Dental secretary vs dental assistant

The differences between dental secretaries and dental assistants 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 secretary and a dental assistant. Additionally, a dental assistant has an average salary of $37,730, which is higher than the $33,630 average annual salary of a dental secretary.

The top three skills for a dental secretary include scheduling appointments, patients and patient appointments. The most important skills for a dental assistant are patients, patient care, and CPR.

Dental secretary vs dental assistant overview

	Dental Secretary	Dental Assistant
Yearly salary	$33,630	$37,730
Hourly rate	$16.17	$18.14
Growth rate	-8%	8%
Number of jobs	36,708	69,835
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 33%	Associate Degree, 23%
Average age	49	38
Years of experience	2	2

Dental secretary vs dental assistant salary

Dental secretaries and dental assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dental Secretary	Dental Assistant
Average salary	$33,630	$37,730
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $28,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	Saint Paul, MN
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between dental secretary and dental assistant education

There are a few differences between a dental secretary and a dental assistant in terms of educational background:

	Dental Secretary	Dental Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 33%	Associate Degree, 23%
Most common major	Business	Dental Assisting
Most common college	-	-

Dental secretary vs dental assistant demographics

Here are the differences between dental secretaries' and dental assistants' demographics:

	Dental Secretary	Dental Assistant
Average age	49	38
Gender ratio	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%	Male, 11.5% Female, 88.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	4%

Differences between dental secretary and dental assistant duties and responsibilities

Dental secretary example responsibilities.

Manage Eaglesoft system thereby maximizing and balancing the calendar of appointments to drive practice revenue while maintaining optimal practice productivity.
Bill charges to patients and insurance companies and process cash/credit and insurance check payments; make financial arrangements for patients.
Check patients in and out for appointments, billing, filing and pulling medical records, phone calls.
Provide technician support to psychologists and urologists by accurately and efficiently transcribing a wide range of medical conditions onto patient records.
Perform therapeutic treatments including: electric stimulation, ultrasound therapy, and lumbar and cervical decompression therapy.

Dental assistant example responsibilities.

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

Dental secretary vs dental assistant skills

Common dental secretary skills

Scheduling Appointments, 40%
Patients, 36%
Patient Appointments, 3%
Insurance Forms, 3%
Insurance Claims, 3%
Check-In, 2%

Common dental assistant skills

Patients, 30%
Patient Care, 6%
CPR, 5%
Oral Care, 4%
Customer Service, 4%
Dental Procedures, 3%