Purpose of the Job: Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries and malformations of teeth and gums. Treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. Prescribe and fit dental prosthetics.
Tasks
1. Examine teeth, gums, and related tissues, using dental instruments, x-rays, or other diagnostic equipment
2. Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, or malformations of teeth, gums, or related oral structures and provide preventive or corrective services
3. Analyze or evaluate dental needs to determine changes or trends in patterns of dental disease
4. Formulate plan of treatment for patients’ teeth and mouth tissue
5. Advise and instruct patients regarding preventive dental care, the causes and treatment of dental problems, and oral health care services
6. Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during dental procedures
7. Perform oral or periodontal surgical procedures using surgical instruments
8. Remove diseased dental/oral tissue using surgical instruments
9. Fill removed dental tissue with appropriate materials (e.g., amalgam/porcelain fillings)
10. Eliminate irritating margins of fillings and correct obstructions using dental instruments
11. Treat exposure of pulp by pulp capping, removal of pulp from pulp chamber or root canal
12. Fill pulp chamber and canal with endodontic materials
13. Write prescriptions for antibiotics or other medications
14. Write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for dental prosthetics or appliances, such as bridges and dentures
15. Fit dental prosthetics/ appliances
16. Use air turbine and hand instruments, dental appliances and surgical implements
17. Provide clinical supervision to the Registered Dental Hygienists.
18. Provide after-hours telephone coverage on a rotating basis.
19. Participate in quality improvement activities, including development of clinical forms and protocols and attendance at quality assurance/quality improvement meetings.
20. Occasionally, other appropriate duties and responsibilities may be assigned by the supervisor.
Qualities
This job requires:
1. Concern for Others, i.e., being sensitive to others’ needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job
2. Integrity, i.e., being honest and ethical
3. Organization, i.e., approaching tasks in a logical and sequential manner, minimizing confusion, and avoiding inconsistencies
4. Dependability, i.e., being reliable, responsible, and dependable in fulfilling obligations
5. Self-Control, i.e., maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior—even in difficult situations
6. Stress Tolerance, i.e., accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations
7. Achievement, i.e., establishing and maintaining personally challenging goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks
8. Attention to Detail, i.e., being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks
9. Adaptability/Flexibility, i.e., being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace
10. Cooperation, i.e., being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude
11. Social Orientation, i.e., preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job
Abilities
This job requires:
Oral Expression, i.e., communicating information and ideas through speech so others will understand
Oral Comprehension, i.e., listening and understanding information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences
Speech Clarity, i.e., speaking clearly so others can understand
Speech Recognition, i.e., identifying and understand the speech of another person
Written Comprehension, i.e., reading and understanding information and ideas presented in writing
Written Expression, i.e., communicating information and ideas in writing so others will understand
Problem Sensitivity, i.e., telling when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong—it does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem
Deductive Reasoning, i.e., applying general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense
Inductive Reasoning, i.e., combining pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (including finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events)
Near Vision, i.e., seeing details at close range (within a few feet of the observer)
Manual Dexterity, i.e., moving your hand quickly, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects
Finger Dexterity, i.e., making precisely coordinate movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects
Work Context
This job requires:
Frequent use of computers, electronic databases, electronic mail, and telephones
High level of accuracy, with the consequence of error being very serious
High level of responsibility for the health and safety of others
Moderate level of structure, with high level of independent decision-making
High frequency of decision-making
Substantial time pressures (e.g., deadlines)
Low level of competitive pressure
Moderate responsibility for the work of others
Continuous contact with patients, co-workers, and outside parties
Frequent face-to-face discussion with individuals and groups
Infrequent conflict situations or possibility of having to deal with unpleasant/angry people
Performing tasks in close proximity to other people
Regular and consistent wear/use of personal protective equipment
Spending the majority of work time indoors, in environmentally controlled conditions
Equal amounts of work time moving around, standing up, and sitting down
Education: Doctoral degree from an accredited university/ college in dental surgery (DDS) or dental medicine (DMD)
Training: Satisfactory completion of professional education clinical rotations
Work Experience: None
Licenses: Current and unrestricted license to practice dentistry in North Carolina
