Dental Hygienist

By: Jillian Snell

Educational Requirements

❏ Becoming a dental hygienist requires at least

an associates degree in dental hygiene.
❏ Dental hygienists must also obtain a
state-issued license.
❏ The amount of schooling depends on what
degree you want, but typically it only takes 2-4
years of schooling
❏ There are also many dental hygiene programs
available to gain experience in the field.
Required skills

❏ Some skills that will be beneficial for this occupation are:

❏ Attention to detail
❏ Problem solving
❏ Good communication
❏ Manual dexterity
❏ Compassion
❏ You will also need to know how to take x-rays, remove deposit from teeth
and apply fluoride treatments.
Salary

❏ On average, dental
hygienists make around
77k a year ($37 an hour)
❏ The most one can make
as a dental hygienist is
97k-100k a year
❏ Currently, this occupation
has been growing 11%
which is faster than
average.
Duties

❏ Dental hygienists work a full 8 hour shift

(hours can vary) 3-4 days a week.
❏ Dental hygienists work in dental
offices/clinics.
❏ Some responsibilities of dental hygienists
include:
❏ Cleaning patient’s teeth (removing
stains and plaque)
❏ Assessing patient’s oral health and
hygiene
❏ Perform x-rays
❏ Document treatment
❏ Apply different treatments to
patient’s teeth, such as fluoride.
Benefits and Drawbacks

-BENEFITS- -DRAWBACKS-

❏ Schooling is short ❏ Less variety in day-to-day work

❏ Positive job outlook ❏ Most dental hygienist work only
❏ Good salary part time
❏ You get all holidays off ❏ Sometimes, you can be faced with
a heavy workload
Sources Cited

❏ Path to becoming a dental hygienist, a step-by-step guide. Concorde Career Colleges. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 29, 2021, from
https://www.concorde.edu/about-us/blog/career-tips-advice/path-to-becoming-a-dental-hygienist
-a-step-by-step-guide.
❏ Greatwood Dental Assistant Program. (2020, October 1). 10 most important dental hygienist skills:
GDAP. Greatwood Dental Assistant Program. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from
https://gdap.net/10-most-important-skills-you-need-as-a-dental-hygienist/.
❏ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021, September 8). Dental hygienists : Occupational outlook
handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm.
❏ Schlette, J. (n.d.). 13 pros and cons of being a dental hygienist. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from
https://www.nursingprocess.org/dental-hygienist-pros-and-cons.html.