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Dental Residency

What Dental Residency Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Dental Residency emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 5.0 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Dental Residency program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Dental Residency careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Finger Dexterity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Dental Residency graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.5 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Dental Residency professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Henry Schein Easy Dental	Medical software	—
Henry Schein DentalVision Professional	Medical software	—
Kodak Dental Systems Kodak PRACTICEWORKS Practice management software PMS	Medical software	—
Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft	Medical software	—
Henry Schein Dentrix	Medical software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
DSN Software Oral Surgery-Exec	Medical software	—
Dental clinical records software	Medical software	—
MDC Services DentalMate	Medical software	—
Windent OMS	Medical software	—
Kodak Dental Systems Kodak SOFTDENT Practice management software PMS	Medical software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Dental Residency graduates include:

• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
• Public Health Dentist
• Periodontist
• Endodontist
• Pediatric Dentist
• General Dentist
• Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)
• Family Dentist
• Dental Officer
• Dentist
• Dental Surgery Doctor (DDS)
• Dental Medicine Doctor (DMD)
• Maxillofacial Prosthodontist
• Prosthetic Dentist
• Dental Science Dr (Dental Science Doctor)

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	49.9%
Post-doctoral training	37.2%
Some college courses	3.1%
Master’s degree	2.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.4%
First professional degree	2.1%
Postsecondary certificate	2.0%
Bachelor’s degree	0.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

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

How Much Do Dental Residency Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Dental Residency 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	$229,117
4 years	$192,703
5 years	$242,047

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $242,047 — roughly 6% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Dental Residency Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Dental Residency graduates earn a median of $192,703 four years after completion — roughly 407% 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
Professional Residency Programs	60
HEALTH PROFESSIONS RESIDENCY/FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS	60.00
Medical Residency Programs	60.02
Medical Residency Programs - General Certificates	60.04
Medical Residency Programs - Subspecialty Certificates	60.05
Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Programs	60.07
Physician Assistant Residency/Fellowship Programs	60.09
Podiatric Medicine Residency Programs	60.06
Veterinary Residency/Fellowship Programs	60.03

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.