Dental Hygienists (29-2021)

Occupation description:  Clean teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. May educate patients on oral hygiene, take and develop x rays, or apply fluoride or sealants.

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Employment and Job Openings

  Average employment Average annual openings
  2010 estimate2020 projectionPercent change GrowthReplacementTotal
Alaska 546733 34.219 1231
United States 181,800250,300 37.76,850 3,64010,490

Job outlook

  • Alaska: Alaska’s employment growth is robust with very high employment opportunities. Read more.


2012 Wages

  Mean Wage and
95% Confidence Interval
Wage by Percentile
  LowMeanHigh 10thMedian90th
United States n/a33.99n/a 22.3833.7546.29
Alaska 32.2236.4540.68 24.1037.2549.22
Anchorage/Mat-Su Area (MSA) 29.3135.2341.15 24.7536.2945.55
Fairbanks North Star Borough (MSA) 31.3936.2541.11 21.4738.4346.70
Southeast Region 35.0240.5346.04 29.4837.4057.52
Balance of State 27.5538.2648.97 20.5540.4654.60

Labor Force Indicators

2011 Worker Characteristics
Total workersNonresident workers Percent nonresidentPercent age 45 plusPercent age 50 plus
45753 11.647.9 35.0
2011 Potential Supply
Qualified but working in another occupation38
Currently employed in a lower paid occupation22
UI claimants previously working in occupation22
2011 ALEXsys Employment Data
Number of registrants 52
Number of job position postings 28
Ratio of registrants to job position postings 1.9

2011 Alaska Licensing Information


Typical Entry-level Education, Experience, and/or On-the-job Training

Education: Associate degree Work experience: None On-the-job training: None

Training Resources

 DegreeFY2008–2010 reported exiters
University of Alaska Anchorage
Dental Hygiene, AAS 0
Dental Hygiene, BS 0

 DegreeFY2008–2010 reported exiters
University of Alaska Fairbanks, CTC
Dental Hygiene, AAS 0