Dental hygienist & dental assistant CV — template and practical tips

A dental hygienist / dental assistant CV should highlight above all: hands-on experience with patients, knowledge of chairside procedures, and high hygiene standards. Recruiters want specifics: what procedures and tasks you perform, how you prepare the workstation, whether you know sterilization and instrument circulation, and how you support the dentist during treatment. Below you’ll find a practical guide + a sample CV tailored to this role.

Table of contents

1. Dental hygienist vs. dental assistant — what to emphasize?
2. Dental CV — structure template
3. Responsibilities — how to describe them in a CV?
4. Skills and competencies (hard + soft)
5. Sample CV — ready text to adapt
6. Checklist before you send your CV
7. Most common mistakes
8. FAQ — dental hygienist / dental assistant CV

Dental hygienist vs. dental assistant — what to emphasize?

Job titles are sometimes used interchangeably, but in practice the scope often differs. In your CV, show what you actually do day-to-day and the type of practice you worked in (general dentistry, orthodontics, surgery, implantology, pediatric dentistry).

Dental CV — structure template

🦷 Concrete • Safe • One A4 page

1) Personal details & contact

• 📌 first name and last name
• 📌 phone
• 📌 email
• 📌 city (optional)
• 📌 availability (e.g. shifts, Saturdays) — if it matters

2) Professional summary (2–4 sentences)

Focus on: assisting / prevention, hygiene standards, patient work, and the type of practice.

3) Experience

The best format is: scope → procedures → responsibility → result.

• 📌 practice/clinic name + city
• 📌 employment period
• 📌 responsibilities and procedures
• 📌 sterilization and instrument circulation (if applicable)
• 📌 work with documentation and patients

4) Skills

Choose 8–12 points tailored to the job ad.

5) Education, courses and training

• 📌 school/course (e.g. dental assistant, dental hygienist)
• 📌 OHS, hygiene procedures, first aid (if you have them)
• 📌 courses: patient care, sterilization, assisting in specific specialties

Responsibilities — how to describe them in a CV?

Avoid generic phrases like “assisting the dentist”. Instead, list: which procedures, which tools/protocol, which hygiene standards. Below are ready-to-use examples.

Example responsibilities of a dental assistant (for a CV):

• 📌 four-handed assistance during procedures (general / endodontics / surgery — tailor it),
• 📌 preparing the workstation, instruments and materials according to practice procedures,
• 📌 disinfecting surfaces, preparing and cleaning the surgery after appointments,
• 📌 sterilization: cleaning, packing, autoclave operation, indicator control (if applicable),
• 📌 patient support: preparation for treatment, post-treatment instructions, working with children (if applicable),
• 📌 cooperation with reception, organizing schedules and document flow (if you do it).

Example responsibilities of a dental hygienist (for a CV):

• 📌 prevention and patient education: hygiene instruction, selecting techniques and accessories,
• 📌 collecting medical history and needs analysis, motivating for regular prophylaxis visits,
• 📌 preparing the patient and workstation, working in line with hygiene standards,
• 📌 documentation and recommendations (within the scope of the role),
• 📌 cooperating with the dentist and the team in planning prophylaxis.

Skills and competencies (hard + soft)

Hard skills (examples):

• four-handed dentistry and workstation organization,
• hygiene standards, disinfection and instrument circulation,
• sterilization (autoclave, packing, indicators) — if applicable,
• operating basic dental equipment (e.g. suction, curing light, basic tools),
• working with medical documentation (within your scope) and GDPR,
• first aid / responding in stressful situations (if you have training).

Soft skills (examples):

• calmness and empathy in patient contact (also in pain or stress),
• accuracy and consistency in hygiene procedures,
• resilience under time pressure, good work organization,
• team communication (dentist, reception, lab/technician).

Sample CV — ready text to adapt

Below is sample CV content. Change the job title (hygienist / assistant) and tailor the responsibilities to the job ad.

Checklist before you send your CV

• ✅ Your CV is one A4 page and easy to scan (sections, bullet points).
• ✅ Your summary includes: job title + hygiene standard + experience.
• ✅ Your experience describes procedures and tasks, not just “assisting”.
• ✅ Skills are tailored to the practice (children, surgery, orthodontics — if applicable).
• ✅ You include a GDPR clause if the recruitment process requires it.

Most common mistakes

• ❌ no mention of sterilization/hygiene and practice procedures,
• ❌ vague experience (“assisting”, “cleaning the surgery”) without specifics,
• ❌ a CV that’s too long, without bullet points or tailoring,
• ❌ no mention of patient work (communication, calmness, empathy),
• ❌ outdated or missing consent clause (if required).

FAQ — dental hygienist / dental assistant CV