Dental Hygienists
Health Science · Therapeutic Services
Pay and outlook shown for
New workers start near $83,140; experienced workers reach $105,300. About 920 people do this job in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Job outlook
Alamo region (San Antonio and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034; U.S. figures from the BLS.
- Employment change
- +24.1%
- Openings a year
- 102
- Employed in 2024
- 1,132
Typical entry education: Associate's degree
Alamo Colleges programs that lead here
1 program, with the college that teaches each.
Skills this career uses
The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.
- Active Listening4.0
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Speaking3.0
- Writing3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Service Orientation3.0
- Reading Comprehension3.4
What the work is
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.
- 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.
- Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
- Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.
- Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
- Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
Education people in this job have
Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.
- Associate degree75%
- Bachelor's degree12%
- Doctoral or professional13%
Job zone 3, medium preparation: Training, an associate degree, or a few years of related experience.
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