Dental hygienist: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Medical and dental technicians (SOC 3213)
About £25,701 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +3.3% on last year
£2,567 a month About £2,142 a month after tax 24 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £24,212 in 2021 to £30,808 in 2026 (+27%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £19,265 | £21,353 | £24,212 | £30,303 | x |
| 2022 | x | £22,187 | £25,122 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £23,945 | £27,575 | £32,780 | x |
| 2024 | £20,835 | £25,256 | £27,825 | £31,453 | x |
| 2025 | £24,177 | £26,960 | £29,812 | £36,304 | x |
| 2026 | £24,580 | £27,805 | £30,808 | £40,848 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £30,808 a year and half earn more. That is 25% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £27,805 and £40,848; one in ten earns less than £24,580.
Ranked by median, it is number 275 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £2,142 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £2,144 in Scotland.
The median for men is £33,414 and for women £30,123, a gap of 10% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £24,580 | £2,048 |
| 20th | £26,707 | £2,226 |
| 25th (P25) | £27,805 | £2,317 |
| 30th | £28,453 | £2,371 |
| 40th | £30,046 | £2,504 |
| Median (50th) | £30,808 | £2,567 |
| 60th | £33,107 | £2,759 |
| 70th | £38,211 | £3,184 |
| 75th (P75) | £40,848 | £3,404 |
| 80th | £44,622 | £3,719 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £33,414 | £37,101 | 8 |
| Women | £30,123 | £33,024 | 16 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £25,701 | £2,142 |
| Scotland | £25,728 | £2,144 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £31,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 73 job titles to SOC 3213 Medical and dental technicians. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Anatomical pathology technician
- Appliance officer
- Artificial limb technician
- Assistant practitioner
- Audiologist technician
- Audiometrician
- Cardiac physiologist
- Cardiac technician
- Cardiographer
- Cardiological technician
- Cephalographic technician
- Clinical support technician
- Clinical technician
- Dental ceramist
- Dental engineer
- Dental fitter
- Dental health educator
- Dental hygienist
- Dental laboratory assistant
- Dental mechanic
- Dental radiographer
- Dental technician
- Dental technologist
- Dentist's mechanic
- Denture maker
- Ecg technician
- Eeg technician
- Electro-encephalographer
- Electroencephalographic recordist
- Endoscopy technician
- Foreman
- Gastroenterology physiologist
- Gastroenterology technician
- Hearing aid consultant
- Hearing aid dispenser
- Hearing aid technician
- Hearing therapist
- Hospital technician
- Hospital theatre technician
- Hygienist
- Implantology coordinator
- Instrument curator
- Life support technician
- Limb fitter
- Maxillofacial technician
- Medical engineer
- Medical physics technician
- Medical technical officer
- Medical technician
- Newborn hearing screener
- Nurse associate
- Nursing associate
- Ocularist
- Operating theatre technician
- Oral hygienist
- Orthodontic technician
- Orthodontic therapist
- Orthopaedic practitioner
- Orthopaedic technician
- Orthotic technician
Show all 73 titles
- Pathology technician
- Plaster technician
- Prosthetic technician
- Radiography assistant practitioner
- Rehabilitation engineer
- Retinal screener
- Surgical appliance fitter
- Surgical technician
- Technical officer
- Technician
- Theatre technician
- Trauma technician
- Trichologist
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Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.