Band 7 Dental Hygienist

To provide specialist clinical care and preventative treatment without direct supervision to patients attending the specialist Dental Hospital services for secondary or tertiary care. To carry out dental treatment on these patients to a level of competence as directed by the Dental Act and its amendments.

Main contact is with hospital staff and patients. Patient groups as a priority are adults and children with special needs, including medically compromised patients, anxious patients and patients with challenging behaviour.

Clinical:

1. Carrying out the full range of treatments currently permitted under the General Dental Council regulations.

2. Specific duties may only be undertaken if trained and competent to do so.

3. Treatment may be carried out within hospital dental departments and wards or by domiciliary treatment visits, if necessary.

Treatment is provided following a prescribed course of treatment as directed by a registered dentist. Any combination of the following duties may be performed on a daily basis.

IMPORTANT

Please ensure you check your Trac account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you during the shortlisting and selection process

Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address

Please be aware that BCHC utilises a third party recruitment system (TRAC). When applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into TRAC and any correspondence will be sent via TRAC. We advise that you check your junk/spam emails.

Permitted duties of the Dental Hygienist:

1. Education of patients on the causes and prevention of periodontal diseases and dental caries.

2. Identification of risk factors for the dental diseases, including medical and social risk factors and the provision of appropriate counselling advice, including:

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Medical history

Diet analysis and nutritional guidance

Advice in the use of fluoride agents

The benefits of smoking cessation and accessing cessation services

3. Motivate patients to maintain a high standard of oral hygiene.

4. Monitor patients progress using appropriate indices:

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Bleeding and plaque indices

Detailed pocket charting

Mobility index

Furcation index

5. Perform supra- and subgingival scaling of teeth including polishing, allowing removal of hard and soft deposits and stains.

6. The provision of comprehensive specialist periodontal invasive root debridement therapy using Gracey area curettes and high-speed ultrasonic device.

7. Provision of a thorough prophylaxis which will include the finishing and polishing of restorations.

8. Teach home care procedures for artificial prostheses, e.g., full, or partial dentures and obturators.

9. Provision of oral health advice to both individuals and groups by designing a home care plan in consideration of the individual needs of the patient and liaising with carers of the special needs groups.

10. Selection and application to the teeth of prophylactic materials and medicaments such as topical fluorides.

11. Application of preventative fissure sealants.

12. Administration of local infiltration analgesia.

13. Replacement of crowns with temporary cement in an emergency.

14. Selection of a suitable material and provision of a dental dressing provided the dressed restoration is lost during the course of the hygienists normal treatment.

15. The preparation of orthodontic patients pre-treatment and assessment of their oral care capabilities and motivation for treatment.

16. The care and management of orthodontic patients, including support with oral hygiene compliance and the removal of excess bonding cement using instruments which may include rotary instruments, ultrasonics and sonics after the removal of orthodontic brackets.

17. Taking impressions of patients teeth and jaws.

18. The taking of intraoral and extraoral radiographs, provided core knowledge is maintained according to Trust guidelines.

19. The taking, recording and monitoring of detailed medical histories for all patients, liaising with…