How Many Registered Dental Hygienists In The Us

What Is a Dental Hygienist?

Written by Coursera • Updated on May 6, 2022

Condign a dental hygienist is an exciting and rewarding health care career. Larn what they practise, what the task outlook is, how to earn an associate degree in dental hygiene, and what you tin do if you lot're interested in becoming one.

[Featured Image] A female dental hygienist works in a dentist's office on a tablet.

Dental hygienists work alongside dentists and other health care professionals to help patients maintain skilful oral health. Should you choose this heady career path, you lot might handle routine cleanings and care, offering preventative options, screen for potential problems, and help dentists tackle various health bug pertaining to the mouth, teeth, and gums.

Learn more virtually what a dental hygienist does, how to become one, and the job outlook for this oral health intendance career choice.

What is a dental hygienist?

A dental hygienist is a licensed health care professional who works with a dentist to assist patients maintain proficient oral health and dental hygiene. Every bit a dental hygienist, your goal is to prevent and treat diseases that bear upon the teeth and gums. This might include cleaning teeth, examining the teeth and gums, taking 10-rays, collecting medical histories, and educating patients on taking proper care of their teeth and gums.

Typical dental hygienist duties

The average dental hygienist'south duties will vary from office to function and perhaps fifty-fifty from state to state, as each state has its own unique rules and regulations regarding what a dental hygienist can and tin't practise. Typical dental hygienist duties include:

Using the appropriate dental instruments to perform routine cleanings
Removing plaque, tartar, and stains from a patient's teeth
Cleaning, sterilizing, and organizing dental instruments
Reviewing and maintaining a patient's medical history
Taking X-rays
Inspecting the mouth for signs of oral cancer
Checking the gums for signs of glue disease
Providing any findings of symptoms of various diseases to the dentists so they tin make a diagnosis
Educating patients on preventative intendance and good dental hygiene practices
Assisting the dentists with more complicated procedures, like administering anesthesia or removing stitches

Where practise dental hygienists typically piece of work?

Most dental hygienists piece of work in dental offices and work fairly regular hours, and the job can be both full-time and part-fourth dimension. Nonetheless, some dental hygienists work in other health care settings, like schools, public wellness clinics, hospitals, managed intendance organizations, and nursing homes or long-term care facilities.

If you choose to earn an advanced caste and take advantage of extra training, you lot may have even more than opportunities. Options include teaching courses at postsecondary schools, working in sales and marketing of dental equipment, administering public health programs, and managing dental offices and health care clinics.

Potential salary and task outlook

According to the Usa Agency of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for a dental hygienist is $37.41 per 60 minutes or $77,810 per yr [two]. Those who work in private dental offices tend to make the nigh money.

Like other healthcare fields, the BLS expects the dental hygiene field to grow at a faster than average rate over the next decade. Currently, there are over 206,100 registered dental hygienists in the Usa [one], and that number is expected to increase. The demand for dental hygienists is expected to abound at a rate of 11 percent by 2030 [ii]. Crumbling baby boomers, new studies showing how oral health and general wellness are related, and new state laws that let dental hygienists to take on more responsibility all play a role in why this career is on the rise.

How to become a dental hygienist

Requirements for dental hygienists vary from state to land, merely most require you to earn at a minimum an associate degree, pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, and obtain a license issued by that state. If you know you lot desire to take this career path as early as high school, consider taking courses in chemical science, biology, and math.

You'll too want to call up about the human skills required for becoming a dental hygienist. Of course, you'll need to bask working with and helping others. You'll spend time with patients, dentists, dental assistants, and role workers on a daily basis. The patients you work with may be in hurting or may fear dental work, and so it'due south important that you're sympathetic to their needs.

Other disquisitional human skills for dental hygienists include:

Critical thinking and problem-solving: Every mouth is dissimilar, so you must come up with a program of activity for each patient.

Communication skills: On any given twenty-four hours, you'll find yourself communicating with your patients, a dentist, function staff, dental administration, patients' families, and more than.

Detail-oriented: In order to come up with a diagnosis or plan of action for each patient, y'all must pay close attention to the details involved in their situation.

Dexterity: Much of your job as a dental hygienist involves working with your hands, using precision, and handling dental instruments in a small infinite.

Earn an associate degree

As previously mentioned, you must earn an associate degree before embarking on a career equally a dental hygienist. Available's and master's degrees are as well available, but they aren't quite every bit common, and they're usually just required for careers like teaching or inquiry. You'll find many associate degree programs in dental hygiene at customs colleges, vocational schools, and technical schools, every bit well equally some universities. According to the American Dental Association, in that location are over 300 accredited programs in the United States [three].

Information technology generally takes about three years to consummate a dental hygiene program. Your courses volition likely include classroom lectures, lab work, and clinical practice. You lot'll typically study anatomy, medical ethics, periodontics, diet, pathology, radiology, and patient management. Yous may also take some liberal arts courses, and you may choose to have boosted courses in topics like public health or marketing, depending on your career goals.

Pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Test

In one case you've completed your acquaintance degree, yous'll need to accept and pass the National Lath Dental Hygiene Examination, offered past the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE). The exam is unremarkably made upwards of 350 questions and divided into two parts, including both subject-based and case-based items [4].

Complete whatsoever required state licensing

Once you pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Test, you need to look into the type of licensing required by the state where yous want to do. What is required volition vary from state to country. Nevertheless, completing an accredited dental hygiene program, passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Test, and passing a state or regional clinical board test is nearly always required.

Consider additional training

Finally, many dental hygienists choose additional preparation. As discussed, you may go along to earn a more than advanced degree. If you have a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene, you may go on to work in education, other clinical settings, schoolhouse health programs, or public health programs. If you have a master's caste, you can explore careers in pedagogy, research, wellness care administration, public wellness, and advanced clinical positions.

You may likewise be required to take then many hours of courses every year or every few years once yous earn your dental hygienist license. Whether they're required or optional, taking these courses can aid keep you lot up to engagement on the latest practices and discoveries in the world of dental hygiene.

Next steps

If you're interested in exploring a career in the dental field or health care, take a look at some of the dentistry courses offered on Coursera. From the University of Pennsylvania'due south Introduction to Dental Medicine class to the University of Michigan's Dentistry 101, y'all can get a feel for the topic and determine if information technology'southward something you want to turn into a rewarding career.

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Article sources

ane. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Dental Hygienists, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm#tab-6." Accessed March 22, 2022.

2. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Dental Hygienists, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm#tab-5." Accessed March 22, 2022.

3. American Dental Association. "Dental Team Careers, https://www.ada.org/resources/careers/dental-team-careers." Accessed March 22, 2022.

4. Joint Commissions on National Dental Examinations. "NBDHE Case Evolution Guide, http://jcnde.ada.org/~/media/JCNDE/pdfs/nbdhe_case_guide.pdf." Accessed March 22, 2022.

Written by Coursera • Updated on May half-dozen, 2022

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