Dental hygienists in Australia and their employment in orthodontic practice.

Dental hygienists are the designated dental auxiliary of the future in Australia. This article explains how their duties came into existence and why their duties in orthodontic practice seem limited in some instances. Dental hygienists, a class of operating dental auxiliaries, work in Australian orthodontic practices, but their employment is not widespread. The ratio of hygienists to dentists is reported to be 1:40 in Australia and 1:10 in South Australia (Pash, personal communication).