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Dental hygienist

A dental hygienist or oral hygienist is a licensed dental professional, registered with a dental association or regulatory body within their country of practice. Prior to completing clinical and written board examinations, registered dental hygienists must have either an associate's or bachelor's degree in dental hygiene from an accredited college or university. Once registered, hygienists are primary healthcare professionals who work independently of or alongside dentists and other dental professionals to provide full oral health care. They have the training and education that focus on and specialize in the prevention and treatment of many oral diseases.

Occupation

Dentistry

Biomedical knowledge, manual dexterity, critical thinking, analytical skills, and communication

Associates of Dental Hygiene or Bachelors Degree in Dental Hygiene

Dental hygienists have a specific scope of clinical procedures they provide to their patients. They assess a patient's condition in order to offer patient-specific preventive and educational services to promote and maintain good oral health. A major role of a dental hygienist is to perform periodontal therapy which includes things such periodontal charting, periodontal debridement (scaling and root planing), prophylaxis (preventing disease) or periodontal maintenance procedures for patients with periodontal disease. The use of therapeutic methods assists their patients in controlling oral disease, while providing tailored treatment plans that emphasize the importance of behavioral changes.[1] Some dental hygienists are licensed to administer local anesthesia and perform dental radiography.[2] Dental hygienists are also the primary resource for oral cancer screening and prevention.[3] In addition to these procedures, hygienists may take intraoral radiographs, apply dental sealants, administer topical fluoride, and provide patient-specific oral hygiene instruction.[4]


Dental hygienists work in a range of dental settings, from independent, private, or specialist practices to the public sector.[5][6] Dental hygienists work together with dentists, dental therapists, oral health therapists, as well as other dental professionals. Dental hygienists aim to work inter-professionally to provide holistic oral health care in the best interest of their patient. Dental hygienists also offer expertise in their field and can provide a dental hygiene diagnosis, which is an integral component of the comprehensive dental diagnosis.[7]

patient screening procedures; such as assessment of oral health conditions, review of the health history, oral cancer screening, head and neck inspection, dental charting and taking blood pressure and pulse

taking and developing dental radiographs (x-rays)

removing calculus and plaque (hard and soft deposits) from all surfaces of the teeth

applying preventive materials to the teeth (e.g., sealants and fluorides)

teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health

counseling patients about good nutrition and its impact on oral health

making impressions of patients' teeth for study casts (models of teeth used by dentists to evaluate patient treatment needs)

performing documentation and office management activities

[8]

1906: trained his chairside assistant[14] (and his cousin), Irene M. Newman, to clean teeth and perform other preventive treatments on children, making her the world's first dental hygienist.[15][16]

Alfred Fones

1913: began the first school for dental hygienists in Connecticut.[17]

Alfred Fones

1915: Connecticut amended its dental practice act to include the regulation of dental hygienists.

[17]

1917: received the world's first license as a dental hygienist in Connecticut in 1917.[18]

Irene M. Newman

1923: The first meeting of the took place.[17]

American Dental Hygienists' Association

1950: The established the first dental hygiene program in Canada.[19]

University of Toronto

1959: , an American dental hygienist and dentist, authored the first comprehensive book on dental hygiene, Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist, the first edition of which was published in 1959.[20]

Esther Mae Wilkins

1964: The deleted the word "female" from its constitution and bylaws.[21]

American Dental Hygienists' Association

1965: graduated from the University of New Mexico, making him the world's first male dental hygentist.[21]

Jack Orio

1974: Dental hygienists were first trained in New Zealand in 1974, for use in the . The 1-year course was taught by the Royal New Zealand Dental Corp at the Burnham army base outside Christchurch.[22]

New Zealand Defence Force

1975: The dental hygiene profession was introduced in Australia.

[23]

1993: The New Zealand Dental Hygienists' Association was founded.[25]

[24]

1994: The first independent non-military training for dental hygienists in New Zealand began in 1994.

[22]

Janet Gardner

Esther Wilkins

Dentist

Dental therapist

Dental nurse

Dental assistant

Periodontal disease

Gingivitis

Periodontitis

Mueller-Joseph, L., & Petersen, M. (1995). Dental Hygiene Process: Diagnosis and Care Planning. Albany, NY: Delmar.

Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia Inc. (2014). "What is a Dental Hygienist?" Retrieved from

Information Brochure - DHAA: Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia Inc. Supporting uniformity of Practice & growth of the dental hygienist profession

Facts about Dental Hygiene. (2020, February 10). Western Kentucky University. Retrieved February 20, 2024, from

https://www.wku.edu/dentalhygiene/facts_dentalhygiene.php

Archived 2012-08-26 at the Wayback Machine on American Dental Hygienists' Association

Important Facts About Dental Hygienists