SUMMARY:

Provides general preventative dental care designed to preserve teeth and prevent the spread of oral disease by performing the following duties.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. 

Dental Hygienist I

• Must be willing to learn more about the American Indian culture and attend at least one Cultural Presentation/ Training per year.
• Performs a professional dental oral prophylaxis, including the removal of explorer-detectable calculus, soft deposits, plaque, stains, and the smoothing of unattached tooth surfaces to create an environment in which hard and soft tissues can be maintained in good health by the patient.
• Provides additional professional services including scaling and root planning, polishing and contouring of restorations, oral exfoliative cytology, and application of pit and fissure sealants. Irrigation sub-gingivally with an antimicrobial and/or antibiotic liquid solution.
• Provides preliminary examination including but not limited to: periodontal charting, intra and extra-oral examination of soft tissue, charting of lesions, existing restorations and missing teeth.

• Applies fluorides and other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
• Records and maintains clients Electronic Health Record (EHR).
• Performs dental radiographs.
• Takes preliminary impressions for diagnostic and opposing study casts.
• Provides preventive dental education and dental screenings to patients and community groups.

• Removes sutures and dressings.
• Removes excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.
• Travels to satellite facilities to complete dental clinical tasks as assigned.
• AttendsDental Services section staff meetings and other organizational meetings.
• Adheres to accreditation and compliance standards/guidelines.
• Develops specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize and accomplish work.

• Responsible for sterilization and disinfection of instruments, treatment rooms as assigned.
• Assists in development of policy, procedures, and quality improvement activities within the Dental Services section as directed.
• Performs all duties in accordance with the UIHS Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles.
• Performs other tasks as assigned.

Dental Hygienist II – In addition to above-stated duties:

• Ability to perform independently at a satellite site.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: Educational degrees must be from a US Department of Education Accredited School.

Dental Hygienist I

• Graduation from, an accredited dental hygiene school with a current Dental Hygiene license from any state.

Dental Hygienist II 

• Graduation from, an accredited dental hygiene school with a current Dental Hygiene license from any state and four (4) years of applicable experience.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

• Must possess and maintain a valid American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• Must possess a valid driver's license.
• Must be able to be covered by agency's vehicle insurance and provide proof of valid private vehicle coverage.