Dental Hygienist Career

Job Description: 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.


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Dental Hygienist Career

What skills are required for Dental Hygienists?

Importance Skills
  Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

What knowledge is needed to be a Dental Hygienist?

Importance Knowledge
  Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Work Styles

Importance Styles
  Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
  Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
  Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
  Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
  Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
  Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
  Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
  Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
  Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
  Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
  Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.