One member of that team is a dental hygienist. In any given dental office there is a range of dental hygienists who are trusted to prevent oral health problems. Most people’s idea of what a dental hygienist does is to simply “clean teeth.” However few people are aware of what the job description as well as training is involved to become a registered dental hygienist, or RDH.
RDH’s are licensed oral health professionals who focus on preventing and treating oral diseases in order to protect the oral cavity, and also protect the patient’s total health. They work in many different settings such as private dental offices to public health agencies, hospitals and community health clinics, as well as public school systems, dental schools and dental equipment and product sales and research.
The RDH is licensed to perform patient screenings as well as take radiographs (X-rays). He or she teaches patients how to practice good oral hygiene and applies preventive materials such as fluorides and sealants to the teeth. Counseling patients regarding good nutrition and its impact on oral health is another way that the RDH helps patients keep their healthy smile last longer. In a clinical setting the RDH removes calculus and plaque (hard and soft deposits) from the teeth.
Registered dental hygienists are graduates of accredited dental hygiene education programs in colleges and universities, and must pass a written national board examination and a clinical examination to obtain state licensure. A dental hygiene education requires an average of 86 credit hours for an associate degree, or 122 credit hours for a baccalaureate degree. Accredited dental hygiene programs require an average of 2,794 clock hours of curriculum. This includes 654 hours of supervised clinical dental hygiene instruction. General education courses including English, speech, psychology and sociology. The basic science courses include general chemistry, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, nutrition, and pharmacology. dental science courses include dental anatomy, head and neck anatomy, oral embryology and histology, as well as oral pathology, radiography, periodontology, pain control and dental materials. In addition they have to take dental hygiene science courses, such as patient management and medical and dental emergencies.
As you can see the registered dental hygienist is a valuable and integral part of the dental team, so next time you visit your dental office make sure you look for that diploma or license so that you know your oral health is being protected by a well-trained dental hygienist, after all you wouldn’t trust someone who was trained “on the job” with your health smile…would you?
