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The differences between dental assistant/receptionists and dental receptionists 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/receptionist and a dental receptionist. Additionally, a dental assistant/receptionist has an average salary of $38,823, which is higher than the $34,359 average annual salary of a dental receptionist.
The top three skills for a dental assistant/receptionist include patients, customer service and dental procedures. The most important skills for a dental receptionist are patients, customer service, and phone calls.
| Dental Assistant/Receptionist | Dental Receptionist | |
| Yearly salary | $38,823 | $34,359 |
| Hourly rate | $18.66 | $16.52 |
| Growth rate | 8% | - |
| Number of jobs | 80,317 | 66,076 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A dental assistant/receptionist is responsible for managing dental appointments, including scheduling or canceling patients' dental sessions. Dental assistants/receptionists inform patients ahead of time if the dentist is out to reschedule another appointment. They also process payments, respond to customer's inquiries about dental services the clinic offers, updating patient information on the database, and creating a patient chart and visiting records for the dental staff's reference. A dental assistant/receptionist must have excellent communication and organization skills to assist patients efficiently and perform administrative tasks as needed.
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.
Dental assistant/receptionists and dental receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dental Assistant/Receptionist | Dental Receptionist | |
| Average salary | $38,823 | $34,359 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $57,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | Bellingham, WA |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Mount Sinai Health System | University of Southern California |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a dental assistant/receptionist and a dental receptionist in terms of educational background:
| Dental Assistant/Receptionist | Dental Receptionist | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Dental Assisting | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between dental assistant/receptionists' and dental receptionists' demographics:
| Dental Assistant/Receptionist | Dental Receptionist | |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.7% Female, 93.3% | Male, 4.9% Female, 95.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.8% Asian, 8.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 27.0% Asian, 5.5% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 6% |