Dental hygienist

A dental hygienist (also known as a dental hygienist ) is a dental assistant in Germany who has completed advanced training in the field of prophylaxis . The focus is on the area of periodontology . The area of responsibility is the accompanying therapy of dental bed and gum diseases. The dental hygienist provides information about dental and oral health. In addition, one of the tasks of a dental hygienist is maintenance therapy and aftercare of periodontal and peri-implant diseases.

Course of the training

For this advanced training, a (usually three-year) training as a dental assistant is required. Thereafter, two years of professional activity must be proven. Only then is it possible to complete further training to become a dental assistant (approx. 800 hours) or a dental prophylaxis assistant or assistant (ZMP, approx. 450 hours). Proof of these exams that have been passed beforehand and a renewed period of at least one year of professional activity are basic requirements for completing the advanced training to become a dental hygienist. An X-ray course and a first aid course are also required. The training lasts at least 800 hours.

The duration of the training is six months full-time or thirteen months part-time. The training costs are between 6,000 euros and 14,000 euros. The expected additional earnings are around 30% compared to the dental assistant.

DH Chamber training	Dipl. DH (CH)	DH B.SC. (NL)
Prerequisite for ZFA, ZMP, ZMF 5 years
7008-7408 hours	6700 hours	7350 hours
Duration of training: 7 years	Duration of training: 3 years	Duration of training: 4 years
€ 11,900-22,200

Chamber dental hygienist

There are around 600 chamber DHs in Germany. The training lasts approx. 7500 hours and at least 7 years. The chamber DH is currently neither accredited nor listed in the DQR / EQR at level 6 or a licensed paramedical profession.

Bachelor's degree in dental hygiene

Since the summer semester of 2014 there has been a six-semester Bachelor's degree in Dental Hygiene (more precisely the title Dental Hygiene and Prevention Management B.Sc.) at the praxisHochschule in Cologne. The course has been accredited by the AHPGS for five years and can be studied in a training-integrated version and a practice-integrated version shortened to four semesters. Entry requirement for the practice-integrated variant is completed training as a dental assistant .

The SRH University of Health is offering the Bachelor's degree in Dental Hygienist (B. Sc.) From the 2019/2020 winter semester. After completing the six-semester full-time course in block form, students can take on tasks as a dental hygienist in prevention, therapy and aftercare as part of the delegation in order to relieve the dentist.

Dental hygienist

Certified Dental Hygienist (DH / Dental Hygienist) is a licensed paramedical profession in dentistry in the USA. The field of work primarily includes preventive periodontal therapy and the creation of optimal oral health.

Field of activity :

Findings: extraoral and intraoral findings
X-ray / photography
Local anesthesia (with additional license)
Removal of disturbing factors
Tooth and pocket cleaning
polish
Fluoridation and treatment of hypersensitive tooth necks
Oral treatment
cosmetic treatment
Nutritional history and advice
individual advice on oral hygiene aids (motivation)
Patient service

International dental hygienist

Approx. 100 qualified dental hygienists who have obtained their diploma abroad work in Germany. The job description of a qualified dental hygienist does not exist in Germany. The professional title is not protected. The profession of qualified dental hygienist is officially recognized in almost all countries. The profession is preceded by a complete independent vocational training of 2 to 3 years or 4500 hours at the technical college level. This training is possible in almost all countries, but so far not in Germany, France and Austria. In Germany, the first fully schooled university course with 180 ECTS starts in 2016.

United States

In the USA, the country of birth of the dental hygienist - this profession has existed there since 1913 - the guidelines are as follows:

Attending an ADA ( American Dental Association ) accredited school (college or university) that has been accredited for at least two years is mandatory. The only requirement for college is a high school degree (an intermediate certificate between high school and secondary school). Before the qualified dental hygienist can begin his work, he must be licensed or have an associate degree, a state examination and a state examination (licensing). Only then is he entitled to use the professional title Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH), which is protected. Abuse will be prosecuted. Without this title he cannot work in the USA; this title is only awarded in the USA. Building on this, he can take a bachelor's or master's degree. According to Access , the journal of the American Dental Hygiene Association (ADHA), there are 296 basic training programs in dental hygiene, 60 colleges / universities offering a bachelor's degree and 17 institutions offering a master's degree in dental hygiene. International information on this job description is available from the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH) and the European Dental Hygiene Federation (EDHF).

Switzerland

In Switzerland, training to become a dipl. Dental hygienist HF / dipl. Dental hygienist HF at the level of the higher technical school HF (tertiary level B). Admission is granted to those who have completed upper secondary level, a technical secondary school / Matura or equivalent training. The requirement level is based on level 6 of the European qualifications framework . The course lasts three years (5400 learning hours) and consists of half theoretical and half practical lessons. The course is based on a federally approved framework curriculum.