Job and Wage Descriptions

Dental Hygienist
The Dental Hygienist plays an important role in the field of health services. He/she is a specialist in the maintenance of good oral health, educating patients in the prevention of dental disease. Dental hygienists perform their services under the supervision of licensed dentists, and are the only members of the dental team who are licensed to perform a service directly on the patient.

Dental hygiene is a prevention oriented profession that offers a variety of career options. Currently, there are over 120,000 licensed dental hygienists in the United States. A dental hygienist can pursue numerous career options which are defined by the American Dental Hygienists' Association as clinician; oral health promoter/educator; researcher; administrator/manager and consumer advocate.

Dental hygienists must obtain a license to practice.

Contributing factors to dental hygiene salaries include experience, level of responsibilities, and type of setting. There is a considerable difference in salaries based on geographic region within the country, and proximity to a large metropolitan area. Information from US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outllook Hanbook, 2008-2009 indicates the median, hourly earning of dental hygienists were $30.19 in May 2006.  The middle 50 percent earned between $24.63 and $35.67 an hour.  The lowest 10 percent earned less than $19.45, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $41.60 an hour. (Wages vary around the country.).