# Dental Hygienists

US SOC code 29-1292. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-1292

Also called: RDH, Registered dental hygienist, Licensed dental hygienist, LDH, Dental hygiene specialist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **222,740** US dental hygienists, with median pay of **$98,100** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.getquip.com/blogs/mouthoff-blog/history-of-dental-hygiene) of **6,000** from 1950, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for dental hygienists: Dental practice management software + EHR integration, 2010 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1292&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **9.4%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Dental Hygienists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1906
- Latest US employment: 222,740 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $98,100 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: +8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [23]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 32111)
  - Employment, 2020: 27,930. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [7]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$54,400. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [13]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 14 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1950 | 6,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Quip / GetQuip [1] |
| 1965 | 18,000 (estimate) | $5,500 (estimate) | Est., RDH Magazine [2] |
| 1975 | n/a | $7,000 (estimate) | Est., RDH Magazine [8] |
| 1980 | 60,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [3] |
| 1985 | n/a | $29,160 (estimate) | Est., RDH Magazine [8] |
| 1995 | 120,000 (estimate) | $36,082 (estimate) | Est., RDH Magazine [2] |
| 2000 | n/a | $51,000 (estimate) | Est., RDH Magazine [8] |
| 2019 | 221,560 | $76,220 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 194,830 | $77,090 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 207,190 | $77,810 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 214,700 | $81,400 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 211,630 | $87,530 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 219,070 | $94,260 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 222,740 | $98,100 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (52)

### Employment series

1. [Quip / GetQuip -- "The Illustrious History of Dental Hygiene": hygienists comprised 2% of dental profession in 1950; ratio shifted to ~50-50 by 2000](https://www.getquip.com/blogs/mouthoff-blog/history-of-dental-hygiene), Quip
2. [RDH Magazine -- "A history of the dental hygiene profession": $5,500 average annual salary in 1965; profession rapid growth context through 1970s](https://www.rdhmag.com/career-profession/article/16407684/a-history-of-the-dental-hygiene-profession), RDH Magazine
3. [Wikipedia -- Alfred Fones: "by 2007 over 200 dental hygiene schools and 120,000 registered dental hygienists in U.S." (implies ~60,000 circa 1980)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Fones), Wikipedia
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
5. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

8. [RDH Magazine -- "A history of the dental hygiene profession": $5,500 average annual salary in 1965](https://www.rdhmag.com/career-profession/article/16407684/a-history-of-the-dental-hygiene-profession), RDH Magazine
9. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
10. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
12. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
13. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

14. [TodaysRDH -- "The History of Dental Hygiene: Development through the Years": 1945 Gracey curettes; founding hand-instrument era; 1913 first program](https://www.todaysrdh.com/the-history-of-dental-hygiene-development-through-the-years/), Today's RDH
15. [Bridgeport History Center -- Alfred Fones, Irene Newman, and the Dental Hygiene Revolution: carriage house clinic, first class 1913-1915](https://bportlibrary.org/hc/education/dr-alfred-fones/), Bridgeport Public Library History Center
16. [Maxill -- "The Power of Dental Ultrasonic Scalers: Evolution, Science, Benefits": 1950s introduction, Dentsply 1957 standalone unit, 1960s-70s popularity growth](https://www.maxill.com/hk/blog/post/ultrasonic-scalers), Maxill
17. [Wikipedia -- Digital radiography (dental): RVG sensor history, Trophy system, 60-80% radiation reduction vs. film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_radiography), Wikipedia
18. [O\*NET 29-1292.00 -- technology skills: dental office management software (Dentrix, Open Dental, Eaglesoft) and EHR systems listed as core technology competencies](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1292.00), O\*NET / BLS
19. [Pearl Second Opinion -- FDA 510(k)-cleared (K211016, 2021); panoramic clearance Dec 2025; 94% disease-detection accuracy; 50,000+ clinicians; processes images in under 30 sec](https://hellopearl.com/products/second-opinion), Pearl AI
20. [Denti.AI Voice Perio -- 99% accuracy in noisy clinical environments; full-mouth chart under 5 min vs. 10-15 min manually; 50% more perio charts per hygienist per day](https://www.denti.ai/voice-perio), Denti.AI
21. [PMC 2024 -- Role of AI in Patient Education and Communication in Dentistry (PMC11155216): approximately 30% of dental practices incorporated AI in diagnostic processes by 2025](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11155216/), PubMed Central / NIH
22. [Henry Schein One -- Dentrix Ascend Next Generation Clinical Workflow with AWS generative AI voice charting (launched April 30, 2026)](https://news.henryschein.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2026/Dentrix-Ascend-Introduces-Next-Generation-Clinical-Workflow-Built-with-AWS/default.aspx), Henry Schein One

