Dental Hygienists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1292.00United States
Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records.
- Median annual earnings
- $97,446
- Projected change
- +10.6%
- Typical education
- Associate degree
- Employment
- 229.57K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
75.2% of the workforce
Growing to 253.8K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What dental hygienists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Record and review patient medical histories.
- Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.
- Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
- Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
- Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public.
- Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
- Expose and develop x-ray film.
- Maintain dental equipment and sharpen and sterilize dental instruments.
- Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills.
- Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
- Maintain patient recall system.
- Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.
- Administer local anesthetic agents.
- Remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $73,430
- 25th percentile
- $82,609
- 50th percentile
- $97,446
- 75th percentile
- $108,501
- 90th percentile
- $130,046
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $97,446 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+10.6%faster than average
2025229,570 jobs
2035 projected253,798 jobs
24,228 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Associate degree
- 75.2%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 12.7%
- Bachelor's degree
- 12.1%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- 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.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- 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.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Dental Hygienists23,966 postings
- 02Registered Dental Hygienists13,568 postings
- 03Hygienists981 postings
- 04Hygiene Assistants326 postings
- 05Licensed Dental Hygienists296 postings
- 06Dental Treatment Coordinators290 postings
- 07Dental Hygienists and Dental Assistant255 postings
- 08Dental Therapists136 postings
- 09Orthodontic Technicians93 postings
- 10Dental Hygiene Instructors77 postings
- 11Treatment Coordinators72 postings
- 12Mental Health Therapists64 postings
- 13Associate Doctors58 postings
- 14Expanded Function Dental Assistants55 postings
- 15Dental Hygiene Faculties54 postings
- 16Treatment Plan Coordinators48 postings
- 17Reviewers37 postings
- 18Dental Hygiene Assistants36 postings
- 19Territory Support Managers33 postings
- 20Dental Assistants/Hygienists32 postings
Top employers
- 01Heartland Dental1,973 postings
- 02Aspen Dental1,240 postings
- 03Pds Health674 postings
- 04Gotu554 postings
- 05Clinical Magnet492 postings
- 06Gentle Dental347 postings
- 07Smile Brands309 postings
- 08Allied Search Partners304 postings
- 09Dental Care Alliance257 postings
- 10Kwikly Dental Staffing255 postings
- 11Toothio220 postings
- 12Sage Dental206 postings
- 13Gentle Dental Careers188 postings
- 14Tend180 postings
- 15Spencer Dental & Braces139 postings
- 16GPAC125 postings
- 1742 North Dental123 postings
- 18Mortenson Dental Partners121 postings
- 19D4C Dental Brands115 postings
- 20Ideal Dental113 postings
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