Pharmacist vs dentist

The differences between pharmacists and dentists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a dentist has an average salary of $147,415, which is higher than the $118,968 average annual salary of a pharmacist.

The top three skills for a pharmacist include patients, customer service and employee development. The most important skills for a dentist are patients, diagnosis, and DDS.

Pharmacist vs dentist overview

	Pharmacist	Dentist
Yearly salary	$118,968	$147,415
Hourly rate	$57.20	$70.87
Growth rate	2%	6%
Number of jobs	50,943	8,570
Job satisfaction	3.67	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	42	46
Years of experience	-	-

What does a pharmacist do?

Pharmacists are medical experts who distribute prescribed medications and immunizations to individuals. They are responsible for ensuring the quality of medicines supplied to patients, which should be within the law and prescribing only what is suitable to the condition of the user and provide proper knowledge on how to take them and possible reactions or side effects that may occur. Pharmacists could work in all environments where medications are used, or medication therapy is appraised as part of patients' care plan but most commonly in hospitals, community-based setting, and health systems.

What does a dentist do?

Dentists are physicians specializing in oral health. The main responsibilities of dentists are to diagnose oral diseases and treat them with the help of different equipment and technologies. They manage to provide several services like tooth repair, cavities removal, teeth whitening, fillings, crowns, bridges, and even surgical procedures. They also help promote oral care by participating in community outreach and awareness programs. Sometimes, they would also conduct lectures and seminars for preventive education.

Pharmacist vs dentist salary

Pharmacists and dentists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pharmacist	Dentist
Average salary	$118,968	$147,415
Salary range	Between $93,000 And $151,000	Between $99,000 And $218,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	Lynn, MA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Safeway	The Primary Health Network
Best paying industry	Retail	Health Care

Differences between pharmacist and dentist education

There are a few differences between a pharmacist and a dentist in terms of educational background:

	Pharmacist	Dentist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Pharmacy	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Southern California

Pharmacist vs dentist demographics

Here are the differences between pharmacists' and dentists' demographics:

	Pharmacist	Dentist
Average age	42	46
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.6% Asian, 20.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 22.0% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	12%

Differences between pharmacist and dentist duties and responsibilities

Pharmacist example responsibilities.

Perform diabetes interviews along with physician collaboration agreement to manage therapy and optimal goals.
Dose and manage all Vancomycin and Aminoglycoside antibiotics throughout the entire hospital including overseeing, evaluating, and ordering antibiotic labs.
Perform critical care and oncology medication therapy management reviews for all patients assign to both satellite pharmacies.
Assist with transition to new computer system pending start of permanent PIC.
Deliver approximately 20K prescriptions per day to patients through budgeting Dr. Andy Nguyen, Pharm.
Provide small-group formal educational presentations for cardiac rehabilitation patients.

Dentist example responsibilities.

Manage HMO and indemnity dental insurances.
Manage early and moderate periodontal disease, evaluate the results of periodontal treatment and establish maintenance program.
Experience with Medicaid, HMO, and PPO dental insurance plans.
Shadow Dr. Victor Avis, DDS in all dental procedures and assist in routine and surgical oral surgeries.
Provide dental service mostly to Medicaid patient.
Full mouth prophyllaxis, assisting flap surgery, frenectomy.

Pharmacist vs dentist skills

Common pharmacist skills

Patients, 22%
Customer Service, 11%
Employee Development, 8%
Allergies, 6%
Patient Care, 6%
Drug Therapy, 5%

Common dentist skills

Patients, 27%
Diagnosis, 9%
DDS, 8%
Work Ethic, 8%
Dentures, 4%
Treatment Planning, 4%

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Pharmacist vs Dentist

Updated January 8, 2025

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