Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between dental assistants and dental hygiene professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a dental assistant, becoming a dental hygiene professor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a dental hygiene professor has an average salary of $253,770, which is higher than the $37,730 average annual salary of a dental assistant.
The top three skills for a dental assistant include patients, patient care and CPR. The most important skills for a dental hygiene professor are patients, patient care, and local anesthesia.
| Dental Assistant | Dental Hygiene Professor | |
| Yearly salary | $37,730 | $253,770 |
| Hourly rate | $18.14 | $122.00 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 69,835 | 33,814 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 23% | Associate Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 38 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Dental assistants and dental hygiene professors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dental Assistant | Dental Hygiene Professor | |
| Average salary | $37,730 | $253,770 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $128,000 And $500,000 |
| Highest paying City | Saint Paul, MN | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Alameda Health System | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a dental assistant and a dental hygiene professor in terms of educational background:
| Dental Assistant | Dental Hygiene Professor | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 23% | Associate Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Dental Assisting | Dental Assisting |
| Most common college | - | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between dental assistants' and dental hygiene professors' demographics:
| Dental Assistant | Dental Hygiene Professor | |
| Average age | 38 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 11.5% Female, 88.5% | Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8% |
| 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, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 16% |