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The differences between lead dental assistants and dental technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a lead dental assistant and a dental technician. Additionally, a dental technician has an average salary of $68,232, which is higher than the $41,290 average annual salary of a lead dental assistant.
The top three skills for a lead dental assistant include patients, infection control and patient care. The most important skills for a dental technician are patients, dentures, and dental care.
| Lead Dental Assistant | Dental Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,290 | $68,232 |
| Hourly rate | $19.85 | $32.80 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 31,588 | 45,536 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 24% | Associate Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Lead dental assistants and dental technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Dental Assistant | Dental Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,290 | $68,232 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $40,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Columbia, MD |
| Highest paying state | - | Maryland |
| Best paying company | - | Private Practice |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a lead dental assistant and a dental technician in terms of educational background:
| Lead Dental Assistant | Dental Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 24% | Associate Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Dental Assisting | Dental Assisting |
| Most common college | - | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between lead dental assistants' and dental technicians' demographics:
| Lead Dental Assistant | Dental Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 9.2% Female, 90.8% | Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.7% Asian, 8.0% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 9.5% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |