Dental Hygienist

The dental hygienist will provide primarily preventive patient services including: child and adult prophylaxis, periodontal charting and tissue checks, debridement, scaling and root planing, fluoride varnish application, silver diamine fluoride application, sealants, and patient education on oral home care, diet/nutrition, tobacco cessation, etc.

Position Qualifications:

• Education: Associate’s degree from accredited dental hygiene program
• Experience: At least 1 year of experience required
• Licenses, Certifications: Must be licensed and in good standing with the State of Alaska Board of Dentistry. Current BLS certification.
• Specialized Skills: Proficiency in taking radiographs, scaling and root planing, local anesthesia delivery, recognizing potential medical problems to prevent emergencies; knowledge of federal, state and institutional regulations and guidelines for the provision of dental outpatient services; ability to speak and write clearly for intended audience

Positions Responsibilities and Essential Functions:                      

• Delivers direct patient care to patients as assigned, using established dental hygiene procedures.
• Performs patient triage and initiates patient care as appropriate for walk-in patients.
• Careful charting of all procedures and associated patient interactions in EDR.
• Takes patient vital signs as required.
• Records and reports pertinent observations and patient reactions to dental staff, as appropriate.
• Performs routine treatment procedures, such as prophylaxis, scaling and root planing, polishing, x-rays, application of sealants and fluorides, and related procedures. 
• Independently performs emergency dental procedures within scope of practice and assists with or institutes emergency measures for sudden adverse developments during treatment of patients.
• Sets up and prepares dental equipment and instrumentation in accordance with established regulations and guidelines.
• Assists in preparation of patient care areas and in the patient admission, transfer and discharge process, as required.
• Assists as required with patient reception, telephone calls, routine triage and other office duties.
• Performs patient education, discharge planning and patient/family teaching under the supervision of a qualified dentist.
• Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

Other Duties:

The job description is not a comprehensive representation of all functions and duties that may be required by this position. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.

Competencies:

• Communication Proficiency.
• Customer/Client Focus.
• Ethical Conduct.
• Organizational Skills.
• Problem Solving/Analysis.
• Time Management.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The employee frequently is required to talk and hear; stand for long periods of time; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must frequently lift and/or move objects up to 25 pounds. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to blood and blood-borne pathogens and/or physical risks, which will require OSHA training.
• This job operates in a medical/clinical environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

Supervisory: