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Date: 06/30/2025

Dental Hygienists

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.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Administer local anesthetic agents.
    • Maintain dental equipment and sharpen and sterilize dental instruments.
    • Remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.
    • Maintain dental equipment and sharpen and sterilize dental instruments.
    • Record and review patient medical histories.
    • Expose and develop x-ray film.
    • Make impressions for study casts.
    • Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
    • Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
    • Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public.
    • Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills.
    • Conduct dental health clinics for community groups to augment services of dentist.
    • Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
    • Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.
    • Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
    • Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.
    • Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
    • Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills.

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    N/A
    Workplace Documents
    N/A
    Graphic Literacy
    N/A

    Abilities

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    Knowledge

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge 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.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge 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.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge 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.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    Career Video

    Video not available
    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 79680/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 38.31/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 8,850
    • Yearly Projected Openings 600

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Concern for Others
    • Integrity
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Self Control
    • Adaptability/Flexibility

    Tools

    • Attachments or replacement parts for dental instruments
    • Dental amalgamators
    • Dental cutting or separating discs
    • Dental dam supplies
    • Dental examination chairs
    • Dental film processors
    • Dental hygiene instruments
    • Dental impression trays
    • Dental instrument sharpening accessories
    • Dental laboratory air abrasion units
    • Dental lasers
    • Dental material pluggers or tips
    • Dental matrices or sets
    • Dental operatory retraction cords
    • Dental probes or explorers
    • Dental pulp or vitality testers
    • Dental radiology films
    • Dental saliva ejectors or oral suction devices
    • Dental scalers
    • Dental syringes or needles or syringes with needles
    • Dental tongs
    • Dental x ray units
    • Dental x-ray bite blocks or wings or tabs
    • Digital cameras
    • Electronic blood pressure units
    • Medical acoustic stethoscopes
    • Medical radiation films or badges
    • Medical radiological shielding aprons or masks or drapes
    • Mercury blood pressure units
    • Microscope slides
    • Notebook computers
    • Oxygen therapy delivery system products
    • Personal computers
    • Scanners
    • Steam autoclaves or sterilizers
    • Teeth cleaning devices
    • Ultrasonic cleaning equipment

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Internet browser software
    • Inventory management software
    • Medical software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

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