Dentists, General
Also called: DDS (Dental Surgery Doctor), Dentist, Family Dentist, General DentistExamine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. May fit dental appliances or provide preventive care.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 20 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 5.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dentists”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 98% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $230,990 | $129,910 to $279,870 | 310 |
| Arizona | $194,180 | $118,910 to $221,380 | 3,470 |
| Arkansas | $178,930 | $127,540 to $209,720 | 1,210 |
| California | $165,950 | $124,470 to $213,260 | 16,770 |
| Colorado | $166,240 | $103,820 to $210,080 | 2,940 |
| Connecticut | $160,440 | $121,420 to $205,220 | 1,950 |
| Delaware | not published | not published | 390 |
| District of Columbia | not published | not published | 340 |
| Florida | $174,900 | $128,440 to $229,990 | 9,320 |
| Georgia | $206,760 | $154,550 to $257,910 | 2,620 |
| Hawaii | $167,820 | $93,720 to $392,340 | 830 |
| Idaho | $124,190 | $104,520 to $155,060 | 650 |
| Illinois | $156,110 | $124,800 to $272,510 | 6,940 |
| Indiana | $166,650 | $123,420 to $281,220 | 2,300 |
| Iowa | $181,520 | $136,100 to $209,880 | 1,240 |
| Kentucky | $134,160 | $103,720 to $165,180 | 790 |
| Louisiana | $170,750 | $101,670 to $213,660 | 1,500 |
| Maine | $209,200 | $160,980 to $351,830 | 310 |
| Maryland | $168,500 | $134,850 to $215,960 | 2,100 |
| Massachusetts | $181,600 | $157,670 to $315,990 | 2,780 |
| Michigan | $169,930 | $132,570 to $212,630 | 3,620 |
| Minnesota | $219,200 | $194,990 to $220,230 | 2,370 |
| Mississippi | $143,660 | $77,620 to $195,110 | 740 |
| Missouri | $204,960 | $131,980 to $334,680 | 2,440 |
| Montana | $167,200 | $121,610 to $202,310 | 380 |
| Nebraska | $179,750 | $130,720 to $248,590 | 790 |
| Nevada | $162,200 | $128,880 to $195,630 | 1,100 |
| New Hampshire | $177,480 | $129,650 to $260,000 | 500 |
| New Jersey | $171,330 | $132,710 to $260,000 | 2,980 |
| New Mexico | $155,260 | $118,560 to $226,330 | 780 |
| New York | $183,060 | $109,220 to $221,910 | 7,340 |
| North Carolina | $207,000 | $151,810 to $232,880 | 4,140 |
| North Dakota | $220,660 | $151,110 to $275,680 | 260 |
| Ohio | $167,410 | $96,370 to $222,820 | 2,790 |
| Oklahoma | $166,170 | $107,880 to $228,710 | 980 |
| Oregon | $211,690 | $169,430 to $306,890 | 1,660 |
| Pennsylvania | $163,390 | $112,640 to $210,650 | 4,460 |
| Puerto Rico | $107,560 | $90,940 to $132,630 | 150 |
| Rhode Island | $161,560 | $124,990 to $197,350 | 360 |
| South Carolina | $158,640 | $121,090 to $228,820 | 2,140 |
| South Dakota | $158,140 | $104,540 to $191,280 | 390 |
| Tennessee | $215,290 | $133,710 to $269,120 | 2,200 |
| Texas | $162,360 | $119,990 to $216,390 | 8,920 |
| Utah | $133,320 | $101,100 to $165,580 | 1,020 |
| Vermont | $204,960 | $156,050 to $234,980 | 240 |
| Virginia | $197,110 | $134,870 to $259,530 | 4,140 |
| Washington | $169,730 | $119,250 to $235,180 | 3,240 |
| West Virginia | $170,370 | $129,990 to $268,400 | 420 |
| Wisconsin | $193,690 | $155,940 to $265,220 | 2,560 |
| Wyoming | $123,830 | $101,970 to $176,870 | 240 |
Nationally: $170,950. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 20 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases. | Not published |
| Not much | Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine teeth, gums, and related tissues, using dental instruments, x-rays, or other diagnostic equipment, to evaluate dental health, diagnose diseases or abnormalities, and plan appropriate treatments. | Not published |
| Not much | Use dental air turbines, hand instruments, dental appliances, or surgical implements. | Not published |
| AI alone | Advise or instruct patients regarding preventive dental care, the causes and treatment of dental problems, or oral health care services. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Formulate plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue. | Not published |
See all 20 tasks
| Not much | Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, or malformations of teeth, gums, or related oral structures and provide preventive or corrective services. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write prescriptions for antibiotics or other medications. | Not published |
| Not much | Design, make, or fit prosthodontic appliances, such as space maintainers, bridges, or dentures, or write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for denturists or dental technicians. | Not published |
| Not much | Eliminate irritating margins of fillings and correct occlusions, using dental instruments. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove diseased tissue, using surgical instruments. | Not published |
| AI + software | Analyze or evaluate dental needs to determine changes or trends in patterns of dental disease. | Not published |
| Not much | Manage business aspects such as employing or supervising staff or handling paperwork or insurance claims. | Not published |
| Not much | Apply fluoride or sealants to teeth. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform oral or periodontal surgery on the jaw or mouth. | Not published |
| Not much | Treat exposure of pulp by pulp capping, removal of pulp from pulp chamber, or root canal, using dental instruments. | Not published |
| Not much | Bleach, clean, or polish teeth to restore natural color. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill pulp chamber and canal with endodontic materials. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan, organize, or maintain dental health programs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Produce or evaluate dental health educational materials. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 20 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 20 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #23 Prepare informational or instructional materials
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Operate medical equipment | |||
| Prepare informational or instructional materials | |||
| Design materials or devices | |||
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans |
Show all 17 activities
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics | |||
| Diagnose health conditions or disorders | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Follow standard healthcare safety procedures to protect patient and staff members | |||
| Develop public or community health programs | |||
| Adjust medical equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices | |||
| Fabricate medical devices |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation63%
- An explanation or answer30%
- A chart or visualization2%
- An analysis or summary1%
- A document or report1%
How they worked with Claude
5% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for dentists, general specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 2,577 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 12%
- 2 Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers High +3.7% 9%
- 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 8%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 6%
- 5 Dental Assistants Low +7.4% 6%
Where people moved in from
of 3,351 moves in
- 1 Dental Assistants Low +7.4% 15%
- 2 Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers High +3.7% 12%
- 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 7%
- 4 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Very high +4.8% 5%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 62% research doctorate
- 38% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 16 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% master's
- 71% professional degree
- 26% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dentists” · 2,084 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dentists”
3 programs: Dentistry, Advanced General Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry/Pedodontics.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
>99.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | >99.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 18.8% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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