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The differences between dental hygienists and radiologic technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a dental hygienist has an average salary of $88,432, which is higher than the $50,622 average annual salary of a radiologic technician.
The top three skills for a dental hygienist include patients, patient care and CPR. The most important skills for a radiologic technician are patients, ARRT, and radiologic technologist.
| Dental Hygienist | Radiologic Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $88,432 | $50,622 |
| Hourly rate | $42.52 | $24.34 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 24,234 | 58,797 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 71% | Associate Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
Dental hygienists are professionals who provide preventative oral care under a dentist's supervision. They are concerned mostly in treating minor oral health conditions. They clean teeth, examine any signs of damage and oral diseases and provide dental recommendations and after-care treatment. They educate patients with proper oral hygiene and counseling about how good nutrition impacts oral health. They also teach them ways to improve and maintain good oral health.
A radiologic technician is responsible for testing and treating patients with radiology machines under the assistance of a radiologist. Duties of a radiologic technician include performing radiology procedures, monitoring the equipment's safety and stability, assisting the patients with the guidelines, detecting and resolving possible system malfunctions, and preventing excessive radiation exposure. A radiologic technician must have excellent technical skills and excellent knowledge of the medical industry to support the patients and provide additional assistance.
Dental hygienists and radiologic technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dental Hygienist | Radiologic Technician | |
| Average salary | $88,432 | $50,622 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $137,000 | Between $32,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Bonita | TALENT Software Services |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a dental hygienist and a radiologic technician in terms of educational background:
| Dental Hygienist | Radiologic Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 71% | Associate Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Dental Assisting | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Texas A&M University |
Here are the differences between dental hygienists' and radiologic technicians' demographics:
| Dental Hygienist | Radiologic Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.9% Female, 93.1% | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 9.9% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 10% |