Dental Hygienist

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

01Licensure

Must be currently licensed to practice as a dental hygienist in a State or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. Radiology Certification: Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 CFR Part 75.

Essentially, they must (1) have successfully completed an educational program that meets or exceeds the standards described in that regulation and is accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, and (2) be certified as radiographers in their field.

The following meet these requirements: (1) Persons employed by the Federal Government as radiologic personnel prior to the effective date of the regulation (January 13, 1986) who show evidence of current or fully satisfactory performance or certification of such from a licensed practitioner such as a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, podiatry, or chiropractic who prescribes radiologic procedures to others. (2) Persons first employed by the Federal Government as radiologic personnel after the effective date of the regulation who (a) received training from institutions in a State or foreign jurisdiction that did not accredit training in that particular field at the time of graduation, or (b) practiced in a State or foreign jurisdiction that did not license that particular field or did not allow special eligibility to take a licensure examination for those who did not graduate from an accredited educational program, provided that such persons show evidence of training, experience, and competence as determined by OPM or the employing agency.

Experience required: To qualify based on your experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as: performing advanced prophylactic dental procedures on patients; completing oral examinations on patients; and performing or interpreting routine x-rays to identify tooth structures, calculus or abnormalities, such as cavities and deep periodontal pockets.

Complete preliminary dental examinations using knowledge of dental and oral anatomy, physiology, histology, radiology, nutrition, and ability to maintain dental records.,Perform various advanced dental prophylaxis.,Provide therapeutic care in cases of acute gingivitis and periodontal disease around natural teeth, dental implants, and the periodontium using a variety of hand scale instruments and ultrasound equipment.,Administer local anesthesia by infiltration when authorized and credentialed with proper licensing under the direct supervision of a Dental Officer.,Perform deep scaling, root planning, and sub-gingival curettage under local anesthesia.,Take intra-oral impressions to prepare study models.,Maintain patient's record of treatment, recording oral conditions of the teeth and surrounding tissues, progress and therapy notes.,Perform postoperative care, provides oral hygiene instructions and educates patients on daily oral home health care and administers professional fluoride treatment,,Interpret routine x-rays to identify tooth structures, calculus, and abnormalities.