Career overview
Dental Hygienists
O*NET-SOC 29-1292.00
Median pay / yr$94,260
OutlookRapid Growth
Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention. May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical anesthesia.
What it takes
The skills, knowledge, and credentials employers look for in Dental Hygienists.
Skills employers look for
- Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
- MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and DentistryKnowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
- Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- PsychologyKnowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Certifications that help you get hired
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