When an individual goes for a dental checkup, he or she is likely to spend most of the appointment with the dental hygienist. Along with the dentist this licensed healthcare professional provides preventative oral care.

Dental hygienists clean patients’ teeth and examine them for signs of disease and damage. They teach patients how to maintain good oral health. Their scope of practice—what services they are legally allowed to deliver—differs according to the rules of the state in which they are licensed.

Promotes dental health by completing dental prophylaxis; providing oral cancer screening and radiographic studies; charting conditions of decay and disease; performing procedures in compliance with the dental practice act.