In order to practice dental hygiene, one must pursue a recognized dental health program and has to be registered with the provincial or territorial regularity authority. The dental hygiene program aims at providing the students with required knowledge and skills in the subject. The study material includes assessment of a patient’s general and oral health, removal of plaque, dental radiography, administration of local anesthesia, stain and calculus (tartar), oral hygiene instructions, dietary counseling, and applications of preventive agents (fluoride).
On completion of the program, the graduates have to take a national written and regional clinical examination. The successful candidates are then rewarded with the license to practice. There are numerous career opportunities for the successful graduates including clinical positions in dental offices, hospitals, public health agencies, community dental clinics, research and marketing of dental products, and educational and administrative positions.
The practice of dental hygiene is unstable currently in United States of America as the national organization of hygienists is lobbying for the right to administer their own independent practices – independent of direct supervision of dentists. Presently, independent hygiene practice in U.S. is restricted to the state of Colorado. While, there is an acute shortage of skilled dental hygienists in the country.
The registered dental hygienists (RDHs) may opt for a career in community as well as clinical practice. The dental hygienists often work under the supervision of the general practitioner dentists or specialty practice dentists. There, they are trained to work independently and directly with the patients to treat the gum diseases and tooth decay. The training includes assessing tooth and gum health, preparing individual dental hygiene treatment plans, and referring the patients to a dentist for dental treatment. Also, the dental hygienists are prepared to look after the cosmetic appearance of teeth and gums and to perform complex practices like scaling and root planning to treat gum infections and other related diseases. The states like Colorado allow dental hygienists to run their own dental hygiene practice. The dental hygienists here are free to practice independently without the supervision of a practicing dentist.
The dental hygienists can also work in community dealing with the entire community on one to one basis. A hygiene dentist may have to work in coordination with different health professionals and community members. They may have to perform health surveys for different communities and work with other health professionals to plan a health program for the community. Health professionals include nurses, injury prevention coordinators, speech pathologists, dentists, physicians, and dieticians. Whereas, the community members can be school principals, teachers, coaches, parents, health advocates, day care providers, government departments, administrations of other health promotion programs in the community.
So, the dental hygienists have a vast scope of career opportunities in different areas of health departments and programs. Choosing the dental hygiene as a profession leads to a respectable position with good amount of money as a reward. Presently, the dental hygienists have to work under a practicing dentist in the most parts of the country leading the dental hygiene professionals to work under the dentist. However, the efforts are on to promote the dental hygiene professionals opting to open their own dental clinic and work as an independent entrepreneur.
Trey Cohen is a leading educationist and career counselor. He regularly blogs on local jobs. He specializes in giving effective tips on local job search.
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