Dental receptionist vs front office clerk

The differences between dental receptionists and front office clerks 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 receptionist and a front office clerk. Additionally, a dental receptionist has an average salary of $34,359, which is higher than the $31,051 average annual salary of a front office clerk.

The top three skills for a dental receptionist include patients, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for a front office clerk are patients, check-in, and data entry.

Dental receptionist vs front office clerk overview

	Dental Receptionist	Front Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$34,359	$31,051
Hourly rate	$16.52	$14.93
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	66,076	163,789
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Associate Degree, 28%
Average age	42	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a dental receptionist do?

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.

What does a front office clerk do?

A front office clerk performs various administrative and secretarial duties, including welcoming and greeting clients and visitors, answering telephone calls, and managing the office budget. You will be responsible for monitoring, organizing, and forwarding emails and maintaining files and records. Other duties include following company policies and procedures, organizing transportation for guests, and handling and resolving guest complaints. In addition, you will also be responsible for invoicing and billing guests for their stay and used services.

Dental receptionist vs front office clerk salary

Dental receptionists and front office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dental Receptionist	Front Office Clerk
Average salary	$34,359	$31,051
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Bellingham, WA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	University of Southern California	Limbach
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between dental receptionist and front office clerk education

There are a few differences between a dental receptionist and a front office clerk in terms of educational background:

	Dental Receptionist	Front Office Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Associate Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Dental receptionist vs front office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between dental receptionists' and front office clerks' demographics:

	Dental Receptionist	Front Office Clerk
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 4.9% Female, 95.1%	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between dental receptionist and front office clerk duties and responsibilities

Dental receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage an adjoining veterinary supply shop that sell medications, animal food and pet equipment.
Perform administrative and receptionist duties by managing patient records while staying in compliance with HIPAA and JCAHO.
Manage Eaglesoft system thereby maximizing and balancing the calendar of appointments to drive practice revenue while maintaining optimal practice productivity.
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Register new patients according to office protocol using EagleSoft.
Experience in PPO and some HMO insurances.

Front office clerk example responsibilities.

Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Maintain a high knowledge level of regulations on the confidentiality of medical records (HIPAA).
Verify releases of information according to HIPPA regulations.
Maintain confidentiality of patient information; abiding by HIPPA guidelines.
Register all patients per registration protocols, schedule appointments, and provide appointment reminder calls.
Respond to routine technical questions regarding patients' right and responsibilities and medical eligibility for care.

Dental receptionist vs front office clerk skills

Common dental receptionist skills

Patients, 35%
Customer Service, 17%
Phone Calls, 10%
Patient Accounts, 8%
Front Desk, 3%
HMO, 3%

Common front office clerk skills

Patients, 34%
Check-In, 8%
Data Entry, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Front Desk, 4%
Appointment Scheduling, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Dental Receptionist
Dental Receptionist vs Front Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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