Dental Hygienist

Provides general preventative dental care designed to preserve teeth and prevent the spread of oral disease by performing the following duties.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Performs a professional dental oral prophylaxis, including the removal of explorer-detectable calculus, soft deposits, plaque, stains and the smoothing of unattached tooth surfaces to create an environment in which hard and soft tissues can be maintained in good health by the patient.

• Provides additional professional services including; scaling and root planning, polishing and contouring of restorations, oral exfoliative cytology, and application of pit and fissure sealants. Irrigation sub-gingivally with an antimicrobial and/or antibiotic liquid solution.

• Provides preliminary examination including; but not limited to: periodontal charting, intra and extra-oral examination of soft tissue, charting of lesions, existing restorations and missing teeth.

• Applies fluorides and other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.

• Records and maintains clients Electronic Health Record (EHR).

• Performs dental radiographs.

• Takes preliminary impressions for diagnostic and opposing study casts.

• Provides preventive dental education and dental screenings to patients and community groups.

• Removes sutures and dressings.

• Removes excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.

• Travels to satellite facilities to complete dental clinical tasks as assigned.

• Attends Dental Services section staff meetings and other organizational meetings.

• Adheres to accreditation and compliance standards/guidelines.

• Develops specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize and accomplish work.

• Responsible for sterilization and disinfection of instruments, treatment rooms as assigned.

• Assists in development of policy, procedures, and quality improvement activities within the Dental Services section as directed.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: Educational degrees must be from a US Department of Education Accredited School.

Level-I

• Graduation from, an accredited dental hygiene school with a current Registered State of California, Dental Hygiene license.

Level-II

• Graduation from, an accredited dental hygiene school with a current Registered State of California, Dental Hygiene license and four (4) years of applicable experience.

COMPUTER OPERATIONS:

• Basic personal computer skills including electronic mail, word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, etc.

LANUGUAGE SKILLS:

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

REASONING ABILITY:

• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

• Must possess a valid California Dental Hygienist license.
• Must possess obtain Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or Basic Life Support (BLS) certification within six months of hire and maintain such.
• Must have a valid driver's license.
• Must be able to be covered by agency's vehicle insurance and provide proof of valid private vehicle coverage.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Ability to operate and maintain standard dental equipment.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment (copier, fax, etc.).
• Ability to work with Electronic Health Record (EHR)

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

N (Not Applicable) Activity is not applicable to this occupation.

O (Occasionally) Occupation requires this activity up to 33% of the time (0 - 2.5+ hrs/day)

F (Frequently) Occupation requires this activity from 33% - 66% of the time (2.5 - 5.5+ hrs/day)

C (Constantly) Occupation requires this activity more than 66% of the time (5.5+ hrs/day)