Why This Matters
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THE U.S. NEEDS 38,700 MORE OF YOU BY 2028
The job outlook for dental assistants is bright, with employment expected to increase 11%. Dental assistants work in a variety of settings, including general dental practices, orthodontics, endodontists, and oral surgeons.
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HEALTHCARE OCCUPATIONS TO INCREASE BY 14%
Healthcare is the fastest-growing occupation in the U.S., with an additional 1.9 million jobs expected by 2028. An aging population and more focus on oral health is expected to increase demand for dental care.
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DENTAL ASSISTANTS EARN $4K MORE PER YEAR
Among healthcare support occupations, dental assistants are among the highest paid. The average annual wage for dental assistants is $38,660, compared to $34,830 for other healthcare assistant jobs.
Our Research
A dental assistant certificate or diploma is the minimum level of education needed to become a dental assistant, although some schools offer associate’s degrees. Your personal career goals will help you determine which type of program to pursue.
The schools on our list are either nationally or regionally accredited. Both types of accreditation signify quality, but credits and degrees from regionally accredited institutions are more widely recognized and transferable. If you are planning on transferring credits or getting an advanced degree, it’s wise to select a regionally accredited school. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) also confers programmatic accreditation.
We included both online and on-campus programs on this list. We evaluated the programs based on their reputation, faculty, cost, course strength, and flexibility, then