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Dental hygienist

A dental hygienist is a licensed dental auxiliary who specializes in preventive dental care, typically, but not limited to, focusing on techniques in oral hygiene. Local dental regulations determine the duties hygienists are able to perform. In most jurisdictions, hygienists work for a dentist, and some are licensed to administer restricted techniques of local anesthesia. Common procedures performed by hygienists include cleaning, scaling and root planing, radiography, and dental sealing.

In some areas, the dental regulations include extended duties and exemptions for dental hygienists. Some hygienists are allowed to practice scaling and root planing without dentist supervision. In many areas, if under the supervision of a dentist, hygienists are allowed to perform bleaching techniques to restore teeth with certain classes of fillings.

Dental hygiene process of care

The dental hygiene process of care has five steps:

Assessment: Gathering data.
Dental hygiene diagnosis: Interpreting data into a coherent description of a client's condition in terms that can be addressed by a dental hygienist.
Planning: Determining the techniques that will solve the problems indicated in the dental hygiene diagnosis and the order in which those techniques will be applied.
Implementation: Carrying out the plan.
Evaluation: Determining the effectiveness of the work that was performed.

Over a period of months or years a dental hygienist may have evaluated his or her work several times, altering the diagnosis and plan numerous times as the client's condition changes

UK dental hygienists

There are approximately 20 training providers in the UK who offer dental hygienist and dental therapist training; however, there are fewer schools that train dental hygiene only, as many schools now undertake the combined dental hygiene/therapy course. Generally the entry requirements are 5 GCSE subjects graded A – C including English language and biology or human biology, and a recognised dental nursing qualification, or 2 A level passes and 5 GCSE passes at A-C for those individuals who do not have a dental nursing qualification.

Educational and licensing requirements in U.S.

To become a dental hygienist in United States, you must graduate from a dental hygiene program, with either an associates degree (most common), a certificate, a bachelor's degree or a master's degree from a dental hygienist school that is accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA). All dental hygienists in the United States must be licensed by the state in which they practice, after completing a minimum of two years of school.

Dental hygienists school programs usually require both general education courses and courses specific to the field of dental hygiene. General education courses important to dental hygiene degrees include college level algebra, biology, and chemistry. Courses specific to dental hygiene may include anatomy, oral anatomy, materials science, pharmacology, radiography, periodontology, nutrition, and clinical skills.

A Bachelor's of Science in Dental Hygiene is typically a four-year program. Students entering a bachelor's degree program are required to have a high school diploma or equivalent, but many dental hygienists with an associate's degree or certification enter the bachelor's degree programs to expand their clinical expertise and help advance their careers.

Graduate degrees in the field of dental hygiene are typically two-year programs and are completed after the bachelor's degree. Common graduate courses in dental hygiene include Healthcare Management, Lab Instruction, and Clinical Instruction.

After completing one of the more than 200 accredited dental hygiene programs in the United States, dental hygienists must be licensed in the state in which they work. Licensure requirements for becoming a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) vary from state to state, but most require a two-year degree, a written examination, and a clinical examination. The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination is intended to fulfill the written examination requirements. The clinical examination is typically administered by the state licensing board.

In addition, the American Dental Hygienists' Association has defined a more advanced level of dental hygiene, the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner.

Pay

Salaries for dental hygienists vary depending on experience and geographic location. The median hourly wage for hygienists in 2004 in the US was $30.19 per hour.

Jobs

As with most healthcare jobs, dental hygienist jobs are currently plentiful. There are several web sites that provide dental hygienist job listings. Many of these sites also allow for resume posting. Such web sites, or job boards include http://www.dentalpost.net, http://www.indeed.com, and http://www.careersindental.com, to name a few.