How does a Dental Hygienist fit into the oral health profession?
Dental hygienists promote oral health and hygiene through regular preventive dental care. They often work alongside dentists and orthodontists, cleaning teeth and monitoring patients' oral health.
What are the career opportunities for dental hygienists?
- Private dental practices or specialty dental practices
- Health departments and health-related institutions
- Schools and school systems
- Health Maintenance Organizations
- Dental claim departments of insurance companies
- Hospitals and nursing homes
What is the outlook for a career as a Dental Hygienist?
Dental hygienists face exciting prospects in the coming decade, with a job growth rate of 36 percent forecast for the 2008 to 2018 period. This figure places dental hygiene among the fastest-growing occupations in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What is required to pursue a Dental Hygiene career?
A career as a dental hygienist requires a degree from an accredited dental hygiene school, like the one offered at Remington College in Nashville.
Also, dental hygienist careers typically require licensure by the state in which the hygienist works. Licensure requirements vary, but generally include a dental hygiene degree and a passing score on written and clinical examinations. Dental hygienists should be able to work well in close proximity to others and have excellent manual dexterity.
What are the typical work expectations for Dental Hygienists?
Dental hygienists typically work in the comfortable environment of a dentist's office. Flexible scheduling is a distinctive feature of this job. Full-time, part-time, evening, and weekend schedules are common. In 2008, approximately 50 percent of dental hygienists worked part-time.
What’s the first step toward becoming a Dental Hygienist in Nashville?
A dental hygiene career customarily starts with formal training from an accredited dental hygiene school, like our Nashville School of Dental Hygiene.(1)
It is the goal of the Remington College Dental Hygiene program:
- To prepare competent dental hygiene professionals for entry-level employment;
- To engage students in an academic arena that promotes critical thinking and problem solving;
- To promote ethical and professional behavior and practice;
- To develop students who appreciate cultural diversity and embody a sense of civic and social responsibility; and
- To employ faculty that are well qualified in dental hygiene practice and educational methodologies.
The Remington College Dental Hygiene Associate’s Degree program can be completed in as few as 24 months. As a student, you will have the opportunity to study dental anatomy, oral radiology, periodontics, anxiety and pain control, as well as gain clinical practice in the School of Dental Hygiene lab.
Are health care professionals at risk for infectious diseases?
Dental Hygiene is a health care profession with potential for exposure to infectious diseases. In the performance of their clinical duties, dental hygiene students are at risk for exposure to blood and blood-borne pathogens. Policies and procedures that comply with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) for preventing exposure incidents and minimizing risks have been developed and are applied by dental hygiene students during clinical activities.
(1) Employment upon graduation not guaranteed.
(2) Adapted from: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos097.htm
Dental Hygienist Career Outlook Archive