Career Opportunities in Oral Health

If your teeth are in good condition, you probably have a dental hygienist to thank. And if you're thinking of entering the field of dental hygiene, you'll be happy to learn that the career path of dental hygienists can be as varied as the settings in which they can be found.

Many dental hygienists work in private dental offices, but others work as educators, researchers, administrators, managers, and consultants. Still others have chosen public health careers that run the gamut from high-level administrative posts to providing total health education to school children to working with publicly-funded dental clinics to developing statewide programs for special needs patients.

While patients can’t get to a dental clinic, for example, there are dental hygienists who will go to them. Jane Moreno, RDH, BA, operates a service for low-income schoolchildren and patients with special needs. The service is provided to schools free of charge. She accepts Medicaid coupons and private payments as reimbursements.

Martha Rhodes, RDH, BS, believes that all school districts should employ a dental hygienist like her to educate children about oral health.

Providing customized education is another popular and logical career area for dental hygienists. From presenting seminars or holding continuing education classes, to teaching or consulting, the opportunities and needs are vast.

Lisa Goss, RDH, is a dental coordinator/hygienist at the Alfred I. duPont Institute, a hospital for children located in Wilmington, Delaware. She balances both clinical and administrative duties.

Two states—Colorado and Washington—have independent practice laws that allow registered dental hygienists (RDH) to practice without the supervision of a dentist. These states acknowledge that dental hygienists, by virtue of their comprehensive education and clinical preparation, are well-prepared to provide safe and effective preventive oral health care services to the public without dental supervision.

In addition to increasing access, permitting dental hygienists to practice without the supervsion of a dentist would give consumers a variety of options for choosing oral care that currently do not exist.

Dental hygiene is a licensed profession. A dental hygienist is eligible for licensure after graduation from a nationally accredited educational program and after successfully completing both a written national board dental hygiene exam and a state or regional clinical exam. Registered dental hygienists practice according to the requirements of individual state dental practice acts.

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