Public Health Dentist

Public Health Dentist

The Job

Carteret County Government is seeking a Dentist to join the Health Department’s Mobile Public Health Dental team. Are you a dentist licensed to practice dentistry in North Carolina? Do you have at least two years of general practice dental experience including pediatric dentistry? Does a 32-hours/4-days per week schedule appeal to you? If a rewarding career in the public health dental field interests you, our Dentist role may be your next career move!

The Location

Office location is Morehead City, NC.

The Details

Salary will be based on overall qualifications including education & experience.

Monday through Thursday; 32 hours per week. Full-time benefits!

Posting expires 5/29/2025

Full-time with benefits including paid medical, dental, vision and life insurance; retirement and 401(k) plans; and, paid sick, vacation and holiday leave.

Apply online at https://carteretcountync.gov & click on the Employment link.

The Job Description

General Statement of Duties

This is professional dental work in a mobile public health dental clinic operated to improve access to dental care for children and pregnant women with Medicaid. This position provides general clinical dentistry services to the population served.

Distinguishing Features of the Class

An employee in this class functions as a dentist by diagnosing dental disease or injury, establishing treatment, planning, performing fillings, extractions, and related procedures to the population served. The employee provides supervision to the Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienist, and Administrative Manager in the Dental Program. The employee in this position serves as a dental team member participating in team meetings and in reviewing dental productivity, scheduling procedures, and establishing guidelines for care and treatment. Work is performed under the general direction of the Health Director and is evaluated through observation, patient feedback, conferences, and written reports concerning the quality and effectiveness of the work performed.

Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Tasks (Dental)

• Advocate and communicate with community practices and organizations for the promotion of good dental care.
• Assist in reviewing clinic productivity, scheduling procedures, and establishing guidelines for care and treatment.
• Assure OSHA, ADA, and CDC requirements are met for the dental clinic.
• Assure hazardous materials information is current and that all staff are fully informed of the rules and regulations.
• Verifies all products used on patients are within the stated expiration date.
• Examine, diagnose, and treat patients with particular focus devoted to children ages 0-20 and women on pregnancy Medicaid.
• Review and document preventive care and/or treatment provided to all patients in the electronic dental records software.
• Perform clinical treatment, including, but not limited to:
• • Restores teeth with fillings, pulpotomies, and stainless-steel crowns.
  • Performs surgical procedures, such as extractions.
  • Places space maintainers as needed.
  • Performs any preventive therapies or treatments, as needed.
• Develop treatment plans for patients.
• Ensure appropriate billing practices within the dental clinic.
• Work in other locations (e.g. schools, Head Start, etc.) from the dental clinic using portable dental equipment.
• Refer patients for specialty care, as appropriate.
• Provide dental health education for patients, parents, and the community.
• Participate in community health programs, as needed.
• Ensure quality of care provided to all patients.

Essential Duties and Tasks (Administrative)

• Administer the dental program for Carteret County Health Department in a manner which meets program requirements and the needs of the community.
• Develop and maintain the program policies and procedures for the dental clinic.
• Provide dental oversight for the Dental Hygienist, Dental Assistant, and Administrative Manager assigned to the dental clinic.
• Monitor and approve dental clinic staff leave requests.
• Complete timesheets and review/approve dental clinic staff timesheets in a timely manner.
• Participate in interviews for dental clinic staff vacancies and makes recommendations for hiring staff.
• Conduct annual performance evaluations for dental clinic staff.
• Ensure professional development opportunities for dental clinic staff.
• Work alongside the Health Director related to any disciplinary action for dental clinic staff.
• Maintain regular communication with the Health Director (e.g. emails, phone calls, in-person visits).
• Work with the agency Respiratory Protection Administrator to ensure all dental clinic staff are fit-tested.
• Work with the Health Director to determine short- and long-range planning for the dental clinic.

Additional Job Duties

• Any other duty as necessary, including assisting with any public health emergency, including, but not limited to natural disasters, man-made disasters, influenza pandemics (e.g. H1N1) or other outbreaks of communicable diseases, disaster surveillance and response, to ensure the efficiency of the Health Department.

Recruitment and Selection Guidelines

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of modern dentistry and recent developments in the field of dentistry.
• Considerable knowledge of dental health problems in the community.
• Ability to perform dental work and treatments involved in the control of mouth diseases among children and pregnant women.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with parents, school staff, and other appropriate groups in the community and institutions.
• Ability to perform dental work of a professional and independent nature.
• Ability to consult with Dental Hygienist, Dental Assistant, and Administrative Manager.
• Ability to wear magnification loupes while in the clinical setting.

Physical Requirements

• This work requires the regular exertion of up to 10 pounds of force, frequent exertion of up to 25 pounds of force, and occasional exertion of up to 50 pounds of force.

• Work regularly requires sitting and using hands to manipulate, handle, or feel; frequently requires walking, speaking, hearing, reaching with hands and arms and repetitive motions and occasionally requires standing, climbing or balancing, and stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling.
• Work requires lifting.
• Work requires close vision, distance vision, depth perception, color perception, and peripheral vision.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make distinctions in sound.
• Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating machines, and observing general surroundings and activities.
• Work requires exposure to bloodborne pathogens and will be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment (PPE) and exposure to outdoor weather conditions.
• Work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).
• Work is subject to inside and outside environmental conditions. Occasional times of extreme heat or cold, wind, and rain.
• Work is subject to hazards such as chemicals, fumes, gases, sewage, laser lights or poor ventilation.
• Work requires working in close quarters, small enclosed rooms, and narrow aisles or passageways.
• Work is subject to exposure to vibrations and oscillating movements of the extremities.

Desirable Education and Experience

Graduation from an accredited dental program resulting in the possession of licensure to practice dentistry in the State of North Carolina. Preferred minimum of two years of experience with the general practice of dentistry and experience in and desire to practice pediatric dentistry.

Special Requirements

• Maintain the appropriate number of continuing education hours to remain in good standing with the NC State Board of Dental Examiners.
• Valid North Carolina driver’s license.
• Experience with digital x-ray equipment.
• Preferred knowledge of use of nitrous oxide.