3218- MEDICAL AND DENTAL TECHNICIANS

Job Title: 

MEDICAL AND DENTAL TECHNICIANS

Alternate Titles: 

Cardiographer,Dental hygienist,Dental technician,Medical technical officer,Orthopaedic technician

Job Description: 

Medical and dental technicians operate, calibrate and maintain cardiographic and encephalographic testing equipment, assist in the conduct of post mortems, give simple dental treatments, fit artificial limbs and hearing aids, and undertake a wide range of related medical and dental tasks.

Education: 

Entrants usually possess GCSEs/S grades, BTEC/ SQA awards, an Intermediate GNVQ/GSVQ Level II or A levels/H grades. Training may last up to five years depending upon the field and method of study. Professional qualifications and NVQs/SVQs at Level 3 are available in some areas.
Refer The S/NVQ framework for more details

NS-SEC: 

The simplified NS-SEC analytic class for this code is 3
The simplified NS-SEC operational category for this code is 7.3
Refer The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification for more details

Tasks: 


  • operates equipment to diagnose and record or treat hearing, heart, brain, lung and kidney ailments
  • undertakes scaling and polishing of teeth, applies medicaments, carries out post-operative hygiene work and advises on preventative dentistry;
  • makes dentures, crowns, bridges, orthodontic and other dental appliances according to individual patient requirements
  • measures patients for, and fits them with, surgical appliances, hearing aids and artificial limbs
  • performs related medical tasks including treating hair and scalp disorders and conducting tests on glaucoma patients
  • takes samples for clinical examination
International Careers(ISCO): 
Similar O*NET Careers (USA) : 
Source Of Info: 

Office of National Statistics UK