Overview
Dental hygienists are licensed health care professionals who promote oral health and wellness. Dental hygienists educate patients regarding oral hygiene and preventive oral care, remove soft and hard deposits from teeth, and provide other preventive dental care. Hygienists examine a patient’s oral cavity and adjacent areas -- including the head, neck, lips, cheeks, tongue, teeth and gums -- recording the presence of diseases or abnormalities. After assessing a patient's conditions, they develop a dental hygiene assessment.
Dental hygienists remove plaque, calculus, and stains from teeth, expose and develop dental radiographs (x-rays), and apply cavity-preventive agents, such as fluorides and pit and fissure sealants. In some states, they also administer local anesthetics and nitrous oxide; place and carve filling materials, temporary fillings, and periodontal dressings; remove sutures; perform root-planing as a periodontal therapy; and smooth and polish restorations.
Dental hygienists prepare clinical and laboratory diagnostic tests for the dentist to interpret. Hygienists may also work chairside with the dentist during treatment.
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Dental Hygienist 14 May 2008 [pdf, 161 KB]
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Average Salary: $55,307
- $0
Years in school: 2
- 6 *
Job outlook: Excellent
* after high school graduation
Institutional Profile
New Jersey Dental School
Dedicated to recruiting students from underrepresented minorities, so graduates can reach out to all communities
New Jersey Dental School—one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey—was founded in 1956 and has a proud tradition of educational excellence. Since its inception, the school has been dedicated to recruiting students from underrepresented minorities, so graduates can reach out to all communities.
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