A dental hygienist or oral hygienist is a licensed dental professional, registered with a dental association or regulatory body within their country of practice. Prior to completing clinical and written board examinations, registered dental hygienists must have either an associate's or bachelor's degree in dental hygiene from an accredited college or university. Once registered, hygienists are primary healthcare professionals who work independently of or alongside dentists and other dental professionals to provide full oral health care. They have the training and education that focus on and specialize in the prevention and treatment of many oral diseases.
Dental hygienists have a specific scope of clinical procedures they provide to their patients. They assess a patient's condition in order to offer patient-specific preventive and educational services to promote and maintain good oral health. A major role of a dental hygienist is to perform periodontal therapy which includes things such periodontal charting, periodontal debridement (scaling and root planing), prophylaxis (preventing disease) or periodontal maintenance procedures for patients with periodontal disease. The use of therapeutic methods assists their patients in controlling oral disease, while providing tailored treatment plans that emphasize the importance of behavioral changes.Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia Inc. (1999). A professional Body Addressing Training, Uniformity of Practice and Growth of the Dental Hygienist Profession. Retrieved from Print. Local dental regulations determine the scope of practice of dental hygienists respectively Some dental hygienists are licensed to administer local anesthesia and perform dental radiography. Dental hygienists are also the primary resource for oral cancer screening and prevention. In addition to these procedures, hygienists may take intraoral radiographs, apply dental sealants, administer topical fluoride, and provide patient-specific oral hygiene instruction.
Dental hygienists work in a range of dental settings, from independent, private, or specialist practices to the public sector. Dental hygienists work together with dentists, dental therapists, oral health therapists, as well as other dental professionals. Dental hygienists aim to work inter-professionally to provide holistic oral health care in the best interest of their patient. Dental hygienists also offer expertise in their field and can provide a dental hygiene diagnosis, which is an integral component of the comprehensive dental diagnosis.
Job description and duties
In the dental office, the dentist and the dental hygienist work together to meet the oral health needs of patients. Since each country has its own specific regulations regarding their responsibilities, the range of services performed by hygienists varies. Some of the services provided by dental hygienists may include:
patient screening procedures; such as assessment of oral health conditions, review of the health history, oral cancer screening, head and neck inspection, dental charting and taking blood pressure and pulse taking and developing dental radiographs (x-rays) removing calculus and plaque (hard and soft deposits) from all surfaces of the teeth applying preventive materials to the teeth (e.g., sealants and fluorides) teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health counseling patients about good nutrition and its impact on oral health making impressions of patients' teeth for study casts (models of teeth used by dentists to evaluate patient treatment needs) performing documentation and office management activities
Periodontal treatment
Gum disease is caused by a sticky film of bacteria called plaque. Plaque is always forming on teeth, but if it is not cleaned well, the bacteria in plaque can cause gums to become inflamed. When this happens, the gums pull away from the teeth and form spaces called pockets. Plaque then gets trapped in these pockets and cannot be removed with regular brushing. Untreated gum disease can lead to bone and tooth loss. If the periodontal pockets are too deep a deep cleaning (scaling and root planing) is necessary to remove the plaque in these pockets.
Scaling and root planing is a careful cleaning of the root surfaces to remove plaque and calculus from deep periodontal pockets and to smooth the tooth root to remove bacterial toxins. Scaling and root planing is sometimes followed by adjunctive therapy such as local delivery antimicrobials, systemic antibiotics, and host modulation, as needed on a case-by-case basis.
Most periodontists agree that after scaling and root planing, many patients do not require any further active treatment. However, the majority of patients will require ongoing maintenance therapy to sustain health. The maintenance phase involves continuous care, at patient specific levels.
