Dental Hygienist resume keywords
Most dental hygienist applications are screened by software before a person reads them: the ATS ranks resumes by how many of the posting's words they contain. The lists below are the terms that show up most in dental hygienist job ads. Use the ones that are true for you, with the same spelling the ad uses.
Hard skills and ATS keywords
- Prophylaxis
- Scaling and root planing
- Periodontal charting
- Digital X-rays
- Local anesthesia
- Patient education
- Infection control
- Dentrix
- Prophylaxis
- Scaling and root planing
- Periodontal charting
- Dental X-rays
- Local anesthesia
- Oral cancer screening
- Infection control
- Dentrix
- Patient education
- RDH license
Soft skills recruiters look for
- Gentle manner
- Attention to detail
- Communication
- Compassion
- Teamwork
Soft skills only count when a bullet proves them. "Team player" is ignored; "Treat about 9 patients a day across cleanings, perio maintenance and new-patient exams." shows it.
Action verbs to start your bullets
- Performed
- Educated
- Charted
- Treated
- Screened
- Improved
- Maintained
- Increased
How to use these keywords
- Mirror the job ad: if it says "Prophylaxis", do not write a synonym.
- Put the top 6–8 in a skills section and repeat the key ones inside experience bullets with a number.
- Never list a skill you cannot talk about in an interview.
- Keep the file text-based (no skills inside images or tables), or the ATS cannot read it.
Which ones is your resume missing?
Every posting is different. Paste your resume and the job ad — free ATS Match Score Score your resume free (0-100)
No signup. It lists the keywords from the ad that your resume does not contain.
Need the resume itself? See the dental hygienist resume example and generate one free from rough notes.