Dental Hygienist

Dental Hygienist

Dental hygienists are responsible for providing oral care to patients under the supervision of a dentist. This includes cleanings, patient screenings, and advising patients on oral health and preventative care.

Responsibilities include establishing and maintaining positive relationships with patients, visitors, and other employees. They interact professionally, courteously, and appropriately with patients, visitors, and other employees. They behave in a manner consistent with maintaining and furthering a positive public perception of Martin Luther King Health System and its employees.

They contribute to and participate in the performance/quality improvement activities of the assigned department. This includes data collection, analysis, implementation of and compliance with risk management and claims activities, support of and participation in continuous quality improvement (CQI) teams, consistent adherence to the specific rules and regulations of the Martin Luther King Health System including safety and security policies, risk management: incident and occurrence reporting, infection control policies and procedures, and patient and customer service.

They remove calculus and plaque from all surfaces of the teeth under the supervision of a dental attending.

They apply preventative materials to the teeth (ex: sealant, fluoride) under the supervision of a dental attending.

They teach patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health (ex: brushing, flossing, nutritional counseling, smoking cessation) under the supervision of a dental attending.

They take and develop dental radiographs under the supervision of a dental attending.

They perform patient screening procedures, such as assessment of oral health conditions, review of health history, oral cancer screening, head and neck inspection, and taking blood pressure and pulse under the supervision of a dental attending.

They display proficiency in both hospital and dental electronic medical record systems (ex: dental charting, coding, reviewing medical records, entering and amending notes, etc.) under the supervision of a dental attending.

They counsel patients about healthy nutrition and its impact on oral health under the supervision of a dental attending.

Qualifications include a minimum of 1 year of dental hygienist experience required. Two years of experience preferred. New York State license as a dental hygienist, high school graduate or equivalent, and computer literacy, especially with scheduling and medical records software.