Dental Hygienist
Pronunciation: hy-JEEN-ist
A licensed oral health professional who provides preventive dental services, including prophylaxis, periodontal therapy, and patient education, under the supervision of or in collaboration with a dentist.
Full Definition
A dental hygienist (RDH—Registered Dental Hygienist) is a credentialed allied health professional whose scope of practice, as defined by state dental practice acts, encompasses preventive, therapeutic, and educational services. In dental practice management documents, the dental hygienist is a distinct billing provider type, and services rendered by a hygienist may be billed under either the supervising dentist's NPI or the hygienist's own provider number, depending on payer rules. Editors must ensure that the credential 'RDH' is used correctly after the name and that 'hygienist' is spelled correctly—a common error is 'hygenist'. The term should not be shortened to 'hygiene' when referring to the person.
Usage
Usage note: The correct spelling is 'hygienist', not 'hygenist' or 'hygeinist'—a frequent proofreading catch. The professional credential is 'RDH'. Do not use 'hygiene' as shorthand for the person; write 'the dental hygienist' or 'the hygienist'.
In Context
- "The job posting incorrectly listed the credential as 'RDA' rather than 'RDH', conflating the roles of dental hygienist and dental assistant." — Human resources job posting
- "The clinical note attributed the prophylaxis to the dental hygienist and correctly included her provider number for billing purposes." — Clinical note / billing record