Dental Assistants Career

For the Dental Assistants, the average hourly wage is $22.77 and the average annual wage is $47,350. Understand required skills and ability for the career and find right career colleges for it.
Dental Assistants career

Dental Assistants

The main tasks and work activities of Dental Assistants are to assist practitioners to perform medical procedures, prepare medical instruments or equipment for use, clean medical equipment, operate medical equipment. In general, for the Dental Assistants, active Listening, speaking, reading Comprehension, service Orientation and other 5 skills are required.

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Dental Assistants

Most Dental Assistants occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. 9.42% of Dental Assistants have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 62.54% of Dental Assistants have Post-Secondary Certificate. You can check detailed job description, required skiils, activities, and more detailed description at Dental Assistants tasks, skills, and ability page.
The following graph shows the percentage of earned degrees held by Dental Assistants occupational group.
Less than a High School Diploma
0.00%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
9.42%
Post-Secondary Certificate
62.54%
Some College Courses
8.46%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
11.99%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
7.59%

Vocational Programs for Dental Assistants Career

1 vocational program is closely related to the Dental Assistants occupation - Dental Assisting, Assistant. You can check the schools offering the programs with tuition, length of study, and earning information.
A program that prepares individuals to provide patient care, take dental radiographs (x-ray photographs), prepare patients and equipment for dental procedures, and discharge office administrative functions under the supervision of dentists and dental hygienists. Includes instruction in medical record-keeping, general office duties, reception and patient intake, scheduling, equipment maintenance and sterilization, basic radiography, pre- and post-operative patient care and instruction, chairside assisting, taking tooth and mouth impressions, and supervised practice
Average Program Tuition & Fees: $16,730
Average Program Length: 239 Contact Hours
Average Completion Time: 9.22 Months

Schools for Dental Assistants Occupation

The following schools offer the vocational programs and courses for preparing Dental Assistants. The list includes some 4-year colleges that have certificate or associate programs for the career.
Manchester, CT

Public, 2-4 years, Offering 77 programs to 4,164 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $14,100
Farmington, CT

Public, 2-4 years, Offering 56 programs to 3,267 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $14,220
Covington, TN

Public, 2-4 years, Offering 23 programs to 396 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $5,344
Clarksville, TN

Private, 4 years, Offering 22 programs to 371 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $20,110
Norcross, GA

Private, 2-4 years, Offering 6 programs to 319 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $15,060
Pittsburgh, PA

Private, 2-4 years, Offering 6 programs to 284 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $15,612
Houston, TX

Private, 2-4 years, Offering 7 programs to 260 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $15,230
Tampa, FL

Private, Less than 2 years, Offering 8 programs to 211 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $15,316
Little Rock, AR

Private, Less than 2 years, Offering 2 programs to 62 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $12,000
Murfreesboro, TN

Private, 4 years, Offering 15 programs to 57 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $22,851
Fayetteville, AR

Private, Less than 2 years, Offering 4 programs to 36 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $18,381
Citrus Heights, CA

Private, 2-4 years, Offering 4 programs to 34 enrolled students and its average tuition & fees is $19,918