STATE OF
HUMAN RESOURCES
CLASSIFICATION: DENTAL HYGIENIST
Class Code: 3062-19 Date Established: 08-04-92
Occupational Code: 7-4-3 Date of Last Revision: 05-16-08
BASIC PURPOSE: To provide dental examinations for signs of
oral disease and provide health education, preventive and pre-therapeutic
dental services to the residents of an institution.
CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
·
Prepares
clinical evaluations to establish facts and to solve practical oral hygiene
problems.
·
Performs oral
scaling, polishing, examinations and related dental procedures, and recommends
referrals for follow-up dental treatment.
·
Examines oral
areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. Provides education to patients on proper oral
hygiene, taking and developing x-rays, and/or applying fluoride or sealant
treatments.
·
Exposes,
develops, and processes dental radiographs to provide clinical data and to help
determine the need for follow-up treatment.
·
Provides
in-service training, supervision, consultation and technical assistance in
collaboration with the NH Technical College Dental Hygienist Program,
maintaining standards of dental health services.
·
Provides
individual oral health instructions to patients, in order to motivate patients
with special needs toward the practice of effective oral hygiene techniques to
help develop good oral health habits and self-care.
·
Reviews and
evaluates patient files, maintaining required records of statistical data. Writes reports and prepares documents related
to dental health care on patients treated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISTINGUISHING FACTORS:
Skill: Requires skill in developing formats and
procedures for special applications OR in investigating and reviewing the use
of equipment and data for a specialized function.
Knowledge: Requires knowledge of business practices and
procedures or technical training in a craft or trade, including working from
detailed instructions, to apply knowledge in a variety of practical situations.
Impact: Requires responsibility for contributing to
immediate, ongoing agency objectives by facilitating the direct provision of
services to the public or other state agencies.
Errors at this level result in inaccurate reports or invalid test
results and require a significant investment of time and resources to detect.
Supervision: Requires direct supervision of other
employees doing related or similar work, including scheduling work,
recommending leave, reviewing work for accuracy, performance appraisal, or
interviewing applicants for position vacancies.
Working Conditions: Requires performing regular job functions in
an environment which includes exposure to continuous physical elements or a
number of disagreeable working conditions with frequent exposure to minor
injuries or health hazards.
Physical Demands: Requires medium work, including continuous
strenuous activities such as frequent reaching, bending, or lifting as well as
performing work activities which require fine manual dexterity or coordination
in operating machines or equipment.
Communication: Requires explaining facts, interpreting
situations, or advising individuals of alternative or appropriate courses of
action. This level also requires
interviewing or eliciting information from state employees or members of the
general public.
Complexity: Requires a combination of job functions to
establish facts, to draw daily operational conclusions, or to solve practical
problems. This level also requires
providing a variety of alternative solutions where only limited standardization
exists.
Independent Action: Requires objective assessment in analyzing and
developing new work methods and procedures subject to periodic review and in
making decisions according to established technical, professional or
administrative standards.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: Associate’s degree from a recognized
college or university with a major in Dental Hygiene or a certificate from a
recognized Dental Hygiene program. Each
additional year of approved formal education may be substituted for one year of
required work experience.
Experience: Two years’ experience as a full-time
dental hygienist.
License/Certification: Licensed as a Registered Dental Hygienist in
the State of New Hampshire. Biennial
registration with the New Hampshire Board of Dental Examiners.
RECOMMENDED WORK TRAITS:
Knowledge of the principles and
practices of dental hygiene. Skill in
health education procedures. Ability to
present clear and concise reports.
Ability to plan work effectively and to communicate both orally and in
writing. Ability to establish and
maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, patients, and
professional lay groups. Ability to
participate in, and profit by, in-service training courses, to assist in the
orientation and in-service training of dental hygiene students, and to assist
in the preparation of dental health education media. Must be willing to maintain appearance
appropriate to assigned duties and responsibilities as determined by the agency
appointing authority.
DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: This class specification is descriptive of
general duties and is not intended to list every specific function of this
class title.
Back
to Human Resources Home Page
Back to State Opportunities
Listing Page
Back to Class Specification
List