Dental Hygienist

Job Title

Job Description

Plans and conducts comprehensive, in-depth dental inspections of patients, family members.

Establishes and schedules for initial dental examination. Schedules thorough prophylactics to include the use of prophylactic paste containing an anticariogenic agent and topical application of anti-cariogenic solutions and records findings to serve as a functional outline for subsequent dental procedures.

Counsels patients and families on their oral health status; in the case of children, notifies parents of the more serious cases.

Takes, develops and interprets intraoral and extraoral X-Rays.

Maintains patient records of treatment.

Ascertains the oral health status of the service unit community regarding periodontal and other oral conditions using a variety of community assessment, screening, and other information gathering methods.

Provides in-service training for dental assistants, hygienists, and dentists regarding preventive oral health topics (e.g. sealants, oral hygiene instructions, OTC products, etc.).

Plans, coordinates and evaluates oral health programs for optimum utilization of service unit resources (e.g. sealant retention, school-based programs, head start programs).

Performs oral healthcare and risk assessments that include the review of patients' health history, taking and recording blood pressure, taking and recording blood glucose, taking and recording rapid HIV test, dental and periodontal charting, oral cancer screening and evaluation of oral disease/health.