Dental Hygienist Job Description Sample

Dental Hygienist Job Description Sample

What Does a Dental Hygienist Do?

The dental hygienist, along with the dentist, is a healthcare professional who offers services after obtaining the proper credentials or licensing from the appropriate jurisdiction.

Perhaps the most common group of duties associated with the dental hygienist job description involves providing dental care.

A tooth cleaning procedure is often taken care of by the dental hygienist.

Besides cleaning, the role of the dental hygienist also includes root planning and sealing; and educating the patient in general oral hygiene.

However, in some places, it has become a commonplace in dentistry clinics for dental hygienists to also handle the teeth bleaching procedures.

For the various tasks that a dental hygienist is expected to perform, there is no need for him/her to be supervised by a dentist.

In some instances, local regulations may require a partial supervision, but as more hygienists strive to obtain higher degrees of certification, this trend is changing.

A good example can be found in the administration of a few specified types of fillings, which were in the past considered to be in the jurisdiction of the dentist only.

Giving more responsibilities to dental hygienists often means that patients would be seen and treated more quickly compared to how things were in times past.

It is imperative to note that, in nearly every location, a dental hygienist would be required to obtain education cum formal training before the person could be licensed.

Generally speaking, more than 90% jurisdictions require not less than a two year degree in dental hygiene, including a number of science related courses as part of the program.

A dental hygienist must have taken courses that provide him/her with background knowledge in pharmacology, nutrition, oral anatomy as well as periodontology.

An advanced education which involves four to six years of study is becoming very popular with this profession.

With advanced training, a student who desires to become a dental hygienist is able to seek a wide range of certification that would allow him or her to engage in more procedures that is related to dental care.

Dental Hygienists Job Description Sample

Here is a job description sample for the position of dental hygienist. It consists of typical tasks, duties, and responsibilities individuals holding the position normally carry out in most places they work.

• Clean dental unit for timely turnover and set up operatory for dental procedure.
• Provide deep scaling, gross abridgement cum curettage as well as root planning procedures.
• Manage dental recall system.
• Refer patients to the doctor for additional care when the need arises.
• Apply sealant and desensitizing materials.
• Make impressions for the fluoride carrier trays.
• Administer local cum topical anesthetic agents.
• Provide patient education for oral condition and appropriate to the veteran’s needs.
• Provide and prepare group and individual oral health care instructions to caregivers, inpatients as well as outpatients.
• Demonstrate proper infection control process in cleaning up and setting up operatory.
• Ensure that instruments are properly prepared and ready sterilization in accordance with SPD standards.
• Ensure that instruments are prepared in a way that it does not delay clinical care.
• Display proper infection control methods in exposing images.
• Modify care as appropriate for patient’s abilities and age (patient position and transfer).
• Provide understandable and accurate instructions to patients.
• Participate in patient identification requirements.

Making a resume for the position: The dental hygienist resume can be prepared using information from the job description example shown above.

Requirements – Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for the Position of Dental Hygienist

Most employers will usually require applicants vying for the dental hygienist job to possess the following qualifications and qualities:

• Anesthetic certified.
• Current CPR training.
• Two years of practice and experience is preferred though not required
• Knowledge of dental terminology and instruments.
• Ability to support corporate strategy and vision.