Dental Hygienists: Career Profile
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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What Tasks Do Dental Hygienists Perform?
The core tasks performed by dental hygienists include:
- Record and review patient medical histories.
- 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.
- Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.
- 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.
- Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills.
What Dental Hygienists Need to Know
Top dental hygienists combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Dental Hygienists Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Dental Hygienist
- Dental Nurse
- Dental Treatment Coordinator
- Hygienist
- Licensed Dental Hygienist
- Oral Hygienist
- Pediatric Dental Hygienist
- Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH)
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 3,471,633 dental hygienists working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -4.9% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Dental Hygienists
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $101,356 |
| Hourly median | $48.73 |
| 10th percentile | $57,324 |
| 25th percentile | $79,340 |
| 75th percentile | $123,372 |
| 90th percentile | $145,388 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $129,760 |
| District of Columbia | $127,900 |
| Washington | $125,370 |
| California | $121,080 |
| Oregon | $118,280 |
| Colorado | $106,730 |
| Maryland | $105,140 |
| Nevada | $103,160 |
| New Jersey | $102,600 |
| Massachusetts | $100,790 |
| Delaware | $99,720 |
| Vermont | $99,490 |
| Minnesota | $98,970 |
| Virginia | $98,880 |
| Arizona | $97,530 |
| Hawaii | $96,770 |
| New Hampshire | $96,740 |
| Illinois | $96,490 |
| New Mexico | $96,410 |
| Connecticut | $96,270 |
| Oklahoma | $95,860 |
| New York | $95,560 |
| Montana | $94,740 |
| Texas | $94,490 |
| Indiana | $90,290 |
| North Carolina | $89,720 |
| Maine | $88,700 |
| Idaho | $84,990 |
| Nebraska | $84,400 |
| South Dakota | $84,300 |
| Wisconsin | $83,850 |
| Arkansas | $83,760 |
| Georgia | $83,500 |
| Missouri | $83,270 |
| North Dakota | $83,010 |
| Rhode Island | $82,870 |
| Iowa | $82,770 |
| Utah | $82,610 |
| Wyoming | $82,220 |
| Kansas | $82,060 |
| Tennessee | $81,810 |
| South Carolina | $81,710 |
| Ohio | $81,620 |
| Pennsylvania | $81,510 |
| Florida | $81,090 |
| Michigan | $80,990 |
| Louisiana | $80,900 |
| Kentucky | $77,440 |
| West Virginia | $72,670 |
| Mississippi | $66,290 |
| Alabama | $59,840 |
| Guam | $56,770 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Earnings for dental hygienists vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $119,849 | 16.3% | 0.98 |
| New England | $97,275 | 6.4% | 1.33 |
| Southwest | $95,354 | 11.5% | 0.93 |
| Middle Atlantic | $94,563 | 13.6% | 0.91 |
| Rocky Mountains | $93,214 | 5.3% | 1.36 |
| Plains States | $88,127 | 6.7% | 1.00 |
| Great Lakes | $86,622 | 16.6% | 1.17 |
| Southeast | $82,068 | 23.7% | 0.97 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $135,010 | 1,560 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $134,450 | 190 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $132,010 | 280 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $131,890 | 2,700 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $131,610 | 320 |
| Fairbanks-College, AK | AK | $130,110 | 100 |
| Anchorage, AK | AK | $129,780 | 460 |
| Napa, CA | CA | $127,840 | 100 |
Top Industries Employing Dental Hygienists
The largest employers of dental hygienists are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 213,180 | $94,370 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 2,810 | $98,460 |
| Educational Services | 760 | $79,950 |
| Finance and Insurance | 70 | $108,960 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 40 | $93,770 |
| Manufacturing | 30 | $89,640 |
Below are examples of industries where dental hygienists work:
Tech Stack
- Medical software: Henry Schein Dentrix (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of dental hygienists tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Contact With Others
Getting Started in This Career
Typical dental hygienists positions require an associate’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Dentists, General (Supplemental)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (Supplemental)
- Orthodontists (Supplemental)
- Prosthodontists (Supplemental)
- Anesthesiologist Assistants (Supplemental)
- Respiratory Therapists (Primary-Long)
- Registered Nurses (Primary-Long)
- Acute Care Nurses (Primary-Long)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring dental hygienists often complete programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-1292.00 (Dental Hygienists).
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