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Dental assistant/receptionist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, dental assistant/receptionists don't need a college education. The most common degree for dental assistant/receptionists is associate degree with 25% graduates, with only 22% dental assistant/receptionist graduates earning bachelor's degree. Dental assistant/receptionists who decided to graduate from college often finish Concorde Career College or Pima Medical Institute. Some good skills to have in this position include patients, customer service and dental procedures.

Popular dental assistant/receptionist certifications include Dental Assistant (RDA), Certified Dental Technician, or Certified Dental Assistant (CDA). To improve dental assistant/receptionist qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in dental assistant/receptionist education paths.

What education do you need to become a dental assistant/receptionist?

What degree do you need to be a dental assistant/receptionist?

The most common degree for dental assistant/receptionists is associate degree, with 25% of dental assistant/receptionists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 22% and bachelor's degree degree at 21%.
  • Associate, 25%
  • Bachelor's, 22%
  • High School Diploma, 21%
  • Diploma, 13%
  • Other Degrees, 19%

What should I major in to become a dental assistant/receptionist?

You should major in dental assisting to become a dental assistant/receptionist. 34% of dental assistant/receptionists major in dental assisting. Other common majors for a dental assistant/receptionist include business and general studies.

Best majors for dental assistant/receptionists

20 best online courses for dental assistant/receptionists

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1. Introduction to Dental Medicine

coursera

The mouth is the window into human health. This course provides an overview of dental medicine to engage, educate, excite and assist you in improving the oral health of your patients and members of your community. We will review topics in dental medicine including scope of the field, what to expect in function, and some of the many ways that dysfunction may present for different patients. This will include discussions of mouth, jaw, and tooth anatomy, pathology, and treatment. We will talk...

2. Materials in Oral Health

coursera

The drive for development of new and novel oral biomaterials has never been more important with many people using oral biomaterials today and seeing their benefits in restoring and improving their oral health for a more enjoyable lifestyle. The unique properties of biomaterials such as titanium (Ti), zirconia (ZrO2) and various polymeric materials have made them materials of choice in oral health: dental implants, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and even regenerative medicine. Oral biomaterials...

3. Modern Dental Extractions - Fast, Painless, & Non-invasive

udemy
4.5
(329)

The goal is less trauma and less drama! This is an update that teaches superior methods for atraumatic extractions...

4. Professional Receptionist Course by London Reception Academy

udemy
4.6
(358)

Master the traits of a Professional Receptionist studying deportment, elocution, customer service and telephone skills...

5. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers

coursera

This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...

6. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale

coursera

Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...

7. Supply Chain: Planning of Resources & Detailed Scheduling

udemy
4.5
(3,547)

Master the essentials of the Manufacturing, Planning and Control Hierarchy and become a recognized Supply Chain Leader...

8. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

udemy
4.5
(3,822)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

9. OSHA Workplace Safety (General Industry 6 Hr Class)

udemy
4.5
(2,583)

Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...

10. Becoming an Executive Personal Assistant

udemy
4.2
(282)

Learn how to be an effective personal assistant, and find out how to develop the skills for the role...

11. Customer Service Foundation

udemy
4.5
(290)

An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

12. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

udemy
4.5
(3,956)

Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

13. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

14. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

udemy
4.7
(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

15. Complete Data Entry Skills Course - Learn Data Entry Skills

udemy
4.4
(399)

Learn Essential Data Entry Skills Now To Enhance Your Career -Word - Excel - Database - Data Entry Jobs...

16. Become a Virtual Assistant

udemy
4.5
(1,223)

Live Free. Work Virtually. Virtual Assistant Training...

17. Data Entry Course for Beginners

udemy
4.6
(5,470)

Learn from a Successful Data Entry Professional!...

18. Virtual Assistant Training, a Complete Guide: Work From Home

udemy
4.4
(358)

Rock Star Virtual Assistant Training: Create an online business + become a freelancing virtual professional in any field...

19. OSHA Control of Hazardous Energy and Lock Out / Tag Out

udemy
4.5
(528)

OSHA required training under 29 CFR 1910 and 1926...

20. Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist

udemy
4.4
(811)

Health Information Technology HIT...

Average dental assistant/receptionist salary by education level

Dental assistant/receptionists with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $42,293 annually. With a Associate degree, dental assistant/receptionists earn a median annual income of $42,060 compared to $40,214 for dental assistant/receptionists with an High School Diploma degree.
Dental assistant/receptionist education levelDental assistant/receptionist salary
High School Diploma or Less$40,214
Bachelor's Degree$42,293
Some College/ Associate Degree$42,060

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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