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Advanced General Dentistry

Types of Degrees Advanced General Dentistry Majors Are Earning

Those studying Advanced General Dentistry may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	238

What Advanced General Dentistry Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Advanced General Dentistry emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Advanced General Dentistry graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Advanced General Dentistry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Advanced General Dentistry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Advanced General Dentistry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Advanced General Dentistry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Advanced General Dentistry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Henry Schein PerioVision	Medical software	—
Dental intra-oral imaging software	Medical software	—
DentiMax	Medical software	—
ToothPics software	Medical software	—
Henry Schein EndoVision	Medical software	—
Dental charting software	Medical software	—
Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft	Medical software	—
Kodak Dental Systems Kodak SOFTDENT Practice management software PMS	Medical software	—
ACE Dental	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Advanced General Dentistry graduates include:

• Family Dentist
• Dental Medicine Doctor (DMD)
• Dental Officer
• Dentist
• Endodontist
• Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)
• Pediatric Dentist
• Dental Surgery Doctor (DDS)
• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
• Periodontist
• Public Health Dentist
• General Dentist
• Clinical Assistant Professor
• Laboratory Technology Teacher
• Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Advanced General Dentistry graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	64.9%
Master’s degree	14.6%
Post-doctoral training	5.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.3%
Some college courses	5.1%
Bachelor’s degree	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	0.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Advanced General Dentistry?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 59.7% women and 40.3% men among Advanced General Dentistry graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	142	59.7%
Men	96	40.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Advanced General Dentistry graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	93	39.1%
Asian	29	12.2%
Hispanic or Latino	53	22.3%
Black or African American	10	4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	4	1.7%
Race Unknown	11	4.6%
International Students	37	15.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Advanced General Dentistry Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Advanced General Dentistry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$209,489
4 years	$191,956
5 years	$225,886

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $225,886 — roughly 8% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Advanced General Dentistry Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Advanced General Dentistry graduates earn a median of $191,956 four years after completion — roughly 405% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences	51.05
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	51.0599
Dental Clinical Sciences, General	51.0501
Dental Materials	51.0505
Dental Public Health and Education	51.0504
Digital Dentistry	51.0512
Endodontics/Endodontology	51.0506
Geriatric Dentistry	51.0513
Implantology/Implant Dentistry	51.0514
Oral Biology and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology	51.0503
Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery	51.0507
Orthodontics/Orthodontology	51.0508

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.