental hygienists. Older dentists, who have been less likely to employ dental hygienists, are leaving the occupation and will be replaced by recent graduates, who are more likely to employ one or even two hygienists. 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. Dental hygienists held about 167,000 jobs in 2006. 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.
More Information		American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation, American Dental Hygienists' Association, Division of Professional Development, American Medical Association - Health Care Careers
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Dental Hygienists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos097.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/29-2021.00