DENTIST, GENERAL

Job Definition:

• Dentists diagnose, treat and prevent diseases, injuries and abnormalities of the teeth, mouth, jaws and associated tissues by applying the principles and procedures of modern dentistry. They use a broad range of specialized diagnostic, surgical and other techniques to promote and restore oral health.

Job Description:

• Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums and related oral structures. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting vitality of teeth.

Duties and Tasks:

• 1) Use masks, gloves and safety glasses to protect themselves and their patients from infectious diseases.
• 2) Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures.
• 3) Examine teeth, gums, and related tissues, using dental instruments, x-rays, and other diagnostic equipment, to evaluate dental health, diagnose diseases or abnormalities, and plan appropriate treatments.
• 4) Formulate plan of treatment for patient’s teeth and mouth tissue.
• 5) Use air turbine and hand instruments, dental appliances and surgical implements.
• 6) Advise and instruct patients regarding preventive dental care, the causes and treatment of dental problems, and oral health care services.
• 7) Design, make, and fit prosthodontic appliances such as space maintainers, bridges, and dentures, or write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for denturists and dental technicians.
• 8) Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth, gums and related oral structures, and provide preventive and corrective services.
• 9) Fill pulp chamber and canal with endodontic materials.
• 10) Write prescriptions for antibiotics and other medications.
• 11) Analyze and evaluate dental needs to determine changes and trends in patterns of dental disease.
• 12) Treat exposure of pulp by pulp capping, removal of pulp from pulp chamber, or root canal, using dental instruments.
• 13) Eliminate irritating margins of fillings and correct occlusions, using dental instruments.
• 14) Perform oral and periodontal surgery on the jaw or mouth.
• 15) Remove diseased tissue using surgical instruments.
• 16) Apply fluoride and sealants to teeth.
• 17) Manage business, employing and supervising staff and handling paperwork and insurance claims.
• 18) Bleach, clean or polish teeth to restore natural color.
• 19) Plan, organize, and maintain dental health programs.
• 20) Produce and evaluate dental health educational materials

Activities:

• 1) Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• 2) Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• 3) Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• 4) Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• 5) Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• 6) Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• 7) Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• 8) Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• 9) Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• 10) Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• 11) Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• 12) Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• 13) Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• 14) Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• 15) Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changesin circumstances or events.
• 16) Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• 17) Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• 18) Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• 19) Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• 20) Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• 21) Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• 22) Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• 23) Monitoring and Controlling Resources — Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• 24) Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• 25) Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• 26) Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• 27) Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• 28) Provide Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• 29) Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• 30) Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• 31) Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• 32) Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• 33) Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• 34) Staffing Organizational Units — Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• 35) Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• 36) Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.

Abilities:

• 1) Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand
• 2) Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 3) Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 4) Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 5) Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• 6) Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• 7) Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• 8) Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• 9) Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 10) Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• 11) Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• 12) Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• 13) Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• 14) Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• 15) Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• 16) Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• 17) Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• 18) Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• 19) Perceptual Speed — The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• 20) Visualization — The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• 21) Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• 22) Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.
• 23) Visual Color Discrimination — The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
• 24) Depth Perception — The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
• 25) Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Knowledge:

• 1) Medicine and Dentistry — Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures
• 2) Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• 3) Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• 4) Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 5) English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 6) Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• 7) Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• 8) Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• 9) Economics and Accounting — Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.