Dental Hygienists

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

O*NET-SOC code: 29-1292.00

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.

Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery high
Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
Source dataset (XLSX download)
Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745
Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
Source dataset (CSV download)
Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.16
0.09Range of values carried here0.70
Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
Source dataset (PDF download)

What kind of figure this source publishes

The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.

Task-level exposure

Show 16 hidden tasks

18 rated tasks · 5 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (27.8%)

β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.

Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
2 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.

Source: OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
Release: gh-main-0471612
License: MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI

Tasks of O*NET-SOC 2010 occupation 29-2021.00 Dental Hygienists, linked to this occupation by the O*NET-SOC 2010 to 2019 crosswalk

Task (O*NET 20.1)	Claude.aiRaw / share %	APIRaw / share %
Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public. 29-2021.00	0.0125100.0	0.0064100.0

Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.

Task (O*NET 27.2)	βE1 + 0.5 × E2
Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills. O*NET Task ID 23921	1.0
Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist. O*NET Task ID 418	0.5
Expose and develop x-ray film. O*NET Task ID 422	0.5
Record and review patient medical histories. O*NET Task ID 18536	0.5
Maintain patient recall system. O*NET Task ID 18539	0.5

β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.

Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page

All O*NET 31.0 task statements (16)

All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.

Task (O*NET 31.0)	Type
Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.	Core
Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.	Core
Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.	Core
Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.	Core
Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.	Core
Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.	Core
Expose and develop x-ray film.	Core
Remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.	Core
Administer local anesthetic agents.	Core
Record and review patient medical histories.	Core
Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public.	Core
Maintain dental equipment and sharpen and sterilize dental instruments.	Core
Maintain patient recall system.	Core
Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills.	Core
Make impressions for study casts.	Supplemental
Conduct dental health clinics for community groups to augment services of dentist.	Supplemental

Anthropic, "What work can robots do?"2026-09

0.06/ 3· Robot exposure index

0 none3 unstructured settings

Scale, basis and source

Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time

Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks

Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.

Source dataset

The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.

Tier of each physical task

Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)

E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site

Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.

Task (O*NET 29.3)	Robot environment tier
Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.	E0 none
Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.	E0 none
Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.	E0 none
Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.	E0 none
Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.	E0 none
Expose and develop x-ray film.	E0 none
Remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.	E0 none
Administer local anesthetic agents.	E0 none
Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public.	E0 none
Maintain dental equipment and sharpen and sterilize dental instruments.	E1 purpose-built robot settings
Make impressions for study casts.	E0 none
Conduct dental health clinics for community groups to augment services of dentist.	E0 none

Employment outlook (BLS)

Employment, 2025: 225K
Projected employment, 2035: 243K
Change (2025–35): +8%
Median annual wage, 2025: $98,100
Typical education needed for entry: Associate's degree

lowest $30,890median wage across 825 detailed occupations, BLS EP 2025–35highest $559,030

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — Employment by detailed occupation, 2025 and projected 2035

Korea classification links (KSCO)

Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.

KSCO code	KSCO title	Relation	Status
24640	치과위생사	Same scope	confirmed

Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)

ILO occupational description

AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.

ISCO-08 3251Dental Assistants and Therapists

The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.

Dental assistants and therapists provide basic dental care services for the prevention and treatment of diseases and disorders of the teeth and mouth, according to care plans and procedures established by a dentist or other oral health professional.

Tasks

(a) advising communities and individuals on dental hygiene, diet and other preventive measures to reduce potential risks to oral health;
(b) conducting visual and physical examinations of patients' mouths, teeth and related structures to assess oral health status;
(c) identifying cases of patients with poor oral health or oral disease requiring referral to a dentist or other health professional
(d) assisting dentists during complex dental procedures
(e) providing fluoride treatments, cleaning and removing deposits from teeth, preparing cavities and placing fillings, administering local anaesthesia, and performing other types of basic or routine clinical dental procedures;
(f) preparing, cleaning and sterilizing dental instruments, equipment and materials used in the examination and treatment of patients;
(g) getting patients ready for examination or treatment including explaining procedures and correct positioning;
(h) taking impressions of the mouth and dental radiographs to support diagnosis and fitting of dental prosthetics.

Example occupations

Dental assistant · Dental hygienist · Dental therapist

Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits

ESCO occupational vocabulary

Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.

dental hygienistESCO 3251.2Same scope
Dental hygienists work in cleaning and polishing teeth, supra- and sub-gingival scaling of the teeth, application of prophylactic materials to the teeth, collecting data, administering comprehensive advice on oral hygiene and the care of the mouth, according to patients` needs under the supervision of dental practitioners following her/his directions.

Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)

License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)

View original

ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.

France classification links (ROME)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.

ROME code	ROME title (French)	Relation
J1103	Dentiste	Related, not a match
J1312	Assistant / Assistante dentaire	Related, not a match

Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.

ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)

Spain classification links (CNO-11)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

CNO-11 code	CNO-11 title (Spanish)	Relation
3321	Técnicos superiores en higiene bucodental	Same scopeprovisional

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)

Germany classification links (KldB)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

KldB code	KldB title (German)	Relation
81113	Zahnmedizinische Fachangestellte - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten	This occupation is narrowerprovisional

Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)

Japan classification links (JSCO)

AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.

JSCO code	JSCO title (Japanese)	Relation
146	歯科衛生士	Same scopeprovisional

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.

(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)

Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources