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31-9091.00 - Dental Assistants


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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
318,800
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
377,400
Estimate
Change in Employment
+58,600
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+18.4%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Prepare patient, sterilize or disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, or assist dentist during dental procedures.
  • Expose dental diagnostic x-rays.
  • Record treatment information in patient records.
  • Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients.
  • Provide postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist.
  • Assist dentist in management of medical or dental emergencies.
  • Pour, trim, and polish study casts.
  • Instruct patients in oral hygiene and plaque control programs.
  • Make preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts.
  • Clean and polish removable appliances.
  • Apply protective coating of fluoride to teeth.
  • Fabricate temporary restorations or custom impressions from preliminary impressions.
  • Schedule appointments, prepare bills and receive payment for dental services, complete insurance forms, and maintain records, manually or using computer.
  • Order and monitor dental supplies and equipment inventory.
Supplemental
  • Clean teeth, using dental instruments.
  • Fabricate and fit orthodontic appliances and materials for patients, such as retainers, wires, or bands.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 91%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Medicine and Dentistry
  • 88%
    Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
 English Language
  • 75%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Administration and Management
  • 69%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Clerical
  • 69%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 66%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Sales and Marketing
  • 66%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
 Production and Processing
  • 61%
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 Personnel and Human Resources
  • 59%
    Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
 Psychology
  • 54%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Education and Training
  • 52%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Dental laboratory and sterilization equipment and supplies
  • Air abrasion units
  • Bench lathes
  • Computerized pressure/vacuum casting systems
  • Denture model presses
  • Model trimmers
  • Power vacuum mixers
 Compressors
  • Air compressors
 Dental hygiene and preventive care equipment and supplies
  • Air/water syringes
 Dental fillers and finishing and polishing supplies
  • Amalgam carriers
  • Denture, acrylic and porcelain polishing kits
  • Prophylaxis angles
 Dental materials
  • Amalgamators
 Dental and subspecialty instruments and devices
  • Apex locators
  • Burs
  • Collar scissors
  • Cotton forceps
  • Crown scissors
  • Dental cutting instruments
  • Dental explorers
  • Dental handpieces
  • Dental scalers
  • Dental spatulas
  • Dental tweezers
  • Dental wedges
  • Double-ended probes
  • Electric endodontic handpieces
  • Electric general dentistry handpieces
  • Electric surgical handpieces
  • Electronic calculus detectors
  • Evacuator systems
  • Extracting forceps
  • Filling instruments
  • High-speed handpieces
  • High-velocity evacuators
  • Instrument sharpening devices
  • Matrix bands
  • Orthodontic separators
  • Posterior matrices
  • Pulp testers
  • Root elevators
  • Rotary handpieces
  • Saliva ejectors
  • Single-ended periodontal probes
  • Slow-speed dental handpieces
  • Splinter forceps
  • Tongue forceps
 Orthodontic and prosthodontic equipment and supplies
  • Articulators
  • Band seating pliers
  • Contouring orthodontic pliers
  • Dental crimping pliers
  • Dental pliers
  • Dental retainers
  • Headgear
  • Intraoral detailing pliers
  • Offset utility pliers
  • Orthodontic band pushers
  • Orthodontic band slitters
  • Orthodontic brackets
  • Orthodontic pliers
  • Straight utility pliers
  • Torqueing pliers
 General dental supplies
  • Aspirating syringes
  • Cartridge syringes
  • Molar clamps
  • Needle holders
  • Needles
  • Rubber dam clamp forceps
  • Rubber dam punches
  • Rubber dams
 Autoclave and sterilizer equipment and accessories
  • Autoclaves
  • Chemiclaves
  • Steam cleaning equipment
  • Steam sterilizers
  • Sterilizers
  • Thermal disinfectors
 Dental imaging equipment and supplies
  • Bite blocks
  • Bitewing film holders
  • Dental x ray film processors
  • Dental x ray machines
  • Intraoral x ray equipment
  • Panoramic x ray equipment
  • X ray machine cones
 Dental lasers and illumination and fiber optic equipment and supplies
  • Caries detection aids
  • Dental laser systems
 Dental clinical furniture
  • Dental chairs
  • Dental furniture units
 Blood pressure units and related products
  • Electronic blood pressure devices
  • Manual blood pressure cuffs
 Surgical equipment and accessories and related products
  • Electrosurgery units
 Dental operatory specific supplies
  • Gingival retraction cords
 Periodontal equipment and supplies
  • Gracey curettes
  • Universal curettes
 Surgical clamps and forceps and surgical ligators and related instruments
  • Hemostatic forceps
 Cosmetic dentistry equipment and supplies
  • High-intensity lights
  • Light curing units
 Dental impression and forming equipment and supplies
  • Impression trays
  • Vacuum formers
 Medical radiological shielding and protection products
  • Lead aprons
  • Protective shielding equipment
  • Thyroid collars
 Oxygen therapy delivery systems and devices
  • Oxygen tanks
 Computers
  • Personal computers
 Pulse oximeters
  • Pulse oximeters
 Medical radiation detection or monitoring products
  • Radiation dosimeters
 Disinfecting or presterilization cleaning equipment and solutions
  • Ultrasonic sterilization units
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Information exchange software
  • Email software
 Industry specific software
  • Henry Schein DentrixHOT
  • Kodak Dental Systems Kodak SOFTDENT Practice management software PMS
  • Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft
  • The Systems Workplace TDOCS
 Finance accounting and enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Intuit Quicken
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Word processing software
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
 Network applications software
  • Web browser software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
FastForward at Virginia's Community Colleges is a short-term training program for high-demand industries, like healthcare, information technology, and skilled trades and infrastructure, helping Virginians get the jobs and salaries they need. Our goal is to get you trained, help you earn your certification, and get you into a career that can support you and your family. Explore the latest training program offerings by visiting FastForward
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Danville Community College
 Programs
Germanna Community College
 Programs
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
 Programs
Mountain Empire Community College
 Programs
Northern Virginia Community College
 Programs
Virginia Western Community College
 Programs
Wytheville Community College
 Programs