Example Achievement Log for a Dental Hygienist

This is one Dental Hygienist's Achievement Log across a full review year, written the way a real log gets written: a line at a time, at the end of a busy day. Nothing here is polished, and that is the point.

A year in the life of a Dental Hygienist's log

Jan - task: Sat in on Dr. Patel's perio diagnoses for two weeks after realising I was under-calling early bone loss. Went back through 20 charts, found 3 I had logged as gingivitis that were Stage I.
Feb - achievement: Rebuilt the recall system in Dentrix. Overdue patients now get an automatic text at 3 days, 2 weeks and 6 weeks instead of whenever front desk got a spare moment.
Feb - achievement: Recall rate 61% to 74% in the six weeks since the text sequence went live.
Apr - feedback: Marisol at front desk, in the Friday huddle: 'I used to spend every morning chasing no-shows. I have got two hours a day back.'
May - task: Moved oral cancer screening to every adult prophy rather than just the over-40s. About 90 seconds a patient once I had the routine down.
May - task: Lost a nervous patient mid-appointment, she left in tears and has not rebooked. Now I ask about past dental experiences before I pick up an instrument.
Jul - achievement: SRP case acceptance 48% to 66% since I started turning the intraoral camera round and showing people their own probe depths instead of reading numbers out loud.
Aug - feedback: Dr. Patel in the quarterly review: 'the perio program is basically hers at this point.' Asked me to train the new grad starting in September.
Oct - achievement: Wrote the sterilisation turnaround checklist. Both assistants and the new hygienist are using it, no more hunting for a free cassette between patients.
Nov - achievement: Hygiene production 340 a day to 415 a day. Came from SRP acceptance and sealants, not from adding chair time or squeezing appointments.
Dec - achievement: Finished local anaesthesia certification. First solo IANB took me two attempts and the patient was very patient about it. Getting there.

What makes a strong entry

What most people write: Improved patient recall this year.

What went in the log: Rebuilt the recall system in Dentrix so overdue patients get an automatic text at 3 days, 2 weeks and 6 weeks. Recall rate 61% to 74% in six weeks.

The strong version names the system, the mechanism and the before-and-after number. In November you will remember that recall 'got better', but not that it was 13 points, and 13 points is the part that argues for you.

What most people write: Got better at explaining treatment to patients.

What went in the log: SRP case acceptance 48% to 66% since I started turning the intraoral camera round and showing people their own probe depths instead of reading numbers out loud.

This one captures the specific change in behaviour, not just the outcome. That matters because a manager can promote a repeatable practice, whereas 'better at explaining' sounds like a personality trait you happened to have.

How this becomes your review in November

This year I rebuilt our recall system in Dentrix, moving overdue patients onto an automated three-stage text sequence, which lifted our recall rate from 61% to 74% within six weeks. I also changed how I present periodontal findings, showing patients their own probe depths on the intraoral camera rather than reading numbers aloud, and SRP case acceptance rose from 48% to 66% as a result. Together these moved my hygiene production from 340 to 415 per day without adding chair time.

Starting your own log

Don't try to reconstruct a year you have already had. Start from today, one line whenever something happens, and let it build. The Perform Review Achievement Log does this for you and can capture wins straight from Slack, and how to start an achievement log covers the wider playbook.

Example Logs for Related Roles

Ready to start your own? Start your Achievement Log free, see how the Perform Review Achievement Log works, or browse performance review phrases for Dental Hygienist.