Find your Dental Assisting school today
Dental Assisting programs teach students how to work in a dental office, where they will handle sterilized equipment and prepare patients for dental examinations.
At Edu-Search, you can find your Dental Assistant school using a simple, three-step process:
- First, use the search form above to find top Dental Assistant schools in your area.
- Next, browse schools one by one to decide which ones you're interested in.
- Finally, just click to get detailed program info from the schools you like. Compare to find the best school.
Get started now, and take a smart step toward your future career!
*Please Note: Program outcomes vary according to each institution's specific curriculum and employment opportunities are not guaranteed
Dental Assisting job description
Dental Assistants work alongside dentists, assisting in the daily functions of the office, helping to make the patients comfortable and preparing them for dental work.
Some duties carried out by dental assistants are:
- sterilizing and preparing instruments and equipment
- obtaining patients' dental records
- preparing patients for treatment
- handing instruments and materials to dentists during treatment
- instructing patients on oral health care
- taking dental x rays
To find a Dental Assisting school near you, complete the search form above and browse through schools in your area.
Dental Assistant training
Training for dental assistants takes place in a junior or career college. Programs usually last either 12 or 24 months, ending in a certificate, diploma or associate degree.
Most programs include classroom, laboratory and pre-clinical work in Dental Assisting theory and practice. Programs are usually approved by the American Dental Association.
After graduating, some states require that dental assistants become licensed. Certification from the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) is also required in most states. Both processes involve passing a short examination.
To get started in finding a Dental Assisting school near you, complete the search form above and browse through schools in your area.
Dental Assistant salaries
Most Dental Assistants earn between $22,680 and $47,090 annually, according to the US Labor Bureau.
Average annual salaries for the most popular Dental Assisting industries are shown in the table below:
Industry Average salary | |
| Dentists' Offices | $34,120 |
| Physicians' Offices | $31,540 |
| Federal Executive Branch | $38,130 |
| Colleges and Universities | $33,670 |
| Employment Services | $34,650 |
Figures courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Employment & Wages database.
To get started in finding a Dental Assisting school near you, complete the search form above and browse through schools in your area.
Dental Assisting job outlook
Dental Assistant is predicted by the US Labor Bureau to be one of the fastest-growing occupations over the next decade. Employment is expected to increase by about 36% in the next decade, adding about 81,200 new jobs.
Demand in the field is being caused by greater focus on preventative dental care, as well as greater use of assistants by younger dentists. Growth is also fueled by an increasing population and rapid expansion of the entire health care industry.
To get started in finding a Dental Assisting school near you, complete the search form above and browse through schools in your area.
