A dental hygienist is defined as a “dental worker specializing in scaling and polishing teeth and in giving advice on …show more content…
Dental hygienists can hold rolls in a clinical, corporate, public health, research, educational, administrator, or entrepreneur position. A clinical setting, in which the hygienist assesses, diagnoses, plans, evaluates and documents treatment for prevention, intervention and control of oral disease, would include anything from private dental practices, community clinics, hospitals, university dental clinics, prison facilities, nursing homes, and schools. Dental hygienists can also have careers in corporate offices, in which they are hired by companies that support the oral health industry through the sale of products be services. These positions include: sales representatives, product researchers, corporate educators, and corporate administrators. Dental hygienists can work in public health, usually for a nonprofit organization for those who cannot afford proper dental care. Clinicians, administrators, researchers, state public health officer, community clinic administrators, Head Start programs, local health departments, National Health Service Corps, school sealant programs, and rural or inner city community clinics are some examples of opportunities for dental hygienists who want to work in public health. They can also work at colleges and universities, corporations, governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations as researchers. Dental hygiene instructors are in high demand. Educational career opportunities for those with a major in dental hygiene include being a clinical or classroom instructor, program director, or corporate educator. “Dental hygienists in administrative positions apply organizational skills, communicate objectives, identify and manage resources, and evaluate and modify programs of health, education and health care” (“Education and Careers”). Examples of administrative positions include: clinical directors,