Occupations/29-1292.00
Dental Hygienists
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.
Usually a certificate, vocational program, or associate degree — not a bachelor’s.
AI automation risk
49%
Mixed exposure
Human characteristics
70%
Strong human-characteristic mix
Task orientation
81%
Higher automation risk
A day in this job
- Mostly human
Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public.
- Mostly routine
Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.
- Mostly human
Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
Split from the wording of these tasks, shown next to the occupation’s AI risk. It is not a separate score for each task, and it is not a forecast that the job disappears.
Core tasks
- 01Record and review patient medical histories.
- 02Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
- 03Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
- 04Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.
- 05Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public.
- 06Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks4.30
- Degree of automation1.71
- Time sitting4.09
- Originality (ability)2.62
- Conflict situations2.06
- Hands-on objects/tools5.00
- Outdoors / weather1.00
- Disease exposure4.97
- Decision freedom3.98
Top abilities
- Problem Sensitivity3.88
- Near Vision3.88
- Finger Dexterity3.88
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.88
- Oral Expression3.75
- Oral Comprehension3.75
- Speech Recognition3.25
- Speech Clarity3.25
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension3.00
- Active Listening3.75
- Writing3.12
- Speaking3.50
- Mathematics2.00
- Science2.38
- Critical Thinking3.50
- Active Learning3.00
- Learning Strategies2.75
- Monitoring3.12
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 28 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $68,200 | 12% | 92% | 1 yr $73,446 2 yr $74,845 Bachelor's · CIP 51.06 |
Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $5,700 | 100% | 35% | 1 yr $65,320 2 yr $69,757 Associate · CIP 51.06 |
Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $13,200 | 63% | 83% | 1 yr $65,131 2 yr $57,995 Bachelor's · CIP 51.06 |
New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $60,400 | 12% | 88% | 1 yr $62,409 2 yr $56,415 Associate · CIP 51.06 |
Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $9,700 | 71% | 62% | 1 yr $60,485 2 yr $58,447 Bachelor's · CIP 51.06 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $12,800 | 53% | 83% | 1 yr $56,693 2 yr $56,068 Bachelor's · CIP 51.06 |
Georgia State University Atlanta, GA · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $9,200 | 67% | 56% | 1 yr $55,964 2 yr $50,439 Associate · CIP 51.06 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $17,700 | 18% | 93% | 1 yr $54,948 2 yr $50,856 Bachelor's · CIP 51.06 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $9,000 | 17% | 91% | 1 yr $54,656 2 yr $53,775 Bachelor's · CIP 51.06 |
Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $5,200 | 100% | 21% | 1 yr — 2 yr $50,606 Certificate · CIP 51.06 |
Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $9,800 | 71% | 61% | 1 yr $48,041 2 yr $49,918 Associate · CIP 51.06 |
Century College White Bear Lake, MN · Public | Dental Hygiene/Hygienist 51.0602 | $6,000 | 100% | 31% | 1 yr $42,123 2 yr $44,984 Associate · CIP 51.06 |