Heartland Alliance Health·Chicago, Illinois
Provide preventative dental care, including cleanings, polishing, and x-rays, to vulnerable populations. Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to coordinate primary dental health care and participate in quality assurance activities.
Job Classification: Public Health Dental Hygienist
Full-Time - 40 hours/week
Reports To: Dental Director
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: All Health Centers
Heartland Alliance Health’s (HAH) mission is to transform healthcare for the most vulnerable – particularly people experiencing homelessness, mental illness or addictions, or struggling with multiple chronic illnesses – improving health for all and the well-being of our community.
The Dental Hygienist, under differing levels of supervision, will provide dental health care services that include cleaning, polishing, and providing preventative instructions and treatments. The Dental Hygienist may also provide chairside assistance as needed. Individual accountabilities and work volume will be established through the development of annual Success Objectives and annual Performance Evaluations, within the framework outlined below.
i. Administration of Local Anesthetic*
*Only upon successful completion of a training program approved by the licensing body
Supervisory Responsibilities The Dental Hygienist may provide supervisory guidance and direction in the following areas:
Acts as a preceptor and provides onboarding, orientation, and training to new dental personnel, dental assistants, interns, and volunteers on dental hygiene procedures, protocols, infection control, and clinic operations.
Offers mentorship, coaching, and ongoing guidance to support the professional development and skill growth of team members and trainees.
Provides direction and oversight to dental assistants during chairside assistance and routine procedures to ensure proper workflow efficiency.
Serves as a consultant and resource for specialized patient populations, sharing expertise with other dental care providers and community partners.
Contributes to team performance by identifying training needs, providing feedback, and supporting quality improvement initiatives. This role does not include formal hiring, disciplinary, or performance evaluation authority.
A minimum of one year hygiene experience. Previous experience in handling specialty referrals, maintaining dental records, charting and documentations is preferred. Team players with the ability to multitask and have strong communication, computer, and customer service skills are desired.
Able and willing to provide services to individuals who are experiencing homelessness and individuals who have HIV.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
The employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel and reach with hands and arms.
The employee is regularly required to stand, walk.
The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
The employee is occasionally required to use their sense of taste or smell.
The employee must use close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less), color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors), depth perception (three-dimensional vision, ability to judge distances and spatial relationships), and possess the ability to adjust focus (ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus).
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
Heartland Alliance Health makes all hiring and employment decisions without regard to race, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, sexual identity, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the Organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September, 1987.
Requires an Associate's degree in dental hygiene, RDH certification, and an active Dental Hygienist License. A minimum of one year of related experience is required.
Market context
In Illinois, dental support roles often draw steady interest because clinics need dependable staff who can communicate clearly, work safely, and adapt to patient flow. These positions can be competitive when employers want caregiving experience, a valid driver’s license, and background-check clearance, while benefits such as medical, dental, vision, flexible scheduling, and 401(k) may help candidates compare offers. Review the AI-summarized requirements and benefits here to save time, then confirm your caregiving experience and availability before applying.