Although not all practices have a dental hygienist, it is becoming more and more common. Olivia Kelly reports

You've been brushing you're teeth as long as you've been tying your own shoelaces. At this stage, you reckon you know what you're at. And maybe so, but are you flossing? If so, are you doing it regularly enough? And you really certain you're brushing your teeth properly; all of them, even the back ones? Or could you have fallen into bad habits over the years? And what about your gums, have you given any thought to your gums?

These may seem like very daunting questions all of a sudden, but never fear, there's someone who can answer them - your dental hygienist.

"The aim of the dental hygienist is to make people dentally independent," says Paula O'Connor, president of the Irish Dental Hygienists Association. "The hygienist works as part of the dental team, specialising in oral instruction."

Hygienists work in collaboration with and under the supervision of a registered dentist. In some situations they work in their own practices but in most cases they work in the same practice as a dentist with their own separate surgery. "Hygienists work to the prescription of dentists. They carry out treatments as specified by the dentist and give advice on improving dental care."

Hygienists preform treatments such as fissure sealing teeth, to prevent decay, applying fluoride treatments, scaling and polishing teeth, but their main role is preventative and educational. "All body parts should last a lifetime, and that includes teeth. If you not cleaning your teeth properly, treating them is pointless," O'Connor says. "Our role is in primary care. We show people how to control plaque so they won't have to go down the road of needing dental intervention."

Dental hygienists work with a variety of different groups of people. They give lectures in schools, they talk to people, mainly children, about the importance of diet and they talk to smokers about the risks of gum disease. They also teach parents how to brush their children's teeth. "Children should have their teeth brushed for them until they are about eight years of age," says O'Connor.

Hygienists work in all branches of dentistry; general dentistry, orthodontics, paedodontics (specialised children's dentistry) and periodontal, advanced gum treatments.

"There's no point in putting furniture in a burning house and there's no point in filling teeth if the gums are not well," O'Connor says.

The job of the hygienist used to be done by the dentist and in smaller practices it still is. However in most cases dentists don't have the time to give detailed instruction on oral hygiene. Although not all practices have a hygienist, it is becoming more common, she says.

The dental hygienist is completely separate to the dental nurse, O'Connor explains. "They're entirely different jobs. Hygienists work on their own, while nurses only work under supervision as an assistant to the dentist. Hygienists are not assistants, in fact they often have the assistance of a dental nurse. Nurses don't touch the mouth, while a hygienist does and can be involved in deep scaling which requires them to give a local anaesthetic." Hygienists also work in maxillofacial units where people have facial or jaw surgery. They work with special-needs patients who experience difficulty in cleaning their teeth and they do specialist work with people who have a cleft lip and palate.

The job prospects for hygienists are excellent, O'Connor says, as more dentists are looking to employ qualified personnel. Some hygienists choose to be self employed and may set up a mobile practise serving a number of practises within a given area. A number of hygienists are also employed by the health boards.

Since so much of the hygienists work involves education, they must have good communication skills, says O'Connor. "You must be patient and have a positive attitude and good people-skills. You have to be able to get your ideas across to people. You also need to be good with your hands and be a good listener."