The Role of Dental Hygienists in Oral Health Care

Dental hygienists deserve a great deal of respect and appreciation. These hardworking professionals are passionate about oral health and eager to help their patients feel as healthy, comfortable and confident as possible. Their multi-faceted role calls for a range of skills, but these essentially boil down to one main priority: boosting oral care.

Prevention is a big deal in modern dental care, and hygienists rely on a multi-faceted approach to achieve this. Their role is complex, in part, because they need to place an equal emphasis on in-the-moment care (such as tartar removal) and the long-term promotion of healthy habits and routines. However, with proper training, they can seamlessly navigate this myriad of requirements and make a genuine difference in the lives of their patients.

This desire to make a difference is what leads many ambitious professionals to work in dental hygiene in the first place. If you believe that you could excel in this field, you will want to gain a full understanding of how exactly oral care will play into your day-to-day work and what your scope of practice as a dental hygienist will involve.

We detail these essentials below, along with providing insight into the overarching question: What is good oral health, and how do dental hygienists promote it?

Knowing the Hygienist’s Role

Dental hygienists fulfill many vital functions within the modern dental environment. While these hardworking professionals are strongly associated with cleanings, their role also involves considerable collaboration, education and observation, all with the end goal of establishing a solid foundation of oral health and preventing dental concerns such as periodontal disease.

What They Do

Day-to-day tasks can vary between dental hygienists and are largely dictated by the particular needs within their practices. These needs depend, in part, on dental specialties and patient populations. In general, however, the overarching role of the dental hygienist comes down to three main priorities: evaluation, education, and preventative care. This may encompass several tasks¹, such as:

• Removing plaque and tartar during dental cleanings
• Protecting teeth by applying sealant or fluoride
• Taking dental impressions or X-rays
• Teaching patients about effective brushing and flossing strategies

Along the way, dental hygienists provide both emotional and logistical support. Their compassion can reduce patient stress and improve satisfaction, while their practical support and emphasis on dentist collaboration can streamline a number of critical tasks to make practices run more smoothly and efficiently.

Not Just Your Typical Cleaning

The typical patient’s conception of the dental hygienist centers around a common and crucial practice: the twice-annual dental cleaning. Bringing structure to the process of finding and removing plaque, tartar and stains, this session goes beyond home brushing by integrating ultrasonic scrapers and other cleaning tools that can only be safely operated by thoroughly well-trained professionals.²

Yes, patient-directed cleanings with toothbrushes and floss are important, but these alone may not be sufficient to avoid concerning conditions such as gingivitis and periodontal disease. After all, patients often struggle to spot the early signs of these issues or to respond to them so they can be promptly addressed.

Biofilm and pathogen researcher Rich Lamont tells Scientific American, “If we’re not in pain, and don’t see any immediate consequences, it breeds complacency.” Dental hygienists can play a valuable role in combating that complacency through their attention to detail and ongoing efforts to interact with and instruct their patients.³

Dental Cleanings

Dental cleanings are critical from an oral and even physical health perspective. Research indicates that, regardless of personal oral care habits, patients are more likely to see long-term improvements in dental health if they commit to regular cleanings. This can even translate to a lower overall cost of care on a long-term basis.⁴

Cleanings are important because they allow hygienists to remove plaque or tartar from hard-to-reach places while also providing a chance to monitor the various markers of oral health and even detect cavities while they’re easy to resolve.

Preventative Care

Dental professionals have long recognized the value of preventative care, but in recent years, its importance has received even greater recognition — with survey data indicating that a prevention-oriented approach is far more impactful in the ongoing fight against periodontal disease than treatment-centered solutions.⁵

Experts at RDH Magazine explain that dental hygienists enjoy a unique opportunity to fulfill today’s call to prevention, adding that preventative care (revolving around regular dental appointments) represents the “key pillar to maintaining health.” This is an effective solution for catching gingivitis in its tracks while it can still be reversed.⁶

Even if gingivitis is not present, preventative care is necessary because it allows dental hygienists to spot issues while they are still minor and also provide viable interventions. These will vary significantly based on the situation at hand but could involve everything from the use of fluoride and sealant to fillings for small cavities or even electric toothbrush recommendations and specialized toothpaste prescriptions.

Diagnostic Procedures

In some states, diagnosis is authorized as a critical element of the dental hygienist’s scope of practice. In Colorado, for example, this could encompass this diagnosis of an “existing oral health problem that a dental hygienist is qualified and licensed to treat within the scope of dental hygiene practice.” In other cases, dental hygienists contribute to diagnostics by observing for signs of common oral health conditions and sharing these findings with dentists.⁷

Patient Education

Regular cleanings are essential, but they alone cannot overcome poor oral habits. The good news? Dental hygienists can have a significant impact on how patients care for their teeth and gums every day. Through equal parts encouragement and education, dental hygienists remind patients that they can take charge of their oral health and see dramatic improvements as they implement simple yet crucial daily practices.

