In it’s most basic description, the job of a dental hygienist is to deal with the oral hygiene, of the teeth and gums of human patients. But if you are considering this field as a potential career opportunity, it is probably wise to start at the beginning and understand the origins of human oral health, and it’s evolution to the current dental practices in use today.
No doubt you will also be interested in the potential salaries of this occupation, the various schools that offer training and education for this field, and finally you will need to know about the possible jobs outlook in order to determine if this field is really worth the time and effort, not to mention the expense of investing in this occupation for your future.
The History of Human Dentition
The early ancestors of human beings were primarily herbivorous requiring large dentition to process course vegetable materials. When humans began hunting animals for food, our teeth evolved into the sharp wedges, and large canines including a powerful jaw associated with carnivores.
At approximately the time humans began using stone tools our teeth began a process of change resulting in the current state of human dentition. This process was accelerated by the invention of pottery.
Pottery enabled humans to cook their food to soften and tenderize the meat and other ingredients. Pottery also allowed the development of cooking soups that further reduced the need for robust dentition, if not the need for teeth at all. As a matter of fact, many ancient skulls have been discovered that demonstrate that people with few if any teeth survived very well by ingesting highly processed and softened foods that required little mastication to swallow.
We know that our teeth and lower jaw had continued to shrink by about one-percent every two thousand years, from approximately thirty-five thousand years ago to around ten thousand years ago. This change began to double to one-percent every thousand years, from approximately ten thousand years ago, up to the present day.
There are a variety of reasons why this happening, not the least of which is the fact that as our skulls have expanded to allow for a larger brain cavity, our lower jaw has diminished to develop an efficient means of communication through the base of the brain case and the pharynx. The hardest skeletal substances in the human body, the teeth, are constantly evolving.
Dental Hygienist Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the average hourly wage for this occupation at around $33.00 and the average annual average salary is approximately $68,000. Not bad for an occupation that can be practiced after securing a one year certificate from an accredited school or program. Even the lowest wage percentile can earn a salary over $45,000. What is more impressive is the fact that the highest wage percentile can earn upwards of $93,000. Again, this is probably one of the most convincing factors to consider this occupation as a career; the return on investment for this occupation far exceeds the ratios for return on investment of some one becoming a medical doctor.
Dental Hygienist Schools
In the United States it is possible to secure a certificate from an accredited educational institution after studying for one year and passing the licensure examination. While that approach may be possible, it is advisable to improve your education by securing either an Associates Degree or a Bachelor’s Degree in dental hygiene.
It appears that the typical degree most people attain is the Associates degree due to minimum requirements by certain clinical organizations throughout the country. According to research by Education Portal, a ranking of the top two training schools by number of students enrolled are:
| Miami Dade College Total students enrolled – 57,222 300 N.E. 2nd Avenue Miami, FL 33132 mdc.edu |
Ohio State University Total students enrolled – 53,715 3082 Postle Hall 305 W. 12th Ave Columbus, OH 43210 professional.osu.edu |
Dental Hygienist Jobs
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2008 there were approximately 174,000 practicing dental hygienist professionals. This occupation is also expected to experience growth rates of over 35 percent through the year 2018. This phenomenal growth ranks as one of the fastest growing occupations in the US.
The top three states that employ the most dental hygienist practitioners are, California, Texas followed closely by New York.
Your own research into becoming a dental hygienist should prove that an investment in this field would yield a bounty of a successful and financially secure future as a dental hygienist.