Dental surgeon vs oral surgeon

The differences between dental surgeons and oral surgeons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a dental surgeon and an oral surgeon. Additionally, an oral surgeon has an average salary of $427,828, which is higher than the $279,537 average annual salary of a dental surgeon.

The top three skills for a dental surgeon include patients, diagnosis and dental clinic. The most important skills for an oral surgeon are patients, patient care, and dental care.

Dental surgeon vs oral surgeon overview

	Dental Surgeon	Oral Surgeon
Yearly salary	$279,537	$427,828
Hourly rate	$134.39	$205.69
Growth rate	7%	6%
Number of jobs	32,596	23,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 29%
Average age	49	46
Years of experience	6	6

What does a dental surgeon do?

A Dental Surgeon performs surgery on various parts of the head, neck, and mouth. They perform repairs on injuries due to facial trauma, reconstruction to correct birth defects, and treatment of various diseases.

What does an oral surgeon do?

Oral Surgeons consult with patients and analyze patient information to determine the patient's requirements and treatment objectives. They plan treatments by partnering with other professionals like orthodontists and restorative dentists. These professionals record patients' care by keeping comprehensive patient appointment notes relating to test results, prescribed treatments, prescribed tests, and comments. Besides administering local anesthetics and general anesthetics, where necessary, oral surgeons also prescribe medication that can control pain after surgical procedures and improve patient recovery.

Dental surgeon vs oral surgeon salary

Dental surgeons and oral surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dental Surgeon	Oral Surgeon
Average salary	$279,537	$427,828
Salary range	Between $150,000 And $517,000	Between $213,000 And $856,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	SEARHC
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between dental surgeon and oral surgeon education

There are a few differences between a dental surgeon and an oral surgeon in terms of educational background:

	Dental Surgeon	Oral Surgeon
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 29%
Most common major	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Dental surgeon vs oral surgeon demographics

Here are the differences between dental surgeons' and oral surgeons' demographics:

	Dental Surgeon	Oral Surgeon
Average age	49	46
Gender ratio	Male, 39.5% Female, 60.5%	Male, 25.2% Female, 74.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 17.4% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between dental surgeon and oral surgeon duties and responsibilities

Dental surgeon example responsibilities.

Manage early and moderate periodontal disease, evaluate the results of periodontal treatment and establish maintenance program.
Work collaboratively with other professionals to create effective treatment for the patients.
Research on tobacco induce oral cancers and diagnose and perform surgical treatments on oral cancer patients.
General dentistry focuse on restorative, minor surgeries and open method extractions, removable prosthetics, endodontics, non-surgical periodontics
Review A/R report & outstanding claim for follow up with office manager at EOM.

Oral surgeon example responsibilities.

Manage all incoming medical records requests (ensuring office is within HIPPA guidelines).
Assist oral surgeon with daily dental procedures such as tooth extraction, implant placement, soft tissue surgery.
Prepare patients and surgical suite for examinations and surgical procedures.
Count needles, instruments and sponges.
Follow OSHA and HIPAA rules and regulations.
Enter treatment plans into Dentrix computer program.

Dental surgeon vs oral surgeon skills

Common dental surgeon skills

Patients, 33%
Diagnosis, 10%
Dental Clinic, 9%
Surgical Extractions, 5%
Oral Surgery, 5%
Surgical Procedures, 4%

Common oral surgeon skills

Patients, 46%
Patient Care, 19%
Dental Care, 9%
DMD, 6%
OSHA, 5%
Extraction, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Dental Surgeon
Dental Surgeon vs Oral Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

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