University of Louisville logo
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky

Dental Hygienist I

Dental HygienistFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Department

Location: Non-Campus Other

Time Type

Full time

Worker Type

Regular

Job Req ID

R108807

Minimum Requirements

Associate degree in Dental Hygiene, licensed as a Dental Hygienist and 2 years of related experience. Grade 7 (Hourly)

Position Description

The University of Louisville School of Dentistry is seeking to hire a Dental Hygienist I. The Dental Hygienist will provide dental hygiene services for new and periodic recall patients at the University of Louisville Goodwill Opportunity Campus Dental Practice located at 2820 West Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202.

May be eligible for $5,000 sign-on/ retention bonus per ULSD policies and procedures and a $5,000 bonus upon the completion of one year of service.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • Perform scaling, root planning, and polishing patients’ teeth
  • Determines vital signs, reviews medical history, perform preliminary exam, charts missing and filled teeth.
  • Exposes, develops, and mounts periapical and panoramic radiographs.
  • Enter patient data on chart as appropriate.
  • Instructs patients in the cause, prevention, and consequences of periodontal disease.
  • Instructs patients on appropriate oral hygiene techniques.
  • Maintains instruments and operatory according to accepted standards.
  • Manage recall appointment schedules and records.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

  • CPR certification.
  • Dental Hygiene license from the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Initiative: Exhibits capacity to act independently. Demonstrates effort to accomplish tasks and meet organizational needs. Take independent action where appropriate and utilize sound judgement.

Teamwork: Demonstrates understanding of team goals and works cooperatively with peer(s) to achieve those goals.

Adaptability and flexibility: Adapts to new situations in a positive manner and responds appropriately to learning and applying new skills.

  • Communication: Demonstrates effective oral and written communication skills.
  • Listens well and responds appropriately.

Maintains open communication. Has good rapport with patients, peers and supervisors.

Organized: Employee demonstrates the ability to plan, prioritize and organize tasks. ·

Professionalism and Customer Service: Responsive. Inform constituents of the process at hand, is pleasant to work with and provides timely, accurate information. ·

  • Remain calm under pressure, in emergency situations.
  • Benefits – The University of Louisville has an exceptional benefits package; to learn more about our benefits please visit here.
  • Compensation will be commensurate to candidate experience.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Louisville is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

The University strives to provide equal employment opportunity on the basis of merit and without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, veteran status, marital status, or pregnancy.

In accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veteran Readjustment Act of 1974, the University prohibits job discrimination of individuals with disabilities, Vietnam era veterans, qualified special disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, and other protected veterans.

The University acknowledges its obligations to ensure affirmative steps are taken to ensure equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment.

It is the policy of the University that no employee or applicant for employment be subject to unlawful discrimination in terms of recruitment, hiring, promotion, contract, contract renewal, tenure, compensation, benefits, and/or working conditions.

No employee or applicant for employment is required to endorse or condemn a specific ideology, political viewpoint, or social viewpoint to be eligible for hiring, contract renewal, tenure, or promotion.

Consistent with applicable law, demographic information is collected for aggregate reporting requirements. Demographic information provided through this application is not available to hiring managers/committees and is not considered in hiring or employment decisions.

Assistance and Accommodations

Computers are available for application submission at the Human Resources Department located at 2315 South First Street Walk, Room 02C - Louisville, Kentucky 40292.

If you require assistance or accommodation with our online application process, please contact us by email at employment@louisville.edu or by phone 502-852-6258.

Key Responsibilities

The Dental Hygienist will provide comprehensive dental hygiene services, including scaling, root planing, and patient education on oral health. They are also responsible for managing patient records, exposing radiographs, and maintaining the operatory standards.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an associate degree in Dental Hygiene and possess a valid Dental Hygienist license. A minimum of 2 years of related experience is required for this position.

Qualifications

Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient chartingPeriodontal disease preventionOral hygiene instructionInstrument maintenanceAppointment schedulingVital signs monitoringOrganization

Dental Hygiene Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Kentucky is 90.2 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 61.6% of Kentucky clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Dental Hygienist listings this role was benchmarked against, 4% are remote, 48% have no call, 54% require no weekends.

What does the Dental Hygienist market look like in Kentucky?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedDental Hygienist median $91k (middle half $84k–$99k)11 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost of livingKentucky index 90.2US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Dental Hygienist listings in Kentucky77 active5,776 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 4% remote · 48% no call · 54% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repayment$5k sign-onUS healthcare professional listings: 24% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 6% offer loan repayment5,776 active listings, Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Dental Hygienist Jobs

36 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

29 jobs
7
<$100k
11
$100k-120k
6
$120k-140k
3
$140k-160k
2
$183k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

29 jobs
401k / retirement match
90%
CME allowance
55%
Sign-on bonus
34% this job
Loan repayment
14%
Relocation assistance
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Dental Hygienist - Stillwater

Park Dental · West Lakeland, Minnesota

$60-$88/hr
#2

Licensed Dental Hygienist - Edinbrook

Park Dental · Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

$60-$88/hr
#3

Dental Hygienist | $40,000 in Tuition Reimbursement

$70-$75/hr
#4

Dental Hygienist| $40,000 Tuition Reimbursement

$65-$75/hr
+ 34 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.9this job 1.5
Better work-life than 20% of Dental Hygienist listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 2,151 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

University of Louisville logo

About University of Louisville

Education Management
Louisville, KY
11-50 employees

Benefits & Perks

Exceptional benefits package
May be eligible for $5,000 sign-on/retention bonus
$5,000 bonus upon completion of one year of service

Living in Louisville

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$276k
Typical market rent
$1,330/mo
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
93.1
State income tax
Up to 4.5%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026).

BEA 2024 · Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.