DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

Clean teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. May educate patients on oral hygiene, take and develop x rays, or apply fluoride or sealants.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
Wages Updated to Third Quarter, 2012

					Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	Mean SE*	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
EDR 1 - Northwest	50	9	$30.75/hr	$1.87/hr	$25.27/hr	$28.09/hr	$31.52/hr	$34.30/hr	$35.96/hr
Minnesota	4,260	209	$34.36/hr	$0.62/hr	$29.35/hr	$31.50/hr	$34.33/hr	$37.30/hr	$42.95/hr
U S	184,110	2,578	$34.27/hr	$0.21/hr	$22.60/hr	$27.97/hr	$34.03/hr	$40.92/hr	$46.59/hr
*SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate.

Leading Industries for Dental Hygienists Industry OES Employment OES Median Wage Education and Health Services 50 $31.52/hr

Other Regional Data For Dental Hygienists Geography (click title for details) OES Projections Employment Median Wage % Change  -  EDR 11 - 7 County Twin Cities 2,180 $36.06/hr N/A EDR 10 - Southeast 410 $32.77/hr N/A EDR 3 - Arrowhead 250 $32.80/hr N/A EDR 9 - South Central 240 $33.55/hr N/A EDR 4 - West Central 140 $33.31/hr N/A EDR 5 - North Central 120 $31.61/hr N/A EDR 6E- Southwest Central 90 $34.82/hr N/A EDR 7E- East Central 90 $32.14/hr N/A EDR 1 - Northwest 50 $31.52/hr N/A EDR 2 - Headwaters 40 $27.09/hr N/A EDR 7W- Central N/A $33.35/hr N/A

Related Occupations

Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
	Employment	Median Wage	% Change  -
Dental Assistants	100	$19.55/hr	N/A
Surgical Technologists	20	$19.70/hr	N/A
Respiratory Therapists	20	$22.77/hr	N/A

• Cleans calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.
• Provides clinical services and health education to improve and maintain oral health of school children.
• Removes excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.
• Places and removes rubber dams, matrices, and temporary restorations.
• Feels lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.
• Examines gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
• Administers local anesthetic agents.
• Exposes and develops x-ray film.
• Removes sutures and dressings.
• Makes impressions for study casts.
• Places, carves, and finishes amalgam restorations.
• Feels and visually examines gums for sores and signs of disease.
• Charts conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
• Conducts dental health clinics for community groups to augment services of dentist.
• Applies fluorides and other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.