Dental Hygienist

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, gingival scaling, scaling and root planing and taking X-rays

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES Responsible for providing hygiene treatment to patients

SPECIFIC DUTIES Patient Management o Review daily schedule for hygiene patients 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 for 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 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 assess medical and dental histories 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

Interpersonal o Good interpersonal skills to maintain effective rapport with patients, dentists and coworkers o Effective verbal skills to communicate with patients and staff