Dental Hygienist Resume Guide
A strong resume matters for dental hygienists because it translates clinical skill, patient care, and regulatory compliance into a clear, hireable profile that stands out to clinics and corporate dental groups. Hiring managers and ATS screen for clinical competencies, preventive-care outcomes, and infection-control adherence. Resumize.ai helps create professional, ATS-optimized resumes for dental hygienists by structuring credentials, quantifying patient outcomes, and highlighting certifications and software proficiencies to secure interviews faster.
What skills should a Dental Hygienist include on their resume?
What are the key responsibilities of a Dental Hygienist?
- •Perform comprehensive oral health assessments, including periodontal charting and intraoral exams
- •Provide prophylaxis, scaling and root planing, and preventive dental treatments
- •Administer local topical anesthetics and apply fluoride varnish and sealants as permitted by state law
- •Educate patients on oral hygiene, disease prevention, and post-procedure care
- •Maintain accurate patient records, treatment plans, and progress notes in EHR systems
- •Adhere to infection control, sterilization protocols, and OSHA/CDC regulations
- •Coordinate patient referrals to dentists, periodontists, and other specialists
- •Manage radiography imaging (bitewings, periapical, panoramic) and ensure ALARA compliance
How do I write a Dental Hygienist resume summary?
Choose a summary that matches your experience level:
Licensed Dental Hygienist with 1+ year clinical experience delivering preventive care and patient education. Skilled in periodontal charting, dental radiography, and infection control; committed to improving oral health outcomes through clear communication and efficient patient throughput.
Dental Hygienist with 4+ years of experience providing comprehensive periodontal therapy, scaling and root planing, and chairside support. Proven ability to increase patient recall rates by implementing customized hygiene plans and leveraging EHR for accurate documentation and follow-up.
Senior Dental Hygienist with 10+ years of clinical and supervisory experience in private practice and community clinics. Expertise in advanced periodontal therapy, practice mentorship, protocol development, and quality assurance to enhance clinical outcomes and compliance.
What are the best Dental Hygienist resume bullet points?
Use these metrics-driven examples to strengthen your work history:
- "Delivered preventive care to 20–25 patients per day, increasing clinic throughput by 18% while maintaining 98% patient satisfaction scores"
- "Performed scaling and root planing for 150+ periodontal cases annually, reducing pocket depths by an average of 1.8 mm within 3 months"
- "Implemented a patient recall program that improved 6-month hygiene reappointment adherence from 62% to 84% over 9 months"
- "Oversaw radiography for 8,000+ images with zero radiographic safety incidents and maintained ALARA compliance"
- "Reduced instrument turnaround time by 30% by streamlining sterilization workflow and retraining chairside assistants"
- "Maintained 100% compliance with OSHA/CDC sterilization protocols during annual audits, leading to no citation findings"
- "Trained and mentored 6 new hygiene staff on periodontal charting, EHR documentation, and chairside protocols, improving ramp-up speed by 40%"
- "Documented and coded treatments accurately in EHR, decreasing claim denials by 22% year-over-year"
What ATS keywords should a Dental Hygienist use?
Naturally incorporate these keywords to pass applicant tracking systems:
Frequently Asked Questions About Dental Hygienist Resumes
What skills should a Dental Hygienist include on their resume?
Essential skills for a Dental Hygienist resume include: Periodontal charting, Scaling & root planing, Oral hygiene instruction, Radiography (X-ray) positioning, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Infection control & sterilization. Focus on both technical competencies and soft skills relevant to your target role.
How do I write a Dental Hygienist resume summary?
A strong Dental Hygienist resume summary should be 2-3 sentences highlighting your years of experience, key achievements, and most relevant skills. For example: "Dental Hygienist with 4+ years of experience providing comprehensive periodontal therapy, scaling and root planing, and chairside support. Proven ability to increase patient recall rates by implementing customized hygiene plans and leveraging EHR for accurate documentation and follow-up."
What are the key responsibilities of a Dental Hygienist?
Key Dental Hygienist responsibilities typically include: Perform comprehensive oral health assessments, including periodontal charting and intraoral exams; Provide prophylaxis, scaling and root planing, and preventive dental treatments; Administer local topical anesthetics and apply fluoride varnish and sealants as permitted by state law; Educate patients on oral hygiene, disease prevention, and post-procedure care. Tailor these to match the specific job description you're applying for.
How long should a Dental Hygienist resume be?
For most Dental Hygienist positions, keep your resume to 1 page if you have less than 10 years of experience. Senior professionals with extensive experience may use 2 pages, but keep content relevant and impactful.
What makes a Dental Hygienist resume stand out?
A standout Dental Hygienist resume uses metrics to quantify achievements, includes relevant keywords for ATS optimization, and clearly demonstrates impact. For example: "Delivered preventive care to 20–25 patients per day, increasing clinic throughput by 18% while maintaining 98% patient satisfaction scores"
What ATS keywords should a Dental Hygienist use?
Important ATS keywords for Dental Hygienist resumes include: Dental Hygienist, Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH), Periodontal Therapy, Scaling and Root Planing, Periodontal Charting, Dental Radiography, Bitewing X-rays, Panoramic Imaging. Naturally incorporate these throughout your resume.
Ready to build your Dental Hygienist resume?
Build an ATS-optimized Dental Hygienist resume with Resumize.ai to highlight your clinical achievements, certifications, and measurable outcomes. Visit http://resumize.ai/ to create a professional, interview-winning resume tailored to dental practices and corporate dental recruiters.
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