dental auxiliary

Introduction

      person qualified by training and experience to perform dental work under the direction and supervision of a dentist. Some of these auxiliary persons work directly for the dentist in his own office; others work in a separate office or laboratory, where they perform services to the dentist on the basis of work authorizations or prescriptions. There are three principal dental-auxiliary groups: dental hygienists, dental laboratory technicians, and dental assistants. Of the three groups, only dental hygienists are required to have university training.

Dental hygienist.

      The hygienist, working under the direction of a licensed dentist, cleans and polishes the patient's teeth and gives advice on the care of teeth. Hygienists may also take and develop X-ray pictures of the teeth, mix filling compounds, apply fluorides to the teeth, and otherwise assist the dentist with a patient. In the United States, hygienists are also employed by public school systems to visit schools periodically, where they examine the teeth of the children and refer to a dentist cases in which treatment is indicated. Hygienists employed in hospitals may be called upon to work with bed and ambulatory patients who require limited prophylactic treatment.

Dental laboratory technician.

      A dental laboratory technician, upon receiving a prescription or work-authorization form from a licensed dentist, fabricates various appliances, such as full and partial dentures, crowns and bridges, and other prosthetic devices that the dentist uses in making restorations for the patient. The technician is not permitted to fit these appliances, nor may he take the impressions from which the dentures and other devices are fabricated.

Dental assistant.

      About 65 percent of all dental auxiliaries are dental assistants. Their duties vary according to the degree to which the dentist elects to delegate duties that do not require extensive professional knowledge. In general, the assistant is expected to prepare patients for dental treatment; to prepare materials and equipment for use by the dentist, including sterilizing and laying out instruments; to know instrument and equipment nomenclature; and to keep records of appointments, examinations, treatments, and supplies. A growing number of assistants are being trained to assist the dentist at the chair in restorative dentistry, in surgical operations, and in prosthetic dentistry; many also are being trained to perform dental X-ray work.

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