Office receptionist vs dental receptionist

The differences between office receptionists and dental receptionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office receptionist and a dental receptionist. Additionally, a dental receptionist has an average salary of $34,359, which is higher than the $33,554 average annual salary of an office receptionist.

The top three skills for an office receptionist include patients, customer service and phone calls. The most important skills for a dental receptionist are patients, customer service, and phone calls.

Office receptionist vs dental receptionist overview

	Office Receptionist	Dental Receptionist
Yearly salary	$33,554	$34,359
Hourly rate	$16.13	$16.52
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	80,143	66,076
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office receptionist do?

An office receptionist, or administrative assistant, performs various administrative tasks for an organization. These tasks may include answering phone calls, providing the public and customers with information, and warmly welcoming, greeting, and directing visitors or guests accordingly. Additionally, an office receptionist is responsible for maintaining security by issuing visitor badges, monitoring logbooks, and following procedures. Administrative assistants are also responsible for preparing and processing travel vouchers and other documents. Some employers prefer someone with a college or bachelor's degree, telephone skills, and excellent communication skills.

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.

Office receptionist vs dental receptionist salary

Office receptionists and dental receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Receptionist	Dental Receptionist
Average salary	$33,554	$34,359
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Dairy Farmers of America	University of Southern California
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Health Care

Differences between office receptionist and dental receptionist education

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

	Office Receptionist	Dental Receptionist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Office receptionist vs dental receptionist demographics

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

	Office Receptionist	Dental Receptionist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 9.5% Female, 90.5%	Male, 4.9% Female, 95.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office receptionist and dental receptionist duties and responsibilities

Office receptionist example responsibilities.

Verify insurance information and manage medical records while ensuring confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements.
Answer phones, make copies, Microsoft, PowerPoint, scheduling, greet and interact with clients, filing and mailing.
Complete and audit payroll for accuracy.
Process payroll and monthly/quarterly sales tax liabilities.
Stock exam rooms, sterilize instruments and occasionally assist physician with patients.
Provide high-quality customer-service to patients by treating them respectfully and t with discretion.

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.

Office receptionist vs dental receptionist skills

Common office receptionist skills

Patients, 20%
Customer Service, 15%
Phone Calls, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Front Desk, 6%
Appointment Scheduling, 5%

Common dental receptionist skills

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

Office Receptionist vs. similar jobs

Office Receptionist related careers

Office Receptionist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Office Receptionist
Office Receptionist vs Dental Receptionist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs