CAREER GUIDES
Here's how oral hygienists prevent dental diseases
Dental hygienists (oral hygienists) are concerned with the promotion of oral health and the prevention of dental disease.
They remove stains and tartar from teeth and polish them. They apply decay-preventing agents to teeth, insert temporary fillings and take impressions and castings of study models.
They give patients information about good home dental care and healthy nutritional practices.
Dental hygienists perform diagnostic tests for interpretation by the dentist, such as intra-oral and extra-oral X-rays. They assist dentists during dental operations.
Dental hygienists are professional health educators with their own consulting rooms, who work under the supervision of dentists in private practices, or for the Department of Health in hospitals, clinics or schools, where they may also teach in dental hygiene programmes.