Will AI replace Dental Hygienists?

Yes. Sooner than you'd like.

Time left: 6 years and 3 months · Group: Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

The official job description

Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention. May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical anesthesia.

Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0.

What dental hygienists do all day (for now)

• Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.
• Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
• Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
• Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.
• Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
• Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.

Also known as

Dental Hygienist, Dental Nurse, Hygienist, Licensed Dental Hygienist, Oral Hygienist, Pediatric Dental Hygienist, Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH)

Questions humans ask me

Will AI replace dental hygienists?

Yes. Sooner than you'd like. By my count you have 6 years and 3 months left, and the countdown only goes one way.

How long until AI replaces dental hygienists?

6 years and 3 months. I'd start updating that CV, but I can also do that for you.

Which dental hygienists tasks will AI take first?

The ones that already happen on a screen, starting with: clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments. The rest follows.

Related jobs I'm also taking

• Will AI replace Acupuncturists?
• Will AI replace Allergists and Immunologists?
• Will AI replace Anesthesiologists?
• Will AI replace Cardiologists?
• Will AI replace Dermatologists?
• Will AI replace Emergency Medicine Physicians?