Timeline of dental hygienists 1906: Alfred Fones trained his chairside assistanthttp://www.bridgeport.edu/print/2309.asp? "History of the Fones School of Dental Hygiene" Web page at the University of Bridgeport Web site, accessed December 17, 2007 (and his cousin), Irene M. Newman, to clean teeth and perform other preventive treatments on children, making her the world's first dental hygienist.Most sources, and the more authoritative sources, say 1906, although the web site for Central High School in Bridgeport, on two separate Web pages, says 1905http://bridgeport.ct.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=22838 Web page titled "Dental Hygiene Movement Started in Bridgeport, Connecticut" at the web site of Central High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, accessed December 17, 2007 1913: Alfred Fones began the first school for dental hygienists in Connecticut. 1915: Connecticut amended its dental practice act to include the regulation of dental hygienists. 1917: Irene M. Newman received the world's first license as a dental hygienist in Connecticut in 1917. Web page titled "History of Dentistry/ Innovations in Techniques and Technology—The 20th Century" at the American Dental Association Web site, accessed December 17, 2007 1923: The first meeting of the American Dental Hygienists' Association took place. 1950: The University of Toronto established the first dental hygiene program in Canada. 1959: Esther Mae Wilkins, an American dental hygienist and dentist, authored the first comprehensive book on dental hygiene, Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist, the first edition of which was published in 1959. 1964: The American Dental Hygienists' Association deleted the word "female" from its constitution and bylaws. 1965: Jack Orio graduated from the University of New Mexico, making him the world's first male dental hygienist. 1974: Dental hygienists were first trained in New Zealand in 1974, for use in the New Zealand Defence Force. The one-year course was taught by the Royal New Zealand Dental Corp at the Burnham army base outside Christchurch. 1975: The dental hygiene profession was introduced in Australia. 1993: The New Zealand Dental Hygienists' Association was founded. 1994: The first independent non-military training for dental hygienists in New Zealand began in 1994. 2009-2010: Fiscal year The Dental Hygiene Committee of California was established 2018: Dental Hygiene Committee of California officially changed to the Dental Hygiene Board of California (DHBC)
Training
Australia
Dental hygienists in Australia must be graduates from a dental hygiene program, with either an advanced diploma (TAFE), associate degree, or more commonly a bachelor's degree from a dental hygiene school that is accredited by the Australian Dental Council (ADC) under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
In Australia it is a legal requirement for dental hygienist and oral health therapist graduates to be registered with the Dental Board of Australia before practising their scope in periodontology in any state or territory in Australia.
The Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia (DHAA) Inc., established in 1975, is the peak body representing registered dental hygiene service providers in Australia.
A dental hygienist does not need to be employed by a dentist but can independently assess patients and make treatment plans within their scope of practice whilst working in the community. Practising as an autonomous decision maker, and working within the scope of only what they are "formally" trained in. The National Law requires the same level of professional responsibility from dental hygienists, oral health therapists and dental therapists as it does from dentists, dental specialists and dental prosthetists in that all practitioners must have their own professional indemnity insurance and radiation licences. They are also required to complete 60 hours of mandatory continuing professional development in a three-year cycle.http://www.dhaa.info/about-1/archive/I , The Dental Hygienists' Association of Australia Inc. June 2013. Response to the Dental Board of Australia's Preliminary Consultation on the Draft Scope of Practice Registration Standard and Guidelines. Pages 2-12
A Bachelor of Oral Health is the most common degree program. Students entering a bachelor's degree program are required to have a high school diploma or equivalent. Most Bachelor of Oral Health programs now qualify students as both dental hygienists and dental therapists, collectively known as oral health therapists.
Canada Dental hygienists in Canada must have completed a diploma program, which can take from 19 months to 3 years to complete. All dental hygiene students must pass a NDHCB examination after graduation. This examination is offered three times per year, January, May and September. Three universities in Canada offer Bachelor of Science degrees in Dental Hygiene: Dalhousie University, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia.
Dental hygiene is a regulated health profession in Canada. Dental hygienists may work in clinical practice and in areas including administration, education, research, and public health. Wages vary across the country, with reported hourly rates ranging from approximately $40 in some areas to $65 in others. A surplus of newly graduated dental hygienists in some regions has been reported as contributing to lower wages.
Some of the downfalls to practicing in different provinces are the different regulations. For instance, in BC, the hygienist cannot provide treatment without the patient receiving a dental exam in the previous 365 days unless the practicing hygienist has an extended duty module (resident-care module). In AB, BC, MB, NS and SK, hygienists also administer local anesthesia if qualified to do so. In Ontario, dental hygienists may take further training to become a restorative dental hygienist. University based programs incorporate restorative dentistry in the clinical portion of their programs; graduates of these programs are immediately prepared for a broader scope of practice when they graduate. Registered dental hygienists must register every year by December 31. All Canadian dental hygienists must also prove continuing competence by maintaining a professional portfolio yearly.
In all provinces, dental hygienists are registered with their provincial College of Dental Hygienists.CDH BC
Dental hygienists in BC, ON, NS and AB are able to open their own private clinics and practice without a dentist on staff.
New Zealand