 Career
Path Forecast
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
dental hygienists rank among the fastest growing occupations, and job
prospects are expected to remain excellent.
Employment of dental
hygienists is expected to grow 30 percent through 2016, much faster than
the average for all occupations. This projected growth ranks dental
hygienists among the fastest growing occupations, in response to
increasing demand for dental care and the greater use of hygienists.
The demand for dental services will grow because of population growth,
older people increasingly retaining more teeth, and a growing focus on
preventative dental care. To meet this demand, facilities that provide
dental care, particularly dentists' offices, will increasingly employ
dental hygienists, and more hygienists per office, to perform services
that have been performed by dentists in the past.
 Job
prospects are expected to remain excellent. Older dentists, who have
been less likely to employ dental hygienists, are leaving the occupation
and will be replaced by recent graduates, who are more likely to employ
one or more hygienists. In addition, as dentists' workloads increase,
they are expected to hire more hygienists to perform preventive dental
care, such as cleaning, so that they may devote their own time to
restorative procedures.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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