Public health dentist vs certified medical technician

The differences between public health dentists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a public health dentist has an average salary of $135,273, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a public health dentist include community health, dental care and mental health. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Public health dentist vs certified medical technician overview

	Public Health Dentist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$135,273	$38,859
Hourly rate	$65.04	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	62,700	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	46	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a public health dentist do?

Public Health Dentists have a hefty requirement of a master's or bachelor's degree in public health with licensure in dentistry and experience in the field as a prerequisite for this career. In addition, they will need strong skills in communication, manual dexterity, teamwork, and a great deal of patience, stamina for long hours of work, and an approach that is both thorough and methodological. Those who apply for this career will be expected to provide expertise in population-based dentistry, oral health surveillance, disease prevention on a community level, health promotion, and maintenance for the dental safety net.

What does a certified medical technician do?

Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.

Public health dentist vs certified medical technician salary

Public health dentists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Health Dentist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$135,273	$38,859
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $284,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Alaska
Best paying company	CHRISTUS Health	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between public health dentist and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a public health dentist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Public Health Dentist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences	Nursing
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Connecticut

Public health dentist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between public health dentists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Public Health Dentist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	46	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.6% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	12%	8%

Differences between public health dentist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Public health dentist example responsibilities.

Manage early and moderate periodontal disease, evaluate the results of periodontal treatment and establish maintenance program.
Examine typical human smoking patterns and variation in tobacco biomarkers to smoke constituents across a range of cigarette tar categories.
Assess the differences in biomarkers of exposure among African-Americans and Caucasians, comparing menthol and non-menthol cigarette smoking.
Assess the differences in biomarkers of exposure among African-Americans and Caucasians, comparing menthol and non-menthol cigarette smoking.

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Public health dentist vs certified medical technician skills

Common public health dentist skills

Community Health, 17%
Dental Care, 16%
Mental Health, 11%
Public Health Programs, 11%
Oral Surgery, 9%
Food Safety, 8%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

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Public Health Dentist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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