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The differences between dental assistants and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a dental assistant and an assistant. Additionally, a dental assistant has an average salary of $37,730, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.
The top three skills for a dental assistant include patients, patient care and CPR. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Dental Assistant | Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,730 | $37,363 |
| Hourly rate | $18.14 | $17.96 |
| Growth rate | 8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 69,835 | 557,900 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 23% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 38 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Dental assistants provide patient care, have the ability to take x-rays, blood pressure readings, and help dentists perform treatments and procedures. They also keep patients' dental records, schedule appointments, prepare and maintain materials and equipment. They may conduct tests that are not much complicated and would not require the supervision of a dentist or dental surgeon. They also may administer and dispense medications to patients under the doctor's orders. Most dental assistants work in dentists' offices as full time in dental practice, but they can specialize and get employment in orthodontic or periodontist offices and other practices.
An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.
Dental assistants and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dental Assistant | Assistant | |
| Average salary | $37,730 | $37,363 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $16,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Saint Paul, MN | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Alameda Health System | Latham & Watkins |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between a dental assistant and an assistant in terms of educational background:
| Dental Assistant | Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 23% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Dental Assisting | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between dental assistants' and assistants' demographics:
| Dental Assistant | Assistant | |
| Average age | 38 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 11.5% Female, 88.5% | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.4% Asian, 9.1% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |