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Dental Hygienists
Cleans teeth, takes x-rays and teaches patients to keep their mouths healthy.
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Dental hygienists clean teeth, check for gum disease, take x-rays and show patients how to care for their teeth. They work closely with dentists, usually in dental offices, and many work flexible or part-time hours.
Open the dental hygienist guide
The guide checks the courses against your plan, with things to try each year. Free account needed.
High school courses that build toward it
- Health and Wellness · Health and PE
Builds health and medicine, which this job uses.
- Anatomy and Physiology · Science
Builds health and medicine, which this job uses.
- Veterinary Science · Career and Technical
Builds health and medicine, which this job uses.
- Psychology · Social Studies
Builds psychology, which this job uses.
- English 10 · English
Builds reading and writing, which this job uses.
- Computer Science Principles · Computer Science
Builds computers and electronics, which this job uses.
Ranked by how much the job relies on what each course teaches, from O*NET's knowledge ratings. Your school's own courses and the counselor have the final word.
Dental Hygienists on O*NET OnLine · O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections 2025.