Dental nurses work with dentists to care for patients. They help to prepare the surgery, making sure that all the instruments and materials are to hand. It is their responsibility to follow health and safety policy and keep all the equipment and working areas sterile.
When a patient arrives, the dental nurse may show them into the surgery. While the dentist examines and treats the patient, the dental nurse helps by:
In some dental practices, the nurses also work on the reception desk. This can involve:
Hours of work vary. Work with a local dentist (a general dental practitioner) usually begins between 8am and 9am and ends between 5pm and 6pm. Working hours may include evenings and Saturday mornings. Dental nurses in hospital dentistry may need to work some nights and weekends. Hours in the Community Dental Service (CDS) are more regular. Part-time work is possible.
Dental surgeries are warm, bright, well lit and clean.
In hospital dentistry, dental nurses may sometimes help dentists in operating theatres. For the Community Dental Service (CDS), they may work in a number of different places including health authority surgeries, mobile clinics, schools, residential homes and patients' own homes.
Dental nurses wear a uniform, usually trousers and a tunic or a dress. They also wear surgical gloves, safety glasses and sometimes a mask when working with patients.
They often need to stand for much of the working day.
Starting salaries for trainee dental nurses range from £8,840 to £14,739 a year.
There are no set salary scales for dental nurses in general dental practices. Salaries are individually negotiated and tend to be higher in London and south-east England.
There are around 30,000 dental nurses working throughout the UK. They are employed by:
The number of dental nurses has decreased in recent years and there is a real shortage, particularly in south-east England.
Vacancies are advertised in local newspapers, at Jobcentre Plus offices and Connexions centres, in The British Dental Nurses' Journal and on the internet, including www.jobs.nhs.uk.
There are no set qualifications for starting as a trainee dental nurse, but employers, colleges and dental hospitals often ask for some GCSE's/S grades (A-C/1-3), particularly in English and biology, or equivalent qualifications.
From July 2006, dental nurses must be registered with the General Dental Council. To qualify for registration they will need one of the following:
It is possible to join the RAF for dental nursing training at 16, while entrants to the Army and the Royal Navy must be at least 17 years old. The Army and RAF do not ask for particular qualifications, although a dental nursing qualification is an advantage for the Army. The Royal Navy asks for at least two GCSE's/S grades (A-C/1-3) including English language or the NEBDN National Certificate in Dental Nursing or an NVQ/SVQ in Oral Healthcare: Dental Nursing Level 3.
There are several ways of training and studying for a qualification that will allow dental nurses to register with the General Dental Council:
Registered dental nurses are required to keep their skills and knowledge up to date by following a programme of Continuing Professional Development.
Oil Drilling Roustabouts and Roughnecks work as part of a small team on offshore oil or gas drilling rigs or production platforms. Roustabouts do unskilled manual labouring jobs on rigs and platforms, and Roughneck is a promotion from roustabout.
Roustabouts do basic tasks to help keep the rig and platform working efficiently and Roughnecks do practical tasks involved in the drilling operation, under the supervision of the driller.
________________________________________________________________________________
A dental nurse should:
Qualified dental nurses can also study for certificates in areas such as oral health education, conscious sedation and radiography.
Experienced nurses in general dental practices may help to train and supervise other dental nurses. They could become practice managers. Dental nurses in hospitals and the CDS may specialise or become a team leader or team manager. Promotion is possible in the Army, Royal Navy and RAF.
Dental nurses can take further training to become a dental hygienist or dental therapist. With a teaching qualification they can become a dental nurse tutor in a college or hospital.
There may be some opportunities for working abroad.
British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN),
PO Box 4, Room 200, Hill House International Business Centre,
Thornton-Cleveleys FY5 4QD
Tel: 01253 338360
Website: www.badn.org.uk
The British Dental Association,
64 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8YS
Tel: 020 7935 0875
Website: www.bda-dentistry.org.uk
The General Dental Council,
37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ
Tel: 020 7887 3800
Website: www.gdc-uk.org
NHS Careers, PO Box 2311, Bristol BS2 2ZX
Tel: 0845 6060 655
Website: www.nhscareers.nhs.uk