Efforts to educate patients will differ to some extent based on the specific oral care concerns they exhibit, not to mention patient personalities and the hygienist’s own distinct communication style. Interactions must be curated to feel warm and personable. Patients are more likely to absorb details about oral care if they truly feel that hygienists have their best interests at heart.

Boost Mental Health

There is a strong link between oral health and mental health, with many factors influencing how patients feel about their smiles — and how those smiles impact their state of mind. Research suggests that people with poor oral health are more likely to suffer symptoms of depression and other mental health disorders.⁸ Unfortunately, this can spur a negative cycle, as those with poor mental health are also less likely to maintain motivation to keep up their hygiene or seek necessary oral care.

Dental hygienists can play a powerful role in breaking this cycle. This begins with helping patients overcome challenges that stand in the way of getting their teeth cleaned or engaging in healthy oral habits. Furthermore, by helping patients achieve a healthy and aesthetically pleasing smile, dental hygienists could limit the potential for dental-related shame or social isolation.

Lower Other Health Related Risks

A growing body of research links oral health issues such as periodontal disease to a variety of other health concerns, from heart disease to diabetes.⁹ The mouth is often referred to as the gateway to the body, with thorough cleanings and daily habits working together to reduce the potential for periodontitis-linked bacteria to enter the bloodstream.

Hygienists’ Collaboration With Others

Dental hygienists are a critical part of the dental team, which includes several other skilled professionals. Each team member has an essential role to play within the modern dental practice, and when they work together seamlessly, they can boost patient care and satisfaction while making their own day-to-day tasks less stressful and more enjoyable.

The Dentists

The relationship between the dental hygienist and the dentist is unique in that each professional has distinct responsibilities as well as ways of interacting with and relating to patients. Because dental hygienists spend so much time with patients during regular exams and cleanings, they have the opportunity to uncover issues that, in turn, dentists can address.

Strong hygienist and dentist collaboration forms the foundation of quality care. As the American Association of Dental Office Management (AADOM) points out, “It is the dental team’s job to make sure the patient feels comfortable and confident with the flow of the office,” but maintaining this flow is not possible without strong communication between oral health associates.¹⁰

Teamwork

The modern dental industry calls for exceptional collaboration. Patients have many needs that extend far beyond oral health alone. From their emotional health and well-being to their physical comfort during cleanings and even matters such as billing, it takes a full team to handle a broad range of patient concerns. Dental hygienists are a key part of this team and can facilitate a more productive, harmonious environment by contributing to a positive oral health partnership.

Discover Your Role in Boosting Dental Care With SJVC

Learn more about how to help others with their dental health by pursuing your education with SJVC.

Sources:

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “What Dental Hygienists Do.” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm#tab-2
2. Shinde, E. “What Is Dental Cleaning? A Complete Guide.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/health/dental/what-is-dental-cleaning/
3. Scientific American. “A Scientific Approach to Cleaning Your Mouth.” https://www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media/a-scientific-approach-to-cleaning-your-mouth/
4. Taylor, H. et al. “Does preventive dental care reduce nonpreventive dental visits and expenditures among Medicaid-enrolled adults?” Health Services Research. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1475-6773.13987
5. James, L. “Dental Prevention vs. Treatment: Breaking It Down.” Today’s RDH. https://www.todaysrdh.com/dental-prevention-vs-treatment-breaking-it-down
6. ONeill, M. “Lessons from global survey data: What else can dental hygienists do to close the periodontal disease prevention gap?” RDH Magazine. https://www.rdhmag.com/career-profession/article/14233110/lessons-from-global-survey-data-what-else-can-dental-hygienists-do-to-close-the-periodontal-disease-prevention-gap
7. American Dental Hygienists’ Association. “Dental Hygiene Diagnosis.” https://www.adha.org/advocacy/scope-of-practice/direct-access/reimbursement/dental-hygiene-diagnosis/
8. Skośkiewicz-Malinowska, K. et al. “Oral health condition and occurrence of depression in the elderly.” Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6203496/
9. Seo, H. “Why Oral Hygiene Is Crucial to Your Overall Health.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/well/oral-health-hygiene.html
10. American Association of Dental Office Management. “Creating Effective Teamwork in Dentistry [The Only Phrase Your Staff Needs to Know!].” https://www.dentalmanagers.com/blog/effective-teamwork-in-dentistry/