General surgeon vs dental surgeon

The differences between general surgeons and dental 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 general surgeon and a dental surgeon. Additionally, a dental surgeon has an average salary of $279,537, which is higher than the $223,321 average annual salary of a general surgeon.

The top three skills for a general surgeon include patients, EMR and medical education. The most important skills for a dental surgeon are patients, diagnosis, and dental clinic.

General surgeon vs dental surgeon overview

	General Surgeon	Dental Surgeon
Yearly salary	$223,321	$279,537
Hourly rate	$107.37	$134.39
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	45,174	32,596
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	6	6

What does a general surgeon do?

The General Surgeon's role is to perform operations to treat or prevent diseases, repair damage caused by injuries, and improve the functions of the human body through the use of different surgical instruments. They also assess patients and explain different diagnostic tests that are performed.

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.

General surgeon vs dental surgeon salary

General surgeons and dental surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Surgeon	Dental Surgeon
Average salary	$223,321	$279,537
Salary range	Between $121,000 And $411,000	Between $150,000 And $517,000
Highest paying City	Watertown, NY	-
Highest paying state	Connecticut	-
Best paying company	Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between general surgeon and dental surgeon education

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

	General Surgeon	Dental Surgeon
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Medicine	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences
Most common college	Duke University	University of Southern California

General surgeon vs dental surgeon demographics

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

	General Surgeon	Dental Surgeon
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 53.9% Female, 46.1%	Male, 39.5% Female, 60.5%
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, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between general surgeon and dental surgeon duties and responsibilities

General surgeon example responsibilities.

Manage insurance authorization and hospital bookings for surgery.
Provide preoperative diagnosis of patients, perform the necessary emergency or elective surgery, and provide postoperative surgical care and treatment.
Provide patient ancillary testing such as EKG, NDX and NCV.
Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
Assist the physician during angioplasty and endovenous laser ablation procedures.
Clean operating room and wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.

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.

General surgeon vs dental surgeon skills

Common general surgeon skills

Patients, 34%
EMR, 14%
Medical Education, 9%
Patient Care, 8%
Endoscopy, 6%
Private Practice, 3%

Common dental surgeon skills

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

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General Surgeon
General Surgeon vs Dental Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

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