Registered Dental Hygienist

This is a continuous filing exam. Next filing cut-offs are at 5:00 pm on:

11/16/26, 11/30/26 (final)

Under supervision, the Registered Dental Hygienist performs assessment, development, planning and implementation of the dental hygiene care plan. Provides oral health education, counseling, and health screening services. Collaborates with community organizations, schools, and individuals to promote oral health goals and interests.

Note: Vacancies may be on-call, part-time, or full-time positions.

Examples of Knowledge and Abilities

Knowledge of

• Modern principles, practices and techniques of dental hygiene
• Dental terminology
• The theories, methods and procedures for the prevention of dental diseases and the required preventive and corrective measures and treatment
• Care and use of common dental equipment, instruments, and materials
• Current materials, practices, and methods used in dental health education programs
• Principles and practices of supervision
• Applicable laws, rules and regulations related to dental health programs
• Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and other specialized applications related to area of assignment
• Basic arithmetic (i.e., addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, percentages, ratios, and fractions)
• English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Principles of effective customer service
  
  

Ability to

• Provide technical assistance and give group and individual instruction to local agencies, and communities concerned with dental health programs
• Develop materials for dental health education
• Supervise subordinate dental health personnel
• Work independently and exercise independent judgment
• Understand the differing racial, cultural, and environmental backgrounds of individuals, families, and communities served by the dental health care program
• Establish and maintain cooperative, effective working relationships with customers, co-workers, schools, other agencies, and the general public
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing
• Analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action
• Effectively organize and prioritize work assignments
• Keep accurate and orderly records
• Make arithmetical computations accurately and rapidly
• Maintain confidential information
• Interpret and apply applicable federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations
• Apply customer service skills, including the identification of customer needs and follow up to ensure customer commitments have been met

Employment Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Possession of a valid license as a Registered Dental Hygienist issued by the Dental Hygiene Board of California.

Note: If the minimum qualifications include an educational or certificate/license requirement, applicants must submit proof of requirements with the application. Failure to submit proof of requirements may result in disqualification from the examination. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. For guidelines on submitting acceptable proof of educational requirements, please click here or speak to someone in our office before the cut-off date listed in this notice.

General Qualifications

Criminal History and Background Checks: The County may access criminal history information on candidates who have accepted a conditional offer of appointment for this class consistent with the provisions of Board of Supervisors Resolution No. 82-602, Personnel Policies, and applicable federal and state laws. The County shall not consider for employment any candidate who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that relates to or impacts the candidate’s ability to perform the job duties of this class unless it is determined that mitigating circumstances exist. For purposes of accessing criminal history information, the candidate will be fingerprinted. A subsequent arrest notification may be obtained.

The County may also conduct a background check on the candidate prior to appointment to a position within this class. The background check may include personal and professional reference checks, credit history checks where authorized by Labor Code section 1024.5, Social Security Number verification, professional license/registration verification, military service information and driving history. Information obtained in the course of this background check will be considered by the appointing authority in the selection process. In obtaining such information, the County will comply with applicable consent and disclosure practices in the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the California Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act.

License Requirement: A valid California Driver License, Class C or higher, may be required at the time of appointment. Failure to obtain or maintain the appropriate California Driver License, or comply with state and federal requirements for utilization, may constitute cause for personnel action in accordance with Civil Service Rules or applicable bargaining agreement. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

A valid license as a Registered Dental Hygienist issued by the Dental Hygiene Board of California is required at the time of appointment. Failure to obtain and maintain the required license may constitute cause for personnel action in accordance with Civil Service Rules or applicable bargaining agreement.

Certification Requirement: A valid Basic Life Support (BLS) issued by the American Heart Association or Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) issued by the American Red Cross is required at the time of appointment.

Failure to obtain or maintain the appropriate certification may constitute cause for personnel action in accordance with Civil Service Rules or applicable bargaining agreement.

Physical Requirements: Some positions in this class require the incumbents to be able to:

• Lift items weighing up to 25 pounds without assistance
• Walk or stand for extended periods of time
• Wear approved personal protective equipment as required
• Possess and maintain sufficient manual dexterity for constant holding, reaching, grasping, writing, and need for repetitive motion

Individuals who do not meet this these requirements due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Working Conditions: Some positions in this class require the incumbents to:

• Work around inmates and individuals with mental disabilities
• Be exposed to physically, mentally, and emotionally stressful and emergency situations

Probationary Period

The probationary period for this classification is six (6) months.

Application and Testing Information

APPLICATION

Department of Personnel Services

Employment Services Division

700 H Street, Room 4667

Sacramento, CA 95814

Email [email protected]

Inter-Office Mail Code: 09-4667

• Employment applications and all documentation requested in this announcement must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• Your application should highlight all relevant education, training, and experience, and clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for the position as of the cut-off date.
• Application information must be current, concise and related to the requirements in this job announcement. You may only apply for this recruitment once. Duplicate and incomplete applications will be disqualified.
• A resume may be included with your application, however it will not substitute for the information requested on the application.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE

• Supplemental Questionnaires must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date. Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• The supplemental questions are designed to elicit specific information regarding a candidate's experience, education, and training. Responses should be consistent with the information on your application and are subject to verification.
• Please provide place of employment, pertinent dates, and concise, descriptive and detailed information for each question.
• If a job included responsibilities applicable to several questions, separate the different functions of the job to answer all the questions completely.
• Resumes or referral to the application or other questionnaire responses will not be accepted in lieu of completing each question.
• If you have no experience, write "no experience" for the appropriate question.
• For many individuals, it is more efficient to develop responses to the supplemental questions in a word processing document and then paste them into the final document to be submitted. Changes or corrections to your Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be made once your application packet has been submitted.
• If the Supplemental Questionnaire is used in the Formula Rate exam, failure to complete all of the questions or incomplete responses will result in a lower score. While scoring the Supplemental Questionnaire, the candidate's application and/or attachments will not be reviewed, therefore, a candidate's responses to the questions should be accurate, thorough, detailed, and complete.

FORMULA RATE EXAMINATION (Weighted 100%)