OSCA 269131

Dental Hygienist

Overview

  • Employed persons

    1,300

  • Employment status

    28.5% Full time

    72.1% Part time

  • Median age

    40 years

  • Employment by sex

    95.9% Female

    4.3% Male

    Almost completely female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    0.8%

  • Main employing industry

    Health Care and Social Assistance

Indicator Dental Hygienist Total employment
Employed persons 1,300 12,049,400
Median age 40 years 40 years
Full-time share 28.5% 64.2%
Part-time share 72.1% 35.8%
Female employment share 95.9% 48.5%
Male employment share 4.3% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Almost completely female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 0.8% 2.2%
Main employing industry Health Care and Social Assistance Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Dental Hygienists assess, diagnose, treat, manage and educate to prevent oral disease, and promote healthy oral behaviours. This may include non-surgical periodontal or gum treatment, preventative services and other oral care.

What the occupation involves

  • Assesses, diagnoses, treats, manages and records patients' oral health status
  • Performs dental cleaning to remove plaque and calculus from teeth
  • Applies fluoride treatments and dental sealants
  • Takes dental radiographs (X-rays) to assist in diagnosis
  • Provides oral hygiene instructions and education to patients
  • Performs non-surgical periodontal therapy (scaling and root planing) to treat gum disease
  • Collaborates with other dental practitioners to ensure optimal patient care

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

No specialisations are listed for this occupation.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 1
equivalent to a university level qualification (Bachelor degree or higher).

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

Licensing or registration requirements

Registration or licensing is required.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Data are suppressed due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Dental Hygienist Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Health Care and Social Assistance N/A Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Retail Trade N/A Retail Trade 9.1%
    Construction N/A Construction 8.9%
    Education and Training N/A Education and Training 8.8%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services N/A Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Public Administration and Safety N/A Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Accommodation and Food Services N/A Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Manufacturing N/A Manufacturing 5.9%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing N/A Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Financial and Insurance Services N/A Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    Data are suppressed due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Dental Hygienist Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales N/A N/A 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria N/A N/A 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland N/A N/A 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia N/A N/A 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia N/A N/A 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania N/A N/A 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory N/A N/A 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory N/A N/A 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Age group data are suppressed due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Dental Hygienist

    Total employment

    Age group Dental Hygienist Total employment
    15–24 years N/A 14.3%
    25–34 years N/A 22.7%
    35–44 years N/A 22.3%
    45–54 years N/A 20.4%
    55–64 years N/A 15.3%
    65–74 years N/A 4.3%
    75 years and over N/A 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Dental Hygienist Total employment
    Female 95.9% 48.5%
    Male 4.3% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

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      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

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      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

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