What does a dental assistant do?
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.
Dental assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real dental assistant resumes:
- Help dentist to manage dental and medical emergencies by maintaining CPR certification, emergency drug and oxygen supply.
- Assist with Endo, implants and periodontal surgeries.
- Implement MSDS record keeping and biological monitoring system logs.
- Assist in clinical procedures (all specialties except orthodontics).
- Maintain highest degree of patient confidentiality as per HIPPA law.
- Sole dental assistant for small private practice using a variety of EFDA skills
- Maintain all update documentation on clinic information including MSDS and the dental manual.
- Cross-Train in other dental support positions as necessary, i.e., reception and orthodontics.
- Certify in dental radiography in the state of Indiana and a DANB certify dental assistant.
- Assume the responsibility associate with RDA functions and duties that may be delegate by the dentist.
- Qualify in dental radiology using technical skills to expose, process, duplicate and mount radiographic films.
- Provide last minute services as an on-call, skil, RDA to dental offices in emergency staffing situations and/or maternity leaves
- Assist the dentist with every procedure, such as basic restorative, surgeries and extractions, crown preps, and endo.
- Assist in amalgam and composite restoration procedures
- Chair side soft-liner replacement for temporary dentures.
Dental assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 30% of Dental Assistants are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and CPR. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Dexterity, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Dental Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 30%
Organized and maintained dental officers calendar and kept detailed schedule of patients treatment appointments.
- Patient Care, 6%
Provided patient care and service while resolving daily complications, projecting a positive attitude, developing positive patient rapports.
- CPR, 5%
Instructed Dental Students *Chair side and Instruments *CPR Certified *OSHA Standards *Radiology Certified Anatomy and Anesthesiology
- Oral Care, 4%
Performed coronal polishing, irrigation, applied sealants, provided personal oral care instructions and educated patients in post-procedure care.
- Customer Service, 4%
Provide front office administration and support including database administration, scheduling of patient appointments, inventory control, and customer service.
- Dental Procedures, 3%
Worked closely with patients before, during and after dental procedures while maintaining proper universal precautions and infection control procedures.
"patients," "patient care," and "cpr" are among the most common skills that dental assistants use at work. You can find even more dental assistant responsibilities below, including:
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a dental assistant to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "dental assistants must follow specific rules and protocols, such as infection control procedures, when helping dentists treat patients." Additionally, a dental assistant resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "prepped patient for dental treatment, cleaned patient's teeth and went over in detail about importance of oral hygiene. "
Dexterity. Many dental assistant duties rely on dexterity. "dental assistants must be good at working with their hands," so a dental assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways dental assistant responsibilities rely on dexterity: "assist dentist with implants sinus lifts, bone grafting, performed ct scans"
Interpersonal skills. dental assistants are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to dental assistant responsibilities, because "dental assistants work closely with dentists." A dental assistant resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "recognized for excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills. "
Listening skills. dental assistant responsibilities often require "listening skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "dental assistants must pay attention to patients and other healthcare workers." This resume example shows what dental assistants do with listening skills on a typical day: "communicated with patients including scheduling appointments and calling to follow up with patients after visits. "
Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in dental assistant job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what dental assistants do. Dental assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "dental assistants should have excellent organizational skills." You can also see how dental assistant duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "possess excellent organizational, interpersonal and administrative skills. "
The three companies that hire the most dental assistants are:
- Aspen Dental624 dental assistants jobs
- Heartland Dental591 dental assistants jobs
- Western Dental538 dental assistants jobs
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Compare different dental assistants
Dental assistant vs. Sterile technician
In the medical industry, a sterile technician is in charge of cleaning and sterilizing surgical and medical tools and devices. They must also operate and organize equipment, monitor the inventory of supplies, maintain official records, coordinate with staff, transport supplies, and keep the cleanliness of different operating areas, decontaminating them to maintain a safe and healthy workflow. Furthermore, a sterile technician must set-up and prepare equipment for procedures, all while adhering to the facility's safety policies and regulations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, dental assistant responsibilities require skills like "oral care," "treatment procedures," "dental care," and "oral health." Meanwhile a typical sterile technician has skills in areas such as "aseptic technique," "surgical instruments," "cleanliness," and "sterilization equipment." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Sterile technicians tend to make the most money working in the pharmaceutical industry, where they earn an average salary of $40,295. In contrast, dental assistants make the biggest average salary, $46,005, in the government industry.On average, sterile technicians reach similar levels of education than dental assistants. Sterile technicians are 0.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Dental assistant vs. Assistant to the chairperson
An Assistant to the Chairperson performs various administrative functions, such as faculty appointment and promotion, special projects management and coordination, and research administration. They report directly to the chairperson.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that dental assistant responsibilities requires skills like "oral care," "customer service," "osha," and "treatment procedures." But an assistant to the chairperson might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "travel arrangements," "financial reports," "meeting minutes," and "event planning."
On average, assistants to the chairperson earn a higher salary than dental assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, assistants to the chairperson earn the most pay in the media industry with an average salary of $50,188. Whereas dental assistants have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $46,005.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Assistants to the chairperson tend to reach higher levels of education than dental assistants. In fact, they're 10.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dental assistant vs. Dental officer
A dental receptionist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support dental office operations and ensure that the patients receive the highest quality care services. Dental receptionists manage and schedule the patients' appointments, determine the availability of the dentist, process dental reports and service payments, and ensure the adequacy of dental inventories. They also organize the database system by updating patients' information, sending referrals to medical specialists, pulling-up patient charts, and responding to the patients' dental inquiries and concerns.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a dental assistant is likely to be skilled in "patient care," "cpr," "oral care," and "customer service," while a typical dental officer is skilled in "dental program," "dental surgery," "infection control," and "immunization."
When it comes to education, dental officers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to dental assistants. In fact, they're 3.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 40.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Dental assistant vs. Dental receptionist
Types of dental assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
