Dental Hygienist, Department of Dental

Dental Hygienists are responsible for providing oral care to patients under the supervision of a dentist. This includes, but is not limited to, cleanings, patient screenings, and advising patients on oral health and preventative care.

Responsibilities

1. Establish and maintain positive relationship with patients, visitors and other employees. Interacts professionally, courteously and appropriately with patients, visitors and other employees. Behave in manner consistent with maintaining and furthering a positive public perception of Martin Luther King Health System and its employees.

2. Contributes to and participates in the Performance/Quality Improvement activities of the assigned department.

Contribution and participation 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 of Martin Luther King Health System (a) Safety and Security Policies, (b) Risk Management: Incident and Occurrence Reporting, (c) Infection Control Policies and Procedures and (d) Patient and Customer Service.

3. Removes calculus and plaque from all surfaces of the teeth under the supervision of a dental attending.

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

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

6. Takes and develops dental radiographs under the supervision of a dental attending.

7. Performs 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.

8. Displays 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.

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

Qualifications

• Three (3) years certified Dental Hygienist experience.
• New York State License as Dental Hygienist (Legally Required) (Policy Requirement)
• High school graduate or equivalent (Required)
• Bachelor’s ( Preferred)
• Computer literacy, especially with scheduling and medical records software (Required)