NOC 32111 job description: dental hygienist duties and responsibilities
- Conduct patient screening and oral health assessments, including taking vital signs and documenting patient medical and health history
- Take dental impressions
- Take and develop X-rays
- Perform preventative dental procedures such as teeth cleaning, scaling, gum stimulation and fluoride and sealant applications
- Provide oral care instructions such as oral hygiene procedures, strategies to maintain and improve oral health and on the impact of nutrition on oral health
- Consult with dentists on patient care
- May perform restorative and orthodontic procedures under the direction of a dentist
- May supervise dental assistants in their health care functions
- May participate in community- or school-based oral health initiatives such as oral screening.
- Perform routine dental check-ups, oral cancer examinations and emergency dental examinations
- Take dental impressions
- Take and develop X-rays
- Perform preventative dental procedures such as teeth cleaning, gum stimulation and fluoride and sealant applications
- Provide oral care instructions such as oral hygiene procedures, strategies to maintain and improve oral health and on the impact of nutrition on oral health
- Perform routine teeth restorations and uncomplicated extractions and provide post extraction oral care instructions
- Refer patients to other dental professionals for care beyond the scope of the dental therapist
- Provide oral health promotion activities
- May supervise dental assistants in their health care functions.
Job titles under NOC 32111
See every job title and its code in the A–Z job title index, or all TEER 2 jobs.
Is NOC 32111 eligible for Express Entry?
By TEER, yes. TEER 2 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.
| Program | TEER check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker | TEER qualifies | TEER 2 is within TEER 0 to 3 |
| Canadian Experience Class | TEER qualifies | TEER 2 is within TEER 0 to 3 |
| Federal Skilled Trades | Not a listed trade | Only certain trade groups qualify. Check IRCC |
| Spouse's open work permit | Qualifies | On IRCC's TEER 2–3 list. SOWP rules |
Category-based draws: NOC 32111 is on IRCC's Healthcare and social services list (checked 2026-10-16). Under NOC 2016, TEER 2 was skill level B ("NOC B").
Category-based Express Entry draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists. Check the current lists on IRCC's Express Entry page and provincial nominee page.
NOC 32111: common questions
What is NOC 32111?
NOC 32111 is the code for dental hygienists and dental therapists in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 3, is the broad category and its second digit, 2, is the TEER level. Immigration forms, job offers and LMIA applications use this five-digit code.
What TEER is NOC 32111?
NOC 32111 is TEER 2. Occupations that usually need a college program of two to three years or an apprenticeship of two to five years, or that carry supervisory or significant safety responsibilities. Under the older NOC 2016 system, TEER 2 lines up with skill level B.
Is NOC 32111 eligible for Express Entry and PR?
By TEER, yes. TEER 2 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.
Is NOC 32111 in a category-based Express Entry draw?
Yes. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 32111 is in the healthcare and social services category. Category-based draws invite candidates with at least 6 months of continuous work experience in one of the listed occupations, and IRCC updates the lists from time to time.
Is NOC 32111 eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?
Yes. NOC 32111 is on IRCC's list of TEER 2 occupations that qualify, so a worker in this job can support a spouse's open work permit, as long as their own work permit has at least 16 months left when the spouse applies (IRCC page modified 2026-06-12).
What is the NOC code for a dental hygienist?
Dental hygienist is listed under NOC 32111, dental hygienists and dental therapists. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 32111.
How do I know if NOC 32111 is my NOC code?
Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 32111, not just your job title. IRCC expects your duties to match the lead statement and most of the main duties of the code you choose. If they fit another code better, use that one. You can paste your duties into nocfinder to see how they line up, duty by duty.
Source: ESDC NOC 2021 · IRCC program pages. Not legal advice.