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Description
Dental Hygienist
Reports to: Dental Director
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 for patients
o Perform scaling, root planning and selective polishing for patients as appropriate
o Polish restorations
o Administer local anesthetics, if allowed by dental practice act
o Place medicaments subgingival 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
Requirements
Education/Experience
o Must be licensed to practice in state and meet other applicable state requirements
o Must have 2 to 5 years of experience in a dental hygiene position
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
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