Dental hygienist

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A dental hygienist is a licensed dental professional who specializes in preventive care. Most hygienists are licensed to administer local anesthesia, depending on the applicable regulations in their area. Cleanings, radiographs, sealants, scalings, and root planings are among some of the procedures frequently performed by a hygienist. In most states, hygienists work for a dentist, however in some locations, hygienists are allowed to practice without a dentist's supervision.

Becoming a dental hygienist requires formal education. The most common requirement for a dental hygiene degree consists of a two-year degree after science and general education prerequisites. Courses include anatomy, oral anatomy, materials science, pharmacology, periodontology, nutrition, and clinical skills. There are also four-year and six-year degrees in dental hygiene. In addition, the American Dental Hygienists' Association has defined a more advanced level of dental hygiene, the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner.

Salaries for Dental Hygienists vary depending on experience and geographic location. The median hourly wage for hygienists in 2004 in the US was $28.05 per hour (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Dental Hygienists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos097.htm (visited September 28, 2006)).

[edit] Dental Hygiene Process of care

The dental hygiene process of care has five steps:

Assessment: Gathering data.
Dental Hygiene Diagnosis: Interpreting the data into a coherent description of a client's condition in terms that can be addressed by a dental hygienist.
Planning: Determining the techniques that will solve the problems indicated in the dental hygiene diagnosis and the order in which those techniques will be applied.
Implementation: Carrying out the plan.
Evaluation: Determining the effectiveness of the work that was performed.

Mueller-Joseph and Petersen describe the dental hygiene process of care as a cycle in which the dental hygienist might pass through each of these steps several times during a course of treatment. Over a period of months or years a dental hygienist may have evaluated his or her work several times, altering the diagnosis and plan numerous times as the client's condition changes.

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