SOC 29-1292.00Bright outlook

    Dental Hygienists

    Administer oral hygiene care to patients.

    Median pay
    $98,100
    Growth
    +8.0%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    15,000
    Typical education
    Associate's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $74,880
    Median
    $98,100
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $126,050
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    222,740 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Dental hygienists provide essential oral health services, including cleaning teeth, assessing patient oral health, and teaching disease prevention. This career offers a median annual pay of $98,100, with opportunities for rapid job growth.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What dental hygienists do

    Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

    Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention. May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical anesthesia.

    Usually vocational training, an associate degree or related experience.

    What the work is like

    People in this career focus on providing direct care to patients to maintain and improve their oral health. On a daily basis, they clean teeth, assess oral hygiene issues, update health records, and offer advice on preventing dental diseases. They may also perform advanced procedures such as applying fluoride treatments or administering topical anesthesia.

    This role is highly social and requires strong interpersonal skills, active listening, and empathy. Hygienists must work closely with the public, meaning they need excellent communication skills to explain dental concepts and instruct patients on self-care. The work demands high attention to detail, cautiousness, and dependability when handling dental instruments and documenting patient information. Professionals must apply knowledge of medicine, dentistry, customer service, and biology to solve problems and make safe clinical decisions.

    How to get there

    To enter this field, candidates typically need an associate's degree, which is the standard entry-level education. The preparation level is classified as medium, which often involves vocational training, an associate degree, or related dental experience.

    Students preparing for this career usually major in dental support services and allied professions. Depending on the location, some states list a license for this work. Additionally, professionals can pursue certifications like the Certified Dental Technician - Orthodontics, which is offered by the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for dental hygienists was $98,100. Earnings can vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% of earners making less than $74,880, while the highest 10% earn more than $126,050.

    With 222,740 people employed in this field, the job outlook is strong. Employment is projected to grow by 8% from 2025 to 2035, a rate that is much faster than average. This growth, along with normal turnover, is expected to result in 15,000 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    71 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    59 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    2 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    73 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    12 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    55 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SRI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    90
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    87
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    82
    Documenting/Recording Information
    79
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    76
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    76
    Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
    75
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    74
    Handling and Moving Objects
    74
    Getting Information
    72
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Speaking
    • Monitoring
    • Service Orientation
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Writing
    • Active Learning
    • Coordination
    • Instructing

    Knowledge

    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Psychology
    • English Language
    • Education and Training
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Chemistry
    • Law and Government
    • Biology

    Abilities

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Inductive Reasoning

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Cautiousness
    • Empathy
    • Integrity
    • Social Orientation
    • Self-Control
    • Sincerity
    • Stress Tolerance

    Also called

    Dental Hygienist · Dental Nurse · Dental Treatment Coordinator · Hygienist · Licensed Dental Hygienist · Oral Hygienist · Pediatric Dental Hygienist · Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to dental hygienists

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Dental Hygienists$98,100 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1University of the Pacific logo
      University of the Pacific

      Stockton, CA · Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $93,453
      4 yrs after
      $86,150
      Median debt
      $24,950
    2. 2
      West Coast University-Orange County

      Anaheim, CA · Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $83,943
      4 yrs after
      $85,797
      Median debt
      $28,250
    3. 3
      Lake Washington Institute of Technology

      Kirkland, WA · Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $106,697
      4 yrs after
      $85,286
      Median debt
      $15,900
    4. 4MCPHS University logo
      MCPHS University

      Boston, MA · Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $70,434
      4 yrs after
      $83,253
      Median debt
      $25,000
    5. 5
      Foothill College

      Los Altos Hills, CA · Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $82,028
      Median debt
      $23,000
    6. 6Community College of Denver logo
      Community College of Denver

      Denver, CO · Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $81,896
      Median debt
      Not reported
    7. 7University of Hawaii at Manoa Main Campus logo
      University of Hawaii at Manoa Main Campus

      Honolulu, HI · Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $76,939
      4 yrs after
      $79,863
      Median debt
      Not reported
    8. 8Loma Linda University logo
      Loma Linda University

      Loma Linda, CA · Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $82,823
      4 yrs after
      $79,207
      Median debt
      $20,000

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What dental hygienists may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Dental Hygiene/Hygienist

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    52 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about dental hygienists

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for a dental hygienist?

    People in this profession are also called dental nurses, dental treatment coordinators, oral hygienists, pediatric dental hygienists, or registered dental hygienists (RDH).

    What college majors are relevant to this career?

    Students interested in this path typically choose college majors in dental support services and allied professions.

    Are there similar careers in the medical field?

    Yes, related careers include dental assistants, surgical assistants, medical assistants, veterinary technologists and technicians, ophthalmic medical technicians, and surgical technologists.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.