dental hygienist

A dental hygienist at work

A dental hygienist is a licensed dental professional who specializes in preventive medical 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 local anesthesia. Common procedures performed by hygienists include cleaning, scaling and root planing, taking of prescribed radiographs, dental sealants, and provide instructions for proper dental care.

Dental hygiene process of care

The dental hygiene process of care has five steps:

• Assessing the patient: This includes, but is not limited to, a full review of the patient's medical history, necessary x-rays to be taken, a clinical exam, and a periodontal assessment.
• Dental hygiene diagnosis: Assessing of data pertaining to a client's condition in terms that will help identify problems so as to lead to a creation of an order to apply available professional therapies.The diagnosis of disease in most jurisdictions may only be performed by the doctor.
• Planning: creating a sequential treatment plan for the patient. The treatment plan will vary based on the patient's immediate needs.
• 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 his or her work evaluated several times, altering the diagnosis and plan numerous times as the client's condition changes.

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).^[1]

To become a dental hygienist in Canada, you must have completed first year university with five specified courses. This is followed by a 2 year diploma program typically at a local college before you may be licensed.

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.^[2]

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.dentalcrossing.com http://www.indeed.com, and http://www.careersindental.com, to name a few.

Dental hygiene is portrayed as a woman's profession and most people would agree that men are far and few in between. Dental hygiene across Canada is becoming a very well respected career and the pay varies throughout the country; in British Columbia you can make up $44 an hour and in Ontario you can make up to $35 an hour. This reflects the current shortage of hygienists available for hire.

Some of the downfalls to practicing in different provinces are the different regulations. For instance in BC all therapy is prescribed by the dentist, x-rays may not be taken unless prescribed, and a patient requires an annual exam in order to be treated by a hygienist. With extra training modules a hygienist may also administer local anesthesia, under the surpervision of an attending dentist. In Ontario you may take further training to become a restorative hygienist.

Dental Hygienists across Canada now have the ability to move to either BC, ON, or AB and be able to open their own private clinics.

References

• Mueller-Joseph, L., & Petersen, M. (1995). Dental Hygiene Process: Diagnosis and Care Planning. Albany, NY: Delmar.

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