Occupation
Dental Hygienists
Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention. May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical anesthesia.
$98,100 medianBright outlookTraining or associate
O*NET 31.0 · 29-1292.00
A typical week, in the words of people in the job
- 01Record and review patient medical histories.
- 02Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
- 03Expose and develop x-ray film.
- 04Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
- 05Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.
- 06Administer local anesthetic agents.
- 07Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
- 08Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills.
- 09Remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.
- 10Maintain dental equipment and sharpen and sterilize dental instruments.
- 11Maintain patient recall system.
- 12Conduct dental health clinics for community groups to augment services of dentist.
Task statements ranked by how many workers report them · O*NET 31.0
What the posting will be called
Dental HygienistHygienistLicensed Dental HygienistRegistered Dental Hygienist (RDH)Pediatric Dental Hygienist
Titles reported by employers for this occupation. Search job boards with these, not the O*NET name.
Knowledge the job leans on
Medicine and DentistryCustomer and Personal ServicePsychologyEnglish LanguageEducation and TrainingComputers and ElectronicsPublic Safety and SecurityChemistry
Skills that carry over from service
Service OrientationSocial PerceptivenessTime ManagementInstructingCoordinationPersuasionJudgment and Decision MakingComplex Problem Solving