What does a Hygienist do?
The Hygienist is a specialist in the promotion of clean conditions for the preservation of health. They work in various environments, from factories and building sites to offices.
Hygienist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real hygienist resumes:
- Manage construction and demolition nationwide.
- Perform oral prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance therapy for adult and geriatric patients with active periodontal disease.
- Provide oral prophylactics and scaling and root planing on adults.
- Perform oral prophylaxis, root planing, and soft tissue management.
- Participate in several OSHA inspections for field and plants location from employee complaints.
- Accelerate patient care includes prophylaxis, radiographs, SRP, anesthesia and fluoride.
- Perform periodontal maintenance including PPD's, prophylaxis, SRP, x-rays, etc.
- Coordinate and provide Hazwoper training to employees and track progress through Knowledgewire training system.
- Conduct facility inspections to establish compliance with OSHA, PADEP, EPA, and DOH regulations.
- Consult with company legal staff on asbestos litigation, public safety and site security actions and procedures.
- Review and approve all in-house develop site safety and health plans for activities cover by the HAZWOPER regulations.
- Complete necessary EPA environmental documentation for waste generation.
- Coordinate asbestos abatement projects including air permitting with local EPA.
- Evaluate effectiveness of respirators and provide fitting and certification for construction sites.
- Administer oral prophylaxis and oral hygiene instruction to adult and geriatric medically compromise patients
Hygienist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 43% of Hygienists are proficient in Patients, Oral Health, and Patient Education. They’re also known for soft skills such as Critical thinking, Communication skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Hygienists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 43%
Treated like a private office with intentions of incorporating Dental HygieneServices to their patients provided by DentalHygienist.
- Oral Health, 9%
Developed educational oral health strategies for Hmong refugees.
- Patient Education, 6%
Provide exceptional patient education while assisting in patient screening and dental charting, as needed.
- Clinical Findings, 6%
Evaluated clinical findings to clearly relay information to dentist for proper and accurate diagnosis.
- Planing, 5%
Provided oral prophylactics and scaling and root planing on adults.
- Aspen, 5%
Use of Kodak and Aspen Dental s computer program ADP.
"patients," "oral health," and "patient education" are among the most common skills that hygienists use at work. You can find even more hygienist responsibilities below, including:
Critical thinking. One of the key soft skills for a hygienist to have is critical thinking. You can see how this relates to what hygienists do because "dental hygienists must be able to assess and evaluate patients and to develop oral hygiene care plans." Additionally, a hygienist resume shows how hygienists use critical thinking: "utilize quick thinking motor skills to activate appropriate alarms and contact emergency response whenever necessary. "
Communication skills. Many hygienist duties rely on communication skills. "dental hygienists must share information with dentists and patients about oral health status, oral hygiene care plans, and, if necessary, lifestyle counseling.," so a hygienist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways hygienist responsibilities rely on communication skills: "referred patients to specialists and maintained communication between patients and specialists. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of hygienists is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday hygienist duties, as "dental hygienists develop and implement oral hygiene care plans to maintain or improve patients’ oral health." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provide customer service and problem resolution to patients. "
Detail oriented. hygienist responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "dental hygienists must follow specific rules and protocols to help dentists diagnose and treat a patient." This resume example shows what hygienists do with detail oriented on a typical day: "maintain optimum oral health through educating patients fine detailed hand scaling and root planing ultrasonic scaling comprehensive periodontal care"
Dexterity. Another crucial skill for a hygienist to carry out their responsibilities is "dexterity." A big part of what hygienists relies on this skill, since "dental hygienists must be good at working with their hands." How this skill relates to hygienist duties can be seen in an example from a hygienist resume snippet: "assist in bone grafts, sinus lifts, implants, and root canals, cosmetic and general dentistry. "
Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what a hygienist does. Hygienist responsibilities require this skill because "dental hygienists work closely with dentists." This resume example highlights how hygienist duties rely on this skill: "possessed good interpersonal skills as i interacted with patients and doctor on a daily basis. "
The three companies that hire the most hygienists are:
- Western Dental136 hygienists jobs
- Elite Dental Partners134 hygienists jobs
- North American Dental Group99 hygienists jobs
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Compare different hygienists
Hygienist vs. Implant coordinator
An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between hygienists and implant coordinator. For instance, hygienist responsibilities require skills such as "patient education," "clinical findings," "planing," and "aspen." Whereas a implant coordinator is skilled in "bls," "surgical procedures," "oral surgery," and "surgical implants." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Implant coordinators tend to reach similar levels of education than hygienists. In fact, implant coordinators are 2.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.6% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Hygienist vs. Pediatric dental hygienist
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.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, hygienist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "patients," "oral health," "clinical findings," and "aspen." Meanwhile, a pediatric dental hygienist has duties that require skills in areas such as "medical histories," "oral health education," "proactive approach," and "x-ray films." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, pediatric dental hygienists achieve similar levels of education than hygienists. They're 2.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 3.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hygienist vs. Industrial hygienist
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from hygienist resumes include skills like "patients," "oral health," "patient education," and "clinical findings," whereas an industrial hygienist is more likely to list skills in "environmental health," "indoor air quality," "ventilation," and "respirators. "
Industrial hygienists make a very good living in the energy industry with an average annual salary of $93,692. On the other hand, hygienists are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $87,865.industrial hygienists typically earn higher educational levels compared to hygienists. Specifically, they're 14.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hygienist vs. Dental hygienist
Types of hygienist
Updated January 8, 2025
