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Dental Hygienist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a dental hygienist is $85,800 per annum, before tax, up $18,200 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Private practices generally pay an hourly rate, while community and public dental clinics often pay more and may add salary packaging.
- Evening and Saturday sessions sometimes attract loadings, and part-time rosters are common, so weekly earnings can differ a lot between two jobs with the same title.
- When an offer comes, ask what hours the figure covers and how extra or after-hours sessions are paid.
The median salary rose by $18,200 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than dental hygienist
The largest typical pay rise is $82,300 a year, moving into Dentist.
- Dentist+$82,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher dental hygienist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time dental hygienist salary is $85,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Dental Hygienists are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Patient care and support and Clinical assessment and treatment tend to command a premium over general dental hygienist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Dentist pays a typical $82,300 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Dental Hygienist salary questions
How much do dental hygienists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a dental hygienist is $85,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is dental hygienist pay rising or falling?
The median dental hygienist salary is up $18,200 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than dental hygienist?
Dentist pays a typical $82,300 a year more and draws on similar skills to dental hygienist.
Related salaries
- Dental Therapist salary
- Dentist salary
- Dental Assistant salary
- Acupuncturist salary
- Orthoptist salary
- Endodontist salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.