Dental Assistants
Perform limited clinical duties under the direction of a dentist. Clinical duties may include equipment preparation and sterilization, preparing patients for treatment, assisting the dentist during treatment, and providing patients with instructions for oral healthcare procedures. May perform administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.
- Median pay
- $48,070
- Doing it now
- 388,600
- By 2035
- Up 7.4%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary nondegree award
a year
across the country
53,000 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Prepare patient, sterilize or disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, or assist dentist during dental procedures.
- Expose dental diagnostic x-rays.
- Record treatment information in patient records.
- Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients.
- Provide postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist.
- Assist dentist in management of medical or dental emergencies.
- Pour, trim, and polish study casts.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsSee 105 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Organised and precise
Hands-on and practical
Helping and teaching
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $48,070 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.