Dental Assistants
Also called: Certified Dental Assistant (CDA), Dental Assistant (DA), Expanded Duty Dental Assistant (EDDA), Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)Perform limited clinical duties under the direction of a dentist. Clinical duties may include equipment preparation and sterilization, preparing patients for treatment, assisting the dentist during treatment, and providing patients with instructions for oral healthcare procedures. May perform administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 3 of its 16 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 7.4% 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, 3.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 97% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $39,080 | $36,190 to $47,100 | 3,740 |
| Alaska | $57,710 | $47,480 to $61,370 | 1,140 |
| Arizona | $49,000 | $46,050 to $57,880 | 8,680 |
| Arkansas | $42,830 | $36,790 to $46,730 | 2,950 |
| California | $50,110 | $46,270 to $60,670 | 56,220 |
| Colorado | $48,340 | $45,520 to $58,340 | 8,360 |
| Connecticut | $56,850 | $48,360 to $59,650 | 3,840 |
| Delaware | $47,600 | $43,480 to $55,650 | 990 |
| District of Columbia | $60,580 | $58,590 to $74,220 | 630 |
| Florida | $47,620 | $45,120 to $54,690 | 26,620 |
| Georgia | $46,840 | $40,270 to $48,960 | 10,540 |
| Guam | $40,280 | $35,590 to $43,420 | 110 |
| Hawaii | $44,720 | $37,580 to $48,120 | 1,960 |
| Idaho | $45,880 | $39,800 to $57,690 | 2,680 |
| Illinois | $48,610 | $40,390 to $56,860 | 13,740 |
| Indiana | $48,670 | $45,860 to $57,720 | 6,690 |
| Iowa | $48,430 | $45,990 to $57,620 | 3,210 |
| Kentucky | $47,730 | $42,400 to $56,760 | 4,530 |
| Louisiana | $44,090 | $36,590 to $46,630 | 4,540 |
| Maine | $60,070 | $49,250 to $61,510 | 1,550 |
| Maryland | $48,620 | $41,600 to $58,820 | 6,560 |
| Massachusetts | $57,980 | $48,600 to $60,720 | 9,680 |
| Michigan | $48,820 | $45,390 to $56,940 | 11,990 |
| Minnesota | $65,270 | $59,940 to $74,410 | 5,980 |
| Mississippi | $39,160 | $36,240 to $47,450 | 3,080 |
| Missouri | $45,970 | $38,990 to $50,150 | 6,760 |
| Montana | $46,680 | $43,820 to $49,920 | 1,450 |
| Nebraska | $46,660 | $43,590 to $49,370 | 2,520 |
| Nevada | $47,110 | $37,760 to $48,450 | 4,230 |
| New Hampshire | $59,530 | $49,260 to $61,160 | 1,600 |
| New Jersey | $49,390 | $45,970 to $61,290 | 9,990 |
| New Mexico | $44,400 | $38,300 to $47,160 | 2,150 |
| New York | $48,110 | $44,730 to $58,630 | 19,800 |
| North Carolina | $50,380 | $47,680 to $57,720 | 11,450 |
| North Dakota | $57,770 | $47,150 to $60,270 | 860 |
| Ohio | $47,970 | $42,660 to $59,520 | 12,150 |
| Oklahoma | $45,740 | $37,210 to $47,990 | 4,550 |
| Oregon | $59,490 | $56,600 to $63,520 | 5,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,930 | $45,620 to $56,840 | 12,080 |
| Puerto Rico | $35,910 | $27,620 to $46,850 | 3,210 |
| Rhode Island | $50,150 | $48,070 to $59,170 | 1,050 |
| South Carolina | $47,320 | $43,000 to $50,780 | 5,530 |
| South Dakota | $47,900 | $47,060 to $57,890 | 1,290 |
| Tennessee | $46,720 | $44,440 to $59,270 | 7,420 |
| Texas | $45,430 | $37,360 to $48,280 | 33,230 |
| Utah | $37,760 | $36,400 to $45,770 | 6,640 |
| Vermont | $52,760 | $47,350 to $60,420 | 580 |
| Virgin Islands | $36,540 | $30,620 to $37,850 | 70 |
| Virginia | $46,670 | $39,160 to $53,040 | 10,760 |
| Washington | $58,090 | $48,780 to $62,340 | 13,050 |
| West Virginia | $37,960 | $36,360 to $45,180 | 1,290 |
| Wisconsin | $47,520 | $45,560 to $55,630 | 7,760 |
| Wyoming | $44,990 | $36,460 to $48,490 | 630 |
Nationally: $48,070. 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 3 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Prepare patient, sterilize or disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, or assist dentist during dental procedures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record treatment information in patient records. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist dentist in management of medical or dental emergencies. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist. | Not published |
| Not much | Expose dental diagnostic x-rays. | Not published |
| AI + software | Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| Not much | Instruct patients in oral hygiene and plaque control programs. | Not published |
| Not much | Fabricate temporary restorations or custom impressions from preliminary impressions. | Not published |
| Not much | Order and monitor dental supplies and equipment inventory. | Not published |
| Not much | Pour, trim, and polish study casts. | Not published |
| Not much | Make preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts. | Not published |
| Not much | Apply protective coating of fluoride to teeth. | Not published |
| AI + software | Schedule appointments, prepare bills and receive payment for dental services, complete insurance forms, and maintain records, manually or using computer. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and polish removable appliances. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean teeth, using dental instruments. | Not published |
| Not much | Fabricate and fit orthodontic appliances and materials for patients, such as retainers, wires, or bands. | 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. 0 of the 16 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 16 tasks fall under 14 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.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabricate medical devices | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures | |||
| Explain medical information to patients or family members | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Interview people to obtain information |
Show all 14 activities
| Schedule appointments | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Operate medical equipment | |||
| Prepare medical equipment or work areas for use | |||
| Fit assistive devices to patients or clients |
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 dental assistants 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 37,015 moves out
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 6%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 4%
- 4 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 4%
- 5 Dental Hygienists Low +8.0% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 22,901 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 2 Cashiers High -6.5% 5%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 4 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 5%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
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
- 29% high school
- 46% postsecondary certificate
- 17% some college
- 8% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 23 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 27% high school
- 38% some college
- 18% associate's
- 11% bachelor's
- 1% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 3,169 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 this occupation
1 program: Dental Assisting/Assistant.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
76.0% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 42.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 22.3% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 27.3% | 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
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (DENTAL ASSISTANT (Alternate Title: Dental Specialist)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Dental Assistants” there.
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
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/31-9091.00