Dental Hygienist

Description

JOB TITLE: Dental Hygienist

DEPARTMENT: Dental

REPORTS TO:  Senior Director of Dental Services 

STATUS: Exempt

SUMMARY:

A full time, non-exempt position responsible for the direct provision of oral hygiene and appropriate 

preventive services to dental patients of the center. The Registered Dental Hygienist will also 

be responsible for providing appropriate oral health information to individuals and groups.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

•  Assists in the oral health management of all clinic patients.
•  Obtains baseline oral hygiene assessment data based upon accepted principles of oral hygiene and periodontal care.
•  Records patient-hygienist transactions as they occur in the patient’s dental record so that the dental record accurately and completely reflects the nature of the contact, the condition of the patient and the care or treatment provided.
•  Provides oral health education and appropriate individual counseling for all center dental patients.
•  Provides clinical oral hygiene services including dental prophylaxis, scaling, sealant application and fluoride application consistent with accepted professional practices and standards and in compliance with applicable state law and the center’s clinical protocols.
•  Integration of appropriate patient dental hygiene care with other heal care professionals involved in the patient’s health care management.
•  Organizes and performs preventive oral health presentations at on-site and off-site locations.
•  Assists in the provision of technical assistance and health education in the community as requested.
•  Participates in the QI program of the Dental Department of the center.
•  Performs independent procedures as delegated and directed by a dentist in accordance with state regulations and law as well as Dental Department protocol and directive.
•  Assists in the maintenance of all Dental Department areas in compliance with Dental Department directive and policies as well as center policies and procedures relative to infection control, exposure control and safety issues.
•  Receives and places necessary telephone calls consistent with professional matters, clinic business and patient care of the Dental Department.
•  Assists with various clinical and administrative functions of the center as appropriate and time permits.
•  Insures the proper disposal of all contaminated or potentially contaminated materials in accordance with Dental Department directive and center policy as well as state federal regulations(s).
•  Complies in full with the center’s Exposure Control Plan.
•  Travels when necessary to meet operational needs.
•  As directed by a supervisor, performs other related and/or necessary tasks to achieve organizational and programmatic goals and objectives.
•  Responsible for personal compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and center rules, regulations, protocols and procedures governing the practice of dental hygiene and the clinical provision of dental hygiene services as well as those relating to, but not limited to, personnel issues, work place safety, public health and confidentiality.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

No direct reports.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty 

satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or 

ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with 

disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

Graduation from an accredited school of dental hygiene.

Ability to establish and maintain effective professional relationships with fellow healthcare 

providers. Ability to maintain appropriate clinical privileges required. FTCA coverage or private 

professional malpractice insurance obtainable.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Ability to be clinically fluent in Spanish preferred. Excellent interpersonal and written 

communications skills required. Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, 

operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine 

reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or 

employees of organization. 

REASONING ABILITY:

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations 

where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished 

in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

COMPUTER SKILLS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have the ability to gain knowledge of the 

Practice Management System, Microsoft Office Suite, and Accounting software.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

Unrestricted license to practice Oral Hygiene in the State of Ohio. Current CPR (BLS) 

certification.

OTHER SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

Requires a comprehensive knowledge of oral hygiene care in outpatient settings. Knowledge of 

the principles and practice of modern oral hygiene and periodontal patient care is necessary. 

The Registered Dental Hygienist must be cognizant of the public health, social and economic 

factors which impact on the overall health, and more specifically the oral health of their 

patients. The Registered Dental Hygienist must be able to creatively work with other health 

care professionals from a variety of disciplines to achieve maximal program effectiveness and 

patient benefit. The ability to creatively solve problems through individual and/or 

programmatic action is an important part of this position.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an 

employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable 

accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Prolonged sitting or standing may be required. Those physical movements and the degree of 

mobility, manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination normally associated with the practice of 

modern oral hygiene will be performed on a repetitive basis. The ability to distinguish letters 

and symbols, as well as the ability to utilize telephone, computer terminals and copiers is 

required. Work under stressful conditions as well as irregular hours may be required. Frequent 

exposure to communicable diseases, body fluids, toxic substances, medicinal preparations, 

radiation and other conditions common to a clinical environment may routinely be 

encountered.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee 

encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations 

may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While 

performing the duties of this Job, the employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne 

particles; toxic or caustic chemicals and risk of radiation. The noise level in the work 

environment is usually moderate.