Dental Nurse Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

Dental Nurse job description, duties, tasks, and responsibilities — A dental nurse providing assistance to the dentist during a procedure. Image source: Coursesplus.co.uk

This post provides complete information on the job description of a dental nurse, to help you understand the key tasks, duties, and responsibilities they perform.

What Does a Dental Nurse Do?

Dental nurses are healthcare workers whose major role is to assist dentists in carrying out different kinds of oral-care procedures.

The dental nurse job description entails preparing instruments to be used during treatment procedures, recording medical information, and ensuring that patients are comfortable.

They also help while working in general practice to carry out administrative duties such as answering phones, booking appointments, taking payments, meeting with patients and reassuring them, as well as handling paper work.

A qualified dental nurse can work in several establishments, including hospitals, general practice, community dental service centers, and with the military and police.

Working as a dental nurse and gaining adequate experience can provide the opportunity to becoming an oral health practitioner, such as a dental hygienist or dental (or orthodontic) therapist.

To be able to perform the role of a dental nurse effectively with your patients well satisfied, you will need to have a calm and reassuring attitude to your patients.

You will need to realize that most patients that need your service are hurting and are in need of immediate solution to their problems. You will be making it worse for them by being irritable or insensitive.

Some of your patients will be children and people with special needs, so you need to be able to relate with them cordially.

Dental nurses usually start work by 9 in the morning and close by 5pm, Mondays through Fridays.

However, some organizations open in the evenings and weekends. There is also the possibility for a part-time opening in some offices.

Due to having close contact with patients, dental nurses are prone to contacting infections from patients whom they treat.

To protect themselves from being infected, they must wear a uniform and surgical gloves, and sometimes they also need to wear a mask and safety glasses.

Dental Nurse Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Shown in the job description example below are key tasks, duties, and responsibilities that mostly make up the job description of dental nurses:

Open and close the surgery daily
Adhere to health and safety protocols as well as cross-infection to the highest standard
Ensure all dental instruments are correctly decontaminated
Set up for every patient
Provide the Dentist with the correct instruments and equipment
Serve as an assistant to the Dentist during treatment by passing relevant equipment and instruments to him, in the same vein retracting and aspirating if necessary
Mix and prepare materials
Write patient notes efficiently and correctly as dictated by the Dentist
Monitor patients from the entering the room, during treatment and after the surgery
Offer reassurance and support to patients
Carry out stock control
Greet patients and check them in
Answer the phone and deal with patient enquiries
Book appointments
Take payment
Liaise with laboratories and referral hospitals/practices.