ORAL HYGIENIST GRADE 1 TO 3 (SESSIONAL) (28 HOURS PER WEEK) (Contract Till 30 September 2027)

This vacancy is for a sessional Oral Hygienist, appointed on a Grade 1 to Grade 3 scale, working 28 hours per week within the Metro Health Services directorate of the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness. The post is based at the Oral Health Centre, serving the Tygerberg and Mitchell’s Plain platform, and is offered as a contract position lasting until 30 September 2027. The successful candidate will become part of a multidisciplinary oral health team that supports the combined public mission of the Department of Health and Wellness and the University of the Western Cape, with service delivery extending across clinical, preventive and health-promotion settings.

The core purpose of the role is to provide comprehensive oral health care to the community, including vulnerable and special needs patients. In practice, this means delivering clinical oral hygiene services, developing and implementing preventive programmes, and engaging in health-promotion activities that encourage better oral health outcomes. The role also involves collaborating with other health professionals and community stakeholders, building strong professional networks, and offering expert support, assistance and training to colleagues, patients and the wider community. The Oral Hygienist will also be responsible for administrative duties related to facility and patient records within the scope of practice of an Oral Hygienist, as well as the effective management and control of stock and consumables.

To be considered, applicants must hold an appropriate qualification that permits registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as an Oral Hygienist, and must be registered with the HPCSA in that category. The level of appointment depends on years of relevant experience after registration. For Grade 1, no post-registration experience is required for South African qualified employees, while foreign qualified applicants who are exempt from compulsory community service need at least one year of relevant experience. Grade 2 requires a minimum of ten years’ relevant experience for South African qualified employees, or eleven years for foreign qualified applicants, and Grade 3 requires twenty years for South African qualified employees or twenty-one years for foreign qualified applicants. Candidates must also hold a valid driver’s licence (Code B/EB) and be willing to provide clinical services across the broader Oral Health platform, which includes Tygerberg, Mitchells Plain, Red Cross and the Mitchell’s Plain clinic.

Ideal candidates will have good interpersonal skills, the ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team, sound professional ethics, and the resilience to work under pressure. Experience in treating special needs patients is important, and computer literacy in MS Word, Excel and Outlook is required. Shortlisted applicants will be required to undergo a written and oral assessment. No payment is required when applying for this post. Candidates who are not yet registered with the HPCSA may still apply, but only on condition that they submit proof of their first-time application for registration and proof of payment of the prescribed registration fees to the HPCSA on or before the day of the interview. This concession applies only to individuals applying for registration in a specific category for the first time, including those who must change their registration status.