Community Health Dental Hygienist

Overview

Join the Indian Health Service as a Community Health Dental Hygienist to support quality healthcare services for American Indian communities. Guided by our mission to improve the health of American Indian and Alaska Native people, you will help deliver safe and effective dental services while creating healthy smiles, restoring confidence, and promoting overall wellness in the communities we serve.

• Provide advanced prophylactic, periodontal, and preventive oral care for patients of all ages.
• Conduct preliminary dental screenings and review patient medical and dental histories.
• Perform intraoral and extraoral examinations, including periodontal charting, oral cancer screening, and evaluation of soft and hard tissues for disease or pathology.
• Capture and interpret digital dental radiographs within scope; identify periodontal status, caries, calculus, bone levels, and abnormalities for dentist review.
• Instruct patients, families, staff, and community partners in oral hygiene techniques using demonstrations, visual aids, and culturally appropriate materials.
• Plan, deliver, evaluate, and document preventive oral health programs that enhance population health, offering preventive, diagnostic, restorative, and periodontal outreach services in clinics, schools, and community settings.
• Serve as principal advisor for dental health promotion and disease prevention efforts across the service unit.

• A Real  be required beginning May 7 2025.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31 1959.
• Maintain an active dental hygienist license in a U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia.
• Complete federal background investigation within five (5) calendar days of receipt of instructions.
• Meet financial suitability requirements—including demonstrating financial responsibility and timely fulfillment of all legal financial obligations.
• Set up direct deposit for payment.

To qualify, your resume must demonstrate sufficient experience and/or education to perform the duties of this position, including:

• At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to GS‑06 in the federal service or equivalent private/public sector experience, performing tasks such as educational lectures, preventative oral public health program implementation, policy guidance to dental personnel, improved dental hygiene methods, and full‑range preventive and periodontal dental hygiene procedures.
• For GS‑9 level, experience with patients with complex medical histories (e.g., cancer of the head/neck/chest, diabetes, blood disorders, heart disease) and development of individualized treatment plans.

• Licensed to practice as a dental hygienist in any U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia.
• Radiological certification meeting the standards of 42 CFR Part 75 as required for administering radiological procedures (e.g., completed accredited education and certified as a radiographer).

• This position is covered by Public Law 101‑630, requiring that the employee have contact or control over Indian children.
• E‑Verify employment verification check must be successfully passed.
• The appointment will be subject to a probationary period, typically a two‑year trial for ESEP appointees.
• A 6‑month service agreement will be required.