myfuture :: Occupation Information

Dental Hygienist


	Duties and Tasks Quick Facts Work Conditions Personal Requirements Related Industries Labour Market Related Jobs Earnings Related Courses Further Information State Specific Information	Maintaining a patient's oral hygiene
	Dental hygienists provide preventive oral health care under the supervision of a dentist.

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
make impressions of patients' mouths for the construction of study casts and mouth guards
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

Learning Area	Biology
Work Demand	Including full use of hands/fingers Including good vision for detail Including mainly indoor work Including reading or writing
Work Field	Health and Community Services
Work Interest	Helping or Advising
Skill Level	Para Professional Jobs

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.

Related Industries

Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing
Medical and Other Health Care Services

Labour Market

Information

Australian JobOutlook for Dental Therapists and Technicians and Hygienists

Vacancies

Australian JobSearch for Dental Therapists and Technicians and Hygienists (ALL AUSTRALIA)
Work Opportunities websites

Earnings

Income of persons working full-time, 2006

Dental Associate Professionals
Income per Week	Number	Share (%)

$1000 or more	1,518	46.5
$400 - $599	332	10.2
$600 - $799	539	16.5
$800 - $999	687	21.1
Less than $400	186	5.7

This information is based on the 2006 census conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Earnings of persons working full-time and part-time, 2006

Dental Associate Professionals
Employment Status	Weekly Income ($)

Full-time	1,104
Part-time	703

This information is based on the Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership survey conducting annually by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

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

Further Information

Australian Dental Association (Federal Office)
Australian Dental Association (QLD)
Centre for Oral Health Strategy NSW
Dental Board of South Australia
Dental Board of Western Australia
Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia Inc (National Office)
Dental Practice Board of Victoria
Department of Dental Hygiene and Therapy, Curtin University of Technology
Department of Health and Community Services
Department of Health and Human Services (TAS)
Human Resource Management, ACT Health
Human Resources, Dental Health Services Victoria
Queensland Health Career Factsheets

State Specific Information

New South Wales / ACT
Northern Territory
Queensland
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia

Preparing to take an impression of a patient's teeth