How To Be A Dental Hygienist Essay

Abstract
The main goal in becoming a Dental Hygienist is being professional and knowledgeable in every aspect of dental hygiene. In dental hygiene, there are several professional roles one can choose from. Some of these roles include that of being an educator, researcher, entrepreneur, administrator, corporate, clinician, and public health. The scope of dental hygiene has evolved since it first became a profession in the 1900’s (Wilkins, Wyche, & Boyd 2017). While at first the main focus was on education, the practice of dental hygiene has expanded to include preventative and therapeutic services (Wilkins et al.,). As Dental Hygienists, there are certain factors that affect the way one practices, legal, ethical, and personal are a few. Keep

Graduates of an entry-level dental hygiene program are taught the basics. Through continuing education and degree enhances, a hygienist can build their skills and pursue roles outside of the dental clinic. There are seven professional roles in the profession of dental hygiene. These roles include educator, researcher, entrepreneur, administrator, corporate, clinician, and public health. The role of a dental hygienist as an educator is to teach oral health professionals using educational theory and methodology. Dental hygienist can be clinical instructors and corporate educators. As a dental hygiene researcher, one can study the accuracy and effectiveness of new products. Industries are constantly coming out with new and improved products. A dental hygiene researcher can work in universities, corporations, and government agencies. Entrepreneurs in dental hygiene try to create the next big thing or fund new oral health-related enterprises. Practice management, consulting, and independent clinical practice are all opportunities that have been

Dental hygiene first became a profession in the early 1900’s when a dentist named Dr. Alfred C. Fones realized that their needed to be someone whom could educate patients about oral health (Wilkins et al., 2017). Fones envisioned education to be the main scope of dental hygiene, but that is not the case today. Since the 1990’s, the scope of dental hygiene was widened to significantly. One has to keep in mind that a dental hygienist is only allowed to provide the services that are described in the Dental Hygiene Practice Act of the practicing state (Wilkins et al., 2017). As a dental hygienist one can continue their education and build skills. Acquiring a bachelor’s degree allows a dental hygienist to find jobs outside of the office. Continuing education programs can also be taken to learn about any area in dental hygiene. As of 2014 there were 37 states that allowed dental hygienists treatment plan without the authorization of a dentist (Wilkins et al.,