Dental Hygenist Career
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Dental Hygienist Job Description
Dental Hygienists are a group of healthcare professionals who work in the domain of preventive oral health. Occasionally, they may participate in research, administrative, clinical and therapeutic activities. The overall objective of the job is to promote and maintain an optimal oral health.
The job requires the hygienist to assess the condition of the oral tissues and determine the presence of absence of disease, identify other abnormalities and high risk conditions, diagnose the status of dental hygiene depending upon the clinical findings and design patient centric and evidence based treatment plans. In addition a dental hygienist performs functions like educating the patient, design various educational programs and strategies and assisting in clinical procedures to ensure optimum oral health.
A dental hygienist performs a wide range of clinical procedures which include removal of stains, calculus and plaques, exposing and processing dental X rays, local application of cavity preventing agents and administering various anti-microbial drugs. Depending upon the expertise and experience of the dental hygienist, some hygienist also administer local anesthesia, fill cavities, provide periodontal dressing, remove sutures, smooth and polish teeth and perform root canalling.
Dental Hygienist Skills/Duties
A dental hygienist has to have the knowledge of oral and dental health, should have strong inter-personal communication skills, should be good at counseling the patients and should also be trained to perform some of the basic dental care procedures.
Ability to integrate clinical and laboratory findings is also one of the essential requirements of this job. Depending upon the setting in which the hygienist works, he/she would need to possess special skills like administration and record keeping, marketing, participating in health awareness, etc.
As the part of the healthcare team a dental hygienist should be able to work as a part of a team of dentists, dental assistants, etc.
Further, the Hygienist may also have to interact with other healthcare professionals like the Nurse, Physician or Surgeon, depending upon the status of the patient’s health. The basic attributes include patience, willingness to work for wellbeing of the patients and dedication towards work.
Dental Hygienist Education and Training
• To enroll for a program in dental hygiene, an associate’s degree in science or applied science is required. Following the basic qualification, a candidate can apply for a graduate program in any of the accredited dental hygiene colleges. The program is a four year program which provides one with a baccalaureate degree in dental hygiene. The coursework comprises of classroom training coupled with practical exposure. Some programs require prior experience before accepting applications to the program.
• The licensing requirements may vary according to state, however all candidates need to successfully complete a National Dental Hygiene Board Examination, to be qualified to practice dental hygiene.
Dental Hygienist Job Outlook
Dental hygienists may work in a wide range of clinical settings including private dental clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, prisons, federal or governmental facilities, etc. In addition there are great opportunities in the education, research, public health, clinic management and administration and marketing. Some Dental Hygienists may purse a different career path and base their success on their knowledge and experience in the domain. However most of the professionals work in clinical practice or educational institutions.
Further, with flexible work timings, there are options of working on full time or part-time basis.
Dental Hygienist Salary
The average annual remuneration among Dental Hygienists is about $55,307, which varies considerably depending upon the specific work setting, the location of practice, the overall experience of the hygienist, etc. Overall the profession is highly rewarding and the potential is bound to increase in the future, with increase in dental insurance.
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