Dental Hygienist

Career Overview

Dental hygienists provide dental hygiene treatment and information related to the prevention of diseases and disorders of the teeth and mouth. Dental therapists carry out limited dental services related to the prevention and treatment of diseases and disorders of the teeth and mouth. Use the search box to find the video made by Denise!

Education

A two or three year college degree in dental hygiene is required to obtain these positions. Some organizations may require a four-year (bachelor's degree), but the two-three year degree is enough to do this work in most dental offices.

Future Outlook

Employment of dental hygienists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. The demand for dental services will increase as the population ages.

Work Environment

Dental hygienists work in dental offices. Many people who do this work only work part-time.

Recommended High School Courses

Biology
Math
Communication
First Aid
Science

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Treat dental problems or diseases.
Record patient medical histories.
Examine mouth, teeth, gums, or related facial structures.
Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
Process x-rays or other medical images.
Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
Sterilize medical equipment or instruments.
Provide health and wellness advice to patients, program participants, or caregivers.
Administer anesthetics or sedatives to control pain.
Direct healthcare delivery programs.
Adjust dental devices or appliances to ensure fit.
Treat acute illnesses, infections, or injuries.
Fabricate medical devices.

Schools

Adelphi University

Atlanta Technical College

Austin Community College...

Carrington College- Boise...

Carrington College- Mesa...

Carrington College- Sacra...

Carrington College- San J...

Cerritos College

Chippewa Valley Technical...

Colby Community College

College Of Lake County

College Of Southern Nevad...

Columbus State Community...

Cypress College

Dallas College West Dalla...

Delaware Technical And Co...

Diablo Valley College

Eastern Florida State Col...

Eastern Washington Univer...

El Centro College- Dallas...

Everett Community College

Ferris State University

Fresno City College

Greenville Technical Coll...

Gulf Coast State College

Harrisburg Area Community...

Herzing University- Minne...

Indian Hills Community Co...

Iowa Central Community Co...

Lake Washington Institute...

Lanier Technical College-...

Massachusetts College Of...

Milwaukee Area Technical...

Minot State University

Missouri Southern State U...

New York University

Ohio State University- Li...

Palm Beach State College-...

Pearl River Community Col...

Plaza College

Sacramento City College

San Joaquin Valley Colleg...

Seattle Central College

Suny Empire State College

Suny Erie Community Colle...

Suny Farmingdale State Co...

Suny Hudson Valley Commun...

Suny Orange County Commun...

Thomas Nelson Community C...

University Of Alabama - B...

University Of Arkansas- F...

University Of California-...

University Of Louisiana-...

University Of Maryland -...

University Of Michigan- A...

University Of Missouri- K...

University Of New England

University Of North Carol...

University Of Pittsburgh-...

Utah College Of Dental Hy...

Wake Technical Community...

Westmoreland County Commu...

Aplus Institute

Brandon University

Cambrian College

Canadian Academy Of De...

Canadian Mennonite Uni...

Canadore College- Coll...

Collège Boréal

College Of New Caledon...

Confederation College

Dalhousie University

Durham College- Oshawa...

George Brown College-...

John Abbott College

Niagara College- Wella...

Okanagan Valley Colleg...

Oulton College- Main C...

Oulton College- Pacifi...

Saskatchewan Polytechn...

Schulich School Of Med...

St. Clair College

St. Claire College- Wi...

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship

Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Curt Pozan Trades Scholar...

Approx Salary Expectation

Currency:

Low End:

$53,130.00 /yr

Avg/Med:

$76,220.00 /yr

High End:

$103,340.00 /yr

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References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.