Diploma in Dental Hygienist Course in India

Diploma in Dental Hygienist Course in India
Do you want to become a Dental Hygienist after completing 12th standard? If yes, this article will be of
help to you. In this article, I’ve provided details about Diploma in Dental Hygienist course. After
completing this course, one may practice as Dental Hygienist in India. The article covers topics like
course details, duration, eligibility criteria, admission process, career prospects and salary details.
Who is a Dental Hygienist? What are his/her tasks? What is it like to become a Dental Hygienist? You will
find answers to these questions in the coming paragraphs.

Dental Hygienists are oral healthcare practitioners. They are ancillary dental workers (licensed) capable
of performing tasks like prevention and treatment of oral diseases, patient education, scaling, polishing
and whitening of teeth.

They are capable of working under the guidance and instructions of a licensed and qualified Dentist.
Depending upon the country, they may also work independently.

Here are some common tasks performed by licensed Dental Hygienists –
Perform patient examination
Make diagnosis
Take dental radiographs
Patient education (providing oral healthcare advice and instructions)
Scaling and root planing
Cleaning, Polishing and whitening teeth
Administer local anaesthesia (usually under supervision of a qualified Dentist)
Remove plaque
Apply dental sealants, coatings, fluorides and antibacterial drugs
Assist Dentists during surgery and patient examination

In short, dental hygienists are capable of making diagnosis, operating dental equipment, assisting
dentists, doing tasks like scaling, polishing, whitening and plaque removal, preparing dental ceramics
etc. In India, dental hygienists work alongside dentists and dental assistants. In some other countries,
they are also capable of carrying out independent practice.

Here are some skills and traits required to thrive in this field –
Caring attitude towards patients
Patience (especially while dealing with kids)
Good communication skills
Eye for detail
Stamina and will to work for long hours (depends on schedule)
Clinical know-how

Course format: It is a Diploma certificate course. On course completion, successful candidates will be
awarded a Diploma certificate. Using this qualification, they may practice as Dental Hygienists in India.

Course duration: 2 years.

Eligibility criteria: 10+2 Science stream passed with Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects (preferred)
from a recognized board is the minimum educational qualification required. If minimum aggregate
marks criteria exists, it could be between 45-55% aggregate marks in board examination.

Admission process: Depending upon the institute, it could be direct admission process or merit based
admission process. When it comes to merit based admission process, marks scored by students in board
examination and/or relevant entrance test are taken into consideration. Seats are allotted to deserving
candidates on the basis of merit marks scored by them.

CAREER PROSPECTS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES
These days, people are giving more attention towards oral healthcare. Thanks to our changing lifestyle
and food habits, dental problems have been increasing among Indians!

Thanks to this trend, the number of patients approaching dentists have increased. Since dental
hygienists directly assist dentists, their demand too has gone up!

Diverse job opportunities exist in front of Dental Hygienists in India. Both Government and private
sector jobs are available in front of them.

Dental Hygienists may find work at Government hospitals (dental wards), Private hospitals (dental
wards), Government healthcare missions and schemes, Private dental clinics, CHCs (Community Health
Centres), Armed Forces and NGOs offering oral healthcare treatment to people.

Under such work setups, they may assist dentists and carry out the tasks mentioned in the article. In
short, they may work alongside orthodontics and periodontists.

Apart from that, dental hygienists may also start sales and marketing of dental products and drugs. It is
possible to work as a marketer or salesman independently or under a specific company.

SALARY
Starting salary depends on factors like job location, profile of the employer and employee skills.
Depending upon the above mentioned factors, starting salary could be anywhere between 7-10K Rupees
per month.