What is an Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner?

Important Facts About a Career as an Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner

Source: *United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Duties and Responsibilities

As an ADHP, you're responsible for many of the same preventative dental hygiene procedures common to registered dental hygienists. This may include cleaning and examining patients' teeth and gums, checking for oral abnormalities, and educating patients on how to maintain proper oral hygiene between visits. However, as an ADHP, your typical daily tasks may also extend to minimally invasive restorative procedures, and you may also be given the ability, though limited, to write prescriptions.

Advanced dental hygiene practitioners work in a variety of settings, such as schools, hospitals, and long-term care facilities, as well as dentists' offices. While a registered dental hygienist typically works under the supervision and direction of a dentist, ADHPs work collaboratively with dentists or independently. As an ADHP, you will be expected to consult with general dentists and specialists and refer patients to them as the need arises.

Education and Licensing Requirements

To become an ADHP, you need to complete a master's degree program in dental hygiene. This is considerably more education than it takes to become a registered dental hygienist, which generally only requires completion of a certificate or associate's degree program. Most master's degree programs in dental hygiene require you to have completed a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene first. However, some programs are available that allow you to go straight to a master's degree program with only an associate's degree.

A master's degree program in dental hygiene comprises courses in areas like healthcare leadership, clinical administration, and epidemiology combined with more specialized dental hygiene courses in advanced oral health, pharmacology, health assessment, and dental emergency administration. An internship may be required. In order to practice as an ADHP, you need to become state-licensed, which requires passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and the clinical board examination for your state or region.