Description
Dental hygienists provide dental hygiene treatment and services related to oral health promotion and disease and mouth injury prevention. They are employed in a variety of settings including dentists’ offices, hospitals, private clinics, educational institutions, public health agencies or they may be self-employed. Dental therapists provide limited restorative dental treatment in addition to dental hygiene services. They are employed by the federal government and the provincial governments to provide services in rural and remote communities.
Job Titles
- Community dental hygienist
- Dental hygienist
- Expanded duty dental hygienist
- Orthodontic hygienist
- Periodontal hygienist
- Registered dental hygienist
- Restorative dental hygienist
Main Duties
- Conduct patient screening and oral health assessments, including taking vital signs and documenting patient medical and health history
- Take dental impressions
- Take and develop X-rays
- Perform preventative dental procedures such as teeth cleaning, scaling, gum stimulation and fluoride and sealant applications
- Provide oral care instructions such as oral hygiene procedures, strategies to maintain and improve oral health and on the impact of nutrition on oral health
- Consult with dentists on patient care
- May perform restorative and orthodontic procedures under the direction of a dentist
- May supervise dental assistants in their health care functions
- May participate in community- or school-based oral health initiatives such as oral screening.
Workplaces
- Clinics
- Dentists’ offices
- Educational institutions
- Government agencies
- Hospitals
- Private industry
Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Equipment and Tool Selection
- Instructing
- Learning and Teaching Strategies
- Oral Communication: Active Listening
Abilities
- Finger Dexterity
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Near Vision
- Colour Perception
- Control of Settings
Personal Attributes
- Attention to Detail
- Concern for Others
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Independence
Similar Occupations
- Dentists (31110)
- Denturists (32110)
- Dental technologists and technicians (32112)
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants (33100)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be good for Dental hygienists and dental therapists (32111) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
As the federal government rolls out the Canadian Dental Care Plan (to be fully implemented by 2025), its effectiveness may be hampered by a shortage of dental staff. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, dentist offices in the province (and across the country) have had to contend with staffing shortages and appointment backlogs. As a result, the prospect for employment in this occupation is favourable over the forecast period.
Here are some key facts about Dental hygienists and dental therapists in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 100 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
- Dental hygienists and dental therapists mainly work in the following sectors:
- Ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621): more than 95%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 70% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 30% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 35% of dental hygienists and dental therapists work all year, while 65% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 37 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 9% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 91% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: n/a
- high school diploma or equivalent: n/a
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: n/a
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 64% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 32% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: n/a
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $26.00 | $37.25 | $40.00 |
| Canada | $30.00 | $40.00 | $55.83 |
Training
| TRAINING PROGRAM | INSTITUTION | CREDENTIAL |
|---|---|---|
| Dental Assisting | Holland College | Certificate |