General Description of Career



Rocio Rodriguez

Professor Sarah Dye

Argument Paper

Dec. 12, 2006

Dental hygienists are valuable members of the dental health care team who work with dentists in the delivery of care to patients. The dental hygienist’s role is to help prevent tooth decay and maintain healthy gums and bones. In order to do so a dental hygienist plays an important role in teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene habits. Counseling patients regarding good nutrition and its impact on oral health is among one of a dental hygienist’s main duties. Dental hygiene is a highly skilled discipline that requires specialized education and clinical training. Dental hygienists must be able to work in teams since they must work closely with dentists, dental assistants, and technicians through out their career. In the next paragraphs the education, future needs and availability of job and satisfaction possibilities of a dental hygiene career will be discussed.

Although, dental hygiene is a worldwide career the duties of the profession itself varies depending on your geographic location. Since in the United States each state has its own regulations regarding the duties of a dental hygienist, duties vary from state to state. In Illinois a dental hygienist may take x-rays, and assist a dentist with routine tasks. These tasks include mixing compounds for filling cavities, sterilizing dental instruments and assisting in surgical work. Most dental hygienist work in private dental offices, a minority work in public health agencies, hospitals, school systems, dental hygiene schools, clinics, and for state and federal government agencies. A dental hygienist may even work overseas, this is a little more complicated since dental regulations and roles are different in every country.

Therefore, how does one go about obtaining a dental hygienist position like the ones just described? Well, it all starts in high school, taking chemistry, biology, math and English may help ease your way into the career. In reality, a two year degree is sufficient training in order to obtain a valuable career as a dental hygienist. Typically a community college dental hygienist program takes at least two years to complete, with graduates receiving associate degrees. An associate’s degree allows a hygienist to take licensure examinations (national and state or regional), to become licensed and work in a dental office. However, university-based dental hygiene program may offer bachelors and master's degrees, which generally require at least two years of further schooling. These additional degrees may be required to embark on a career in teaching and/or research, as well as for clinical practice in school or public health programs. Dental hygiene education programs provide students with clinical education in the form of supervised patient care experiences. In addition, these programs include courses in liberal arts (e.g., English, speech, sociology and psychology); basic sciences (e.g., anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, immunology, chemistry, microbiology and pathology); and clinical sciences (e.g., dental hygiene, radiology and dental materials). However, many dental hygiene programs require at least one year of college before being eligible to become part of a dental program. After a completion of a dental hygiene program, dental hygienists can choose to pursue additional training in such areas as; education, business administration, basic sciences, marketing and public health.

A dental hygienist must be licensed in the state of service in order to provide dental hygiene care and patient education. Just about all states require that dental hygienists be graduates of Commission-accredited dental hygiene education programs to be eligible for state licensure. Additionally, most states require candidates for licensure to obtain a passing score on the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (a comprehensive written examination) in addition to passing the state-authorized licensure examination. The state or regional examination test candidates' must proof clinical dental hygiene skills as well as their knowledge of dental hygiene and related subjects in order to pass the test. Only upon receipt of their license, dental hygienist may use “R.D.H.” this signifying that they are recognized by the state as Registered Dental Hygienists.

By the way, earnings in dental hygienist fields can vary greatly this depending on the level of education, geographic location, experience, and the responsibilities at work. Hygienist, depending on the employer, can be paid by the hour, yearly, or even on commission basis. For example, a dental hygienist obtaining an entry level position may earn anywhere from $15 to $25.32 dollars an hour. Dental hygienists who are in between entry and experienced levels in their career can earn an average of $29.80 an hour. In contrast, a dental hygienist with years of experience in the industry can earn anywhere from $33.42 to $40 dollars an hour.

Due to 77 million aging baby boomers who are still smiling, the number of dental care professionals is projected to soar. As of the year 2002 there were 148,000 hygienists, and according to the Department of Labor, job opportunities in this field will increase by an average of more than 36 percent through the year 2012. This is because, the number of old dentists, who do not traditionally employ hygienist are retiring and are being replaced by recent graduates who are likely to employ one or two more dental hygienists. (2) Job prospects are expected to remain relatively stable, unless the number of dental hygienist program graduates grows much faster than the last decade, resulting in a much larger pool of qualified applicants. Demand will also be stimulated by population growth and greater retention of natural teeth by the larger number of middle-aged people and the elderly.

Dental hygiene is a highly respected career that offers variety and personal satisfaction. There are two main advantages of working as a dental hygienist and these are: flexibility and the security offered by this career. First, the flexibility that this career offers is mainly what lures people into this industry. The majority of dental hygienist love the flexibility offered by full- and part-time employment options, as well as the availability of evening and weekend hours. This enables dental hygienists to balance their career and lifestyle needs as desired. Dental hygienists usually hold jobs in more than one dental practice since, the majority are employed part-time. Preventive dentistry is reducing the rate of oral disease; the older population will retain their teeth longer this making them more aware of the importance of regular dental care. Dentists will need to provide more emphasis on preventive care and therefore employ more dental hygienists. Therefore, dental hygienists will always have employment opportunities in this industry.

Like any job, however, a dental hygienist career also has a few minor drawbacks that are, depending on the person, easily turned into a learning experience. For example one will meet many different people of all ages and sizes, and many will be great and easy to work with but others will be a bit more difficult for example, one can come across kids who are experiencing their first dentist visit. Another common patient that a dental hygienist will come across at least once through out the course of a career will be one who has neglected care of their teeth for a long time. In these kinds of cases a dental hygienist must be able to improvise different techniques that will make a patients visit more knowledgeable and effective. Dental hygienists must deal with many infectious diseases, therefore, they must wear gloves and face masks and disinfect all the material properly. A draw back that this career has, depending on the person, is that one must continue to get education since technology advances often.

In conclusion, the dental hygienist career is a very rewarding career in terms of not only salary but also; security, flexibility, and years of study. If one likes to work with people, work with tools and learn new things every day then a dental hygienist career is the right career to choose.

Sources Cited

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Bulletin 2600. Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2006."

Dental Hygienist. . 12/05/2006

Kendall, Bonnie L. Opportunities in Dental Careers. C.2001.

(2) Kingsbury. U.S. News & World Report. Washington: Mar 21, 2005. Vol. 138, Iss. 10; pg 51

Myron Allukian Jr. American Journal of Public Health. Washington: Jun 2000. Vol.90, Iss.6; pg. 843, 3 pgs; , 12/05/06.

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