Dental Hygienist

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary
The Dental Hygienist administers oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene
problems or needs and maintains patient health records. Partner with the dentist as needed
for patient diagnosis. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention.
May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical
anesthesia. Performs basic office management tasks such as scheduling appointments and
completing procedures in the patient charts.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:
 Take and record patient medical and dental histories and vital signs.
 Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
 Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs
of gum disease.
 Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath
margins of gums, using dental instruments.
 Make digital impressions for study casts.
 Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that
could indicate presence of oral cancer.
 Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
 Provide postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist as needed.
 Record treatment information in patient records
 Expose and develop x-ray films.
 Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills.
 Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
 Maintain dental equipment and sharpen and sterilize dental instruments.
 Maintain patient recall system.
 Administer local anesthetic agents.
 Remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.
 Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral
health of patients or the public.
 Clean, maintain and prepare the operatories for next patient, clean all patient
areas and remove trash daily.
 Perform other duties as assigned.