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Occupation Details

Dental Hygienist



Fact Sheet

Preparing to take an impression of a patient's teeth

Dental hygienists use preventive, educational and therapeutic methods for controlling oral diseases to help individual patients and groups achieve and maintain oral health.

Duties and Tasks

Dental hygienists may perform the following tasks:

  • educate and counsel children and adults on dental health, plaque control, oral hygiene and nutrition
  • remove deposits and stains from teeth by scaling and root planing
  • assist in the prevention and control of dental caries (decay) and gum disease
  • select and use appropriate fluoride treatments and polish tooth restorations
  • expose and process dental X-rays
  • take impressions of patients' mouths for the construction of study casts, mouth guards and orthodontic appliances
  • select and size orthodontic bands (braces), and remove orthodontic wires and attachments
  • apply and remove periodontal packs
  • instruct patients on how to look after their teeth and mouth after operations

Quick Facts

School subjects that include some aspect of BIOLOGY provide a useful background to these jobs. In some cases a biology-related subject is a pre-requisite for entry to courses that provide the training for the job.
Use of precision or semi-precision tools or instruments or deft hand movements are required for these occupations. Included are jobs where poor co-ordination or incomplete use of hands or fingers may make tasks dangerous or difficult to undertake. Jobs requiring full use of hands/fingers are excluded.\par
These jobs require you to be able to see clearly to examine items close-up. It covers jobs where poor vision e.g. tunnel vision, could make the work place unsafe or the job difficult to undertake, e.g. draftsperson working with detailed drawings; checkout operator reading dockets; work requiring good hand-eye co-ordination for working with precision or semi-precision tools.
Workers performing these jobs would usually be expected to spend more than three-quarters of their day indoors, in an office, factory or other enclosed area protected from the weather. Jobs requiring mainly indoor work are excluded.
These jobs require moderate or better reading and writing skills. Workers may be expected to prepare, understand or act on written materials, such as letters or reports. People may wish to avoid these jobs if their reading or writing English skills are limited to a small range of words or phrases and symbols. Jobs remaining may still require very basic reading or writing skills.
Included are jobs providing health care diagnosis and treatment, such as general medicine, pharmacy, optometry, radiography, speech therapy, dental health, etc. Also covered are community and welfare services, such as social work, family and children services, and counselling, and personal services such as hairdressing and funeral services.
These jobs involve WORKING WITH PEOPLE, to help, inform, teach or treat them. Activities include discussing personal issues, listening to people's problems, and providing advice, instruction, information or treatment to meet their needs.
Jobs in this group usually require completion of secondary education and/or completion of some further study of a vocational nature, such as a Diploma or an Advanced Diploma.

Work Conditions

Dental hygienists work in a team led by a practising dentist.

Personal Requirements

  • good hand-eye coordination
  • able to perform precise and detailed work
  • good communication skills
  • interested in health care work
  • able to work as part of a team

See State Specific Information below for further education and training options.

Maintaining a patient's oral hygiene