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Dental Assisting/Assistant

Types of Degrees Dental Assisting/Assistant Majors Are Earning

Those studying Dental Assisting/Assistant can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10,111
Associate’s Degree	1,362
Bachelor’s Degree	1
Master’s Degree	3,832

What Dental Assisting/Assistant Majors Need to Know

Programs in Dental Assisting/Assistant build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Dental Assisting/Assistant graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Dental Assisting/Assistant emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Dental Assisting/Assistant program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Dental Assisting/Assistant careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Dental Assisting/Assistant graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Dental Assisting/Assistant professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
TechSmith Snagit	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Dental Assisting/Assistant graduates include:

• Health Assessment and Treatment Teacher
• Educational Therapy Teacher
• Medicine Teacher
• Clinical Laboratory Service Teacher
• Oxygen Therapy Teacher
• Physical Therapy Professor
• Psychiatry Teacher
• Clinical Full Professor
• Public Health Aides Teacher
• Inhalation Therapy Teacher
• Childbirth Teacher
• Public Health Professor
• Pharmacology Professor
• Lecturer
• Mental Health Aides Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Dental Assisting/Assistant graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	24.9%
Doctoral degree	17.3%
Postsecondary certificate	16.2%
Post-doctoral training	13.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	8.8%
Bachelor’s degree	8.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.8%
Some college courses	5.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Dental Assisting/Assistant?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 92% of Dental Assisting/Assistant degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	14,307	92.0%
Men	1,250	8.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Dental Assisting/Assistant graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,873	24.9%
Asian	588	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	5,701	36.6%
Black or African American	2,531	16.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	136	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	38	0.2%
Two or More Races	473	3.0%
Race Unknown	2,148	13.8%
International Students	69	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Dental Assisting/Assistant Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Dental Assisting/Assistant graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$28,149
4 years	$30,974
5 years	$33,855

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $33,855 — roughly 20% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Dental Assisting/Assistant Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Dental Assisting/Assistant. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	2	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Dental Assisting/Assistant Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Dental Assisting/Assistant graduates earn a median of $30,974 four years after completion — about 18% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	51.06
Dental Hygiene/Hygienist	51.0602
Dental Laboratory Technology/Technician	51.0603
Dental Services and Allied Professions, Other	51.0699
Advanced General Dentistry	51.0502
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	51.0599
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	51.0999

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.