According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Statistics, the average dental hygienist salary is growing faster than most medical assistant wages. To qualify for this position, candidates need a degree from an accredited dental hygiene school and a state license.

Nationwide, the dental hygienist salary is very favorable and there is increasing demand for hygienists. In metropolitan areas, there is competition but there is also plenty of work. Many hygienists prefer to work part-time and dentists are likely to offer flexible hours to reliable hygienists.

What is at stake?

After completing the educational requirements, which can vary from state to state, the average dental hygienist salary was $66,570 in 2009. The bulk of practitioners earned a dental hygienist salary between $55,220 and $78,900.

The highest paid 10 percent of these practitioners earned a dental hygienist salary in excess of $91,470. The lowest 10 percent earned a dental hygienist salary of about $44,180.

A dental hygienist’s salary is usually based upon location of the practice, the volume of business activity and years of experience in the field. The dental hygienist salary is either paid daily, hourly, salary or on a commission basis.

Prospects for dental hygienists

According to a Bureau of Statistics report, job prospects are very favorable through 2018. Dental practices, like most health care sectors, have come through the recession with favorable growth and increased demand for dental hygiene jobs. This demand has helped stabilize the dental hygienist salary.

One trend newly licensed dental hygienists will notice is that young dental practitioners are more likely to be looking for hygienists. In 2008, there were 174,100 licensed dental hygienists. The Labor Department projects there will be an increase of 36 percent or 237,000 licensed dental hygienists working either full or part-time by 2018.

Many analysts fell these projections are conservative. The reason is that with the more stringent requirements for licensing, the dental hygienist is a much more helpful and professional assistant. The fact that dentists can charge more for these professional services leads most analysts to think the average dental hygienist salary will increase proportionately.

Dental hygienist salary summary

Dental hygienists should expect the dental hygienist salary to increase as the number of new dental practices grows and as existing practices run by younger dentists provide more and more hygienist services.

In fact, the Department of Labor ranks the field of dental hygienist as one of the most favorable growth sectors in the health field. One reason that the dental hygienist salary continues to increase is that the practitioner is usually only licensed in one state. Because of this, hygienists tend to stay within that state and the dental hygienist salary grows as time in one practice accumulates.

Hygienist have favorable opinions about the services they supply, the environments in which they work and the satisfaction from their dental hygienist salary. If this sounds like a stable career that you might pursue, check with your state to learn the licensing process. Without a doubt, this field of practice is professional the dental hygienist salary is lucrative and opportunities for personal and financial growth are excellent.