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Dental Hygienist

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In addition to helping dentists perform procedures, dental hygienists take x-rays, clean patients´ teeth, and teach patients how to care for their teeth and gums. Dental hygienists are skilled caregivers with good hand-eye coordination. They must be able to work quickly and pay attention to detail while setting patients at ease.

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N-J/David Tucker

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N-J/David Tucker

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N-J/Brian Myrick

Dental hygienists are projected to be one of the 30 fastest growing occupations. Population growth and greater retention of natural teeth will stimulate demand for dental hygienists. Opportunities for part-time work and flexible schedules are common.
(Source: U.S. Department of Labor)

Related News-Journal A r t i c l e s

Male dental hygienists are still scarce as hen´s teeth
Frontline fighters in the battle against plaque dental hygienists are mostly women, who meticulously chisel and floss away that sticky whitish film of dead bacteria that a patient ignores at the peril of losing those pearly whites.

Hygenists bristle at proposed changes
Dental hygienists, who often spend more time with patients than the dentist, may soon cut their teeth on the job, rather than in the classroom.

County backs off fluoride proposal
Rhoda Lawrence, a dental hygienist with the state´s Department of Health, said the poison label was something the Food and Drug Administration did on its own, and that the medical community never supported it.

Projects add reality to their lives
Krishona Moore, who´ll begin her course work for Daytona Beach Community College´s dental hygienist program in the fall, enlisted the help of her dentist, Sharon McCrary, for her project.

Toothbrush can harbor many germs
When Howard S. Glazer´s daughter went away to college, he felt the concerns most parents do when their children leave the nest.

New techniques, old fashioned hygiene improve teeth
New trends in dentistry include using sealants for cavity prevention, new and improved filling materials, fluoride additives and how to teach children good oral hygiene.

Related Newspaper A c t i v i t i e s

1. Go to your career section. Then, explore one or more of the web links related to this job. Make copies of web pages you find interesting and organize them into a reference file or notebook to share with others.

2. Search recent copies of The Daytona Beach News-Journal for evidence of this occupaion. Clip examples from display ads, classified ads, news articles, features, editorials, and the comics.

3. From the pages of The News-Journal, identify people and organizations that can be contacted for more information about this occupation. Investigate one or more and organize your findings into a scrapbook to share with your class. Please feel free to add useful ones to the Resource List for this occupation in the Job Center.

4. Clip words from The Daytona Beach News-Journal that describe, or are used in, this occupation. Define each and then, using Puzzlemaker, create a crossword puzzle to challenge friends or classmates.

5. Visit NewsVoyages.com and search for information about this job in online papers from other parts of the U.S. Print out pages that you find interesting and share them with your class or family.

Related NIE WORLD F e a t u r e s

Career Options and Opportunities: What´s in Your Future?
Just a few decades ago, after a person graduated from high school or college, he or she probably chose a job and settled into it-and stuck with it! Changing careers was not a thing most people considered. Nowadays, however, it´s not uncommon for people to change careers one or more times between graduation and retirement.

Related Resource L i n k s

ADHA - Education and Career Resources
Whether you´re starting a career or looking for a change, the dental hygiene profession can provide many satifying opportunities, including: having the status of a health care professional, an attractive income potential, the rewards of keeping people healthy, a flexible work schedule, a variety of professional settings, the opportunity to work nationwide or abroad, pleasant surroundings, career potential, and stability.
http://www.adha.org/careerinfo/

Dental Hygienists - Occupational Outlook Handbook
Dental hygienists remove soft and hard deposits from teeth, teach patients how to practice good oral hygiene, and provide other preventive dental care.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos097.htm

Dental Hygienist Fact Sheet
What does a dental hygienist do and what kind of education is required? They have the answers to these and other questions.
http://www.ada.org/public/education/careers/hygienist_fact.asp

Dental Hygienist Schools In Florida
Dental Hygienist Schools in Florida: A directory of free information about numerous dental hygienist schools in Florida that can help you decide which school is best for you.
http://www.education-online-search.com/medical_training/dental_hygienist_schools/_fl/_fl.shtml

Florida Dental Association
With a membership of about 7,000 Florida-licensed dentists, the Florida Dental Association represents almost 80 percent of all licensed dentists in the state.
http://www.floridadental.org/

P u z z l e m a k e r

Discovery School´s Puzzlemaker
Puzzlemaker is a puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and print customized word search, crossword and math puzzles using your word lists.
http://www.puzzlemaker.com/

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