Dental Hygienist

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsible for providing hygiene treatment to patients

SPECIFIC DUTIES

Patient Management

o Review daily schedule with the administrative assistant for hygiene patients

o Work with administrative assistant to schedule hygiene patients with efficiency

o Review patient health and dental history forms and update as necessary

o Accurately chart each patient’s periodontal health

o Perform thorough and gentle prophylaxis to patients

o Perform scaling, root planing and selective polishing for patients as appropriate

o Polish restorations

o Administer local anesthetics, if allowed by dental practice act

o Place medicaments subgingivally for periodontal disease treatment

o Take radiographs of patients as prescribed by dentist

o Apply cavity-preventive agents, such as fluorides and sealants

o Communicate with patients in an understandable and professional way

o Check on patient comfort during treatment and help allay patient anxiety

o Accurately and appropriately record provided treatment

o Teach proper oral hygiene techniques to patients

o Counsel patients on oral health, including the role of nutrition

o Perform other tasks assigned by the dentist

Treatment Room Management and Sterilization

o Check treatment room for cleanliness and make necessary changes

o Check and turn on treatment room equipment

o Gather and review patient charts for the day

o Clean treatment room at the end of the day and turn off equipment

o Maintain a supply inventory for hygiene treatment

o Review, select and submit orders for patient education materials for the practice

o Submit supply orders to business manager once a month or as necessary

o Properly discard all disposable items from each visit

o Assemble soiled instruments and place in sterilization area

o Clean treatment room surfaces with disinfectant solution

o Pre-soak soiled instruments in a disinfectant

o Sort and package instruments by tray for proper sterilization

o Load, activate and vent the sterilization unit according to manufacturer’s directions

o Store instruments and trays in appropriate places

Records Management

o Securely store and handle patient records in compliance with office policies and procedures and applicable legal requirements, such as HIPAA regulations

o Accurately record medical and dental histories

o Accurately file patient information

o Arrange patient charts

o Assist in the administration of the recall system

Office Participation

o Be an active participant in team meetings

o Promote team concept by interacting with others in the office

PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

Education/Experience

o Must be licensed to practice in state and meet other applicable state requirements

o Must have completed at least 2 years of post-secondary education from an accredited dental hygiene program

o Experience providing prophylaxis and taking X-rays

Interpersonal

o Good interpersonal skills to maintain effective rapport with patients, dentists and coworkers

o Effective verbal skills to communicate with patients and staff