Dental Hygienists
What Dental Hygienists Do
Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention. May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical anesthesia.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 0.5%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.6/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.9/5
- Psychologyimportance 3.0/5
- English Languageimportance 2.8/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.6/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.6/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.5/5
- Chemistryimportance 2.4/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls5.0/5
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions5.0/5
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
- Contact With Others5.0/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Prepress Technicians and Workers95% skill match
- Parking Enforcement Workers95% skill match
- Correctional Officers and Jailers94% skill match
- Nuclear Medicine Technologists94% skill match
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers94% skill match
- Physical Therapist Assistants94% skill match
- Dental Assistants94% skill match
- Amusement and Recreation Attendants94% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.0/5
- Instructingimportance 3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
- Dental billing software
- Dental charting software
- Dental clinical records software
- Dental digital radiology software
- Dental imaging software
- Dental intra-oral imaging software
- Dental office management software
- Email software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Cautiousness
- Empathy
- Social Orientation
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- SocialHigh
- RealisticHigh
- InvestigativeMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where dental hygienists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ3.12× national avg
- 2Flint, MI2.26× national avg
- 3Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT2.13× national avg
- 4Midland, MI2.12× national avg
- 5Springfield, IL1.97× national avg
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Dental Laboratory Technology/Technician
- UEI College-Phoenix (Phoenix, AZ)grads earn ~$30,713
- United Education Institute-Morrow (Morrow, GA)grads earn ~$30,713
- Concorde Career College-San Bernardino (San Bernardino, CA)grads earn ~$34,635
- Delta Technical College-Mississippi (Horn Lake, MS)grads earn ~$29,448
- Cypress College (Cypress, CA)