There are about 20 000 dental hygienists working in Canada, which brings up the question should you choose dental hygiene as your career?  Our section here will offer advice and information on people who considering becoming a dental hygienist. 

There have been dental hygienists working in Canada since 1949, but in the last ten years there have been a series of major changes to this profession - in most provinces, dental hygienists have their own independent professional status and are regulated by an organziation made up of dental hygienists (For example, see the College of Dental Hygienist of Ontario). 

 

The latest survey of Canadian dental hygienists, which was completed in 2007, showed that about 63% of respondents considered themselves to be working full-time, and that the average hourly pay rate was $38.96.  Wages were highest in Newfoundland & Labrador ($45.33 per hour), Alberta ($44.96), and British Columbia ($41.19).

The survey found that almost all dental hygienists work in a dental office (95%), with about 5% also working in the education field (teaching dental hygiene in colleges like Oxford College), while some hygienists also work as researchers or are the owners of a dental clinic.  In Ontario and other provinces, dental hygienists have been given the right to work independently of dentists.  This means that they are able to set up and run their own clinics.  This process has only just begun, but already dozens of dental hygienists have been teaming up to provide their services, sometimes in offices, but also using mobile clinics and other methods.