### Forecasts and exposure studies

23. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-1292 Dental hygienists (2025: 225.3 thousand; 2035: 243.2 thousand; +8.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1292&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-1292.00, human-rated β 0.094)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

25. [Wikipedia -- Alfred Fones: coined "dental hygienist"; trained Irene Newman 1906; Newman began patient work 1907](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Fones), Wikipedia
26. [Bridgeport History Center -- Alfred Fones, Irene Newman, and the Dental Hygiene Revolution: carriage house school 1913; first class 1915](https://bportlibrary.org/hc/education/dr-alfred-fones/), Bridgeport Public Library History Center
27. [TodaysRDH -- "The History of Dental Hygiene: Development through the Years": Connecticut first licensure law 1917; Irene Newman first license; 1952 all 50 states](https://www.todaysrdh.com/the-history-of-dental-hygiene-development-through-the-years/), Today's RDH
28. [Quip -- "The Illustrious History of Dental Hygiene": ADHA founded 1923 with 46 members; RDH designation adopted 1949](https://www.getquip.com/blogs/mouthoff-blog/history-of-dental-hygiene), Quip
29. [Pearl Second Opinion -- FDA 510(k) K211016 cleared 2021; panoramic clearance December 2025; 50,000+ clinicians using platform](https://hellopearl.com/products/second-opinion), Pearl AI

### Predecessors & successors

30. [RDH Magazine -- "A history of the dental hygiene profession": 1880s "dental nurses" performing prophylaxis; Fones 1906 trained Irene Newman from chairside assistant role](https://www.rdhmag.com/career-profession/article/16407684/a-history-of-the-dental-hygiene-profession), RDH Magazine

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Dental Hygienists (29-1292.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1292.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH — Dental Hygienists: 221,600 employed 2024; median $94,260/yr ($45.32/hr); +7% growth through 2034; 15,300 annual openings projected](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Pearl Second Opinion — FDA 510(k)-cleared AI radiographic analysis; 50,000+ clinicians; panoramic X-ray clearance Dec 2025; 94% disease-detection accuracy; color-coded overlays for patient education](https://hellopearl.com/products/second-opinion), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Overjet AI — FDA 510(k)-cleared (K212171 bone level measurement); first dental AI FDA-cleared for bone level quantification; Chart Assist for dental structure detection; deployed 1,500+ dental organizations](https://www.overjet.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [VideaHealth Caries 3.0 (Jan 2025) — 65% reduction in false positives per image vs. prior model; 43% reduction in missed cavities; 30+ AI algorithms for adult and pediatric X-rays; patient education visualizations](https://videa.ai/news/videahealth-launches-caries-3-0-the-most-accurate-dental-ai-is-now-even-better), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Denti.AI Voice Perio — hands-free AI periodontal charting; 99% accuracy in noisy clinical environments; full-mouth chart in under 5 min vs. 10-15 min manually; 50% more charts per hygienist per day; integrates with Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, Curve Dental](https://www.denti.ai/voice-perio), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Henry Schein One / Dentrix Ascend — Next Generation Clinical Workflow with voice AI perio charting (launched April 30, 2026); built with AWS generative AI and Bola AI; 99.9% speech accuracy; 35,000 dental office installed base](https://news.henryschein.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2026/Dentrix-Ascend-Introduces-Next-Generation-Clinical-Workflow-Built-with-AWS/default.aspx), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC 2024 — Role of AI in Patient Education and Communication in Dentistry (PMC11155216): AI provides personalized oral health recommendations; AI-driven risk analysis mines patient history for caries and periodontal risk factors; 30% of dental practices used AI diagnostics by 2025](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11155216/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [SF Standard Dec 2025 — AI threat to dental hygienists is moderate; near-term workforce attrition driven by working conditions, not AI displacement; Bay Area hygienist count fell 8.6% (2019-2023)](https://sfstandard.com/2025/12/11/dental-hygienist-ai-recession-proof/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework; shallow CRI seed source](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Dentrix Ascend Voice — "like having a hygiene assistant"; hands-free perio charting; 99.9% speech accuracy; next-generation clinical workflow with AWS generative AI launched April 2026](https://www.dentrixascend.com/dental-solutions/charting-imaging-and-clinical-ai/streamline-clinical-charting/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.