Dental Hygienist in Canada

What is a Dental Hygienist?

A dental hygienist is a licensed primary healthcare professional who works in the field of dentistry. They work under the direction of other dental professionals, and are trained and educated in the prevention and treatment of oral diseases.

The demand for dental services, and dental hygienists in particular, is increasing, influenced by Canadian population growth.

Related Fields

Clinical trial research: dental hygienists can carry out trials alongside other dental specialists
Education: dental hygienists are able to teach and train future dental hygienists
Community Health: dental hygienists are able to provide assistance in community dental clinics
Hospital settings: dental hygienists can work along side nurses
Military setting: dental hygienists can offer their services to members and their dependants during disasters
Marketing and sales: dental hygienists can choose to work in a business setting, by promoting dental products through companies as their representative

Major duties

Their major role is to perform periodontal duties. These include

Debridement
Charting
Prophylaxis
However they also
Make diagnosis to pass on to the oral surgeon/dentist
Take intraoral radiographs
Administer fluoride
Teach oral hygiene to patients
Perform examinations on patients
Making dental impressions
In some cases, administering anaesthesia

Qualifications and requirements

Canadian College Degree

Who are the employers?

Another dental professional typically employs dental hygienists. They can choose to work in a wide range of dental settings including

Private dental offices
Residential aged care facilities
Public practices
Alongside orthodontists

Compensation

Generally, the compensation for a dental hygienist in Canada is 71,000$, or 35$ an hour.