Dental Survey: Average Dental Hygienist Salary Information (video)

4 out of 5 dentists pay dental hygienists a base hourly wage. Only 19% say they pay their dental hygienist commission.

“Hourly wages are unfair; the dentist takes all the risk,” said a pediatric dentist. “I continually have to remind my hygienists to utilize downtime constructively for something other than ‘dusting’ their workspaces. But in past when I paid on commission, I tended to lose my dental hygiene staff during downtime.”

Hygienists can be expensive, but would it really save the dentist money to perform those procedures themselves?

Watch the video for the responses from dentists -

According to the Occupational Employment Statistics report of the Bureau of Labor Statistic, the annual mean dental hygienist salary is $67,860, which is $32.63 an hour.

Other factors impacting a dental hygienist salary is the level of training, years of experience, the state the job is located in, and whether the hygienist is employed at a private clinic or hospital.

What are your thoughts on dental hygienist salaries?

Read more: Dental Hygienists Get Paid by the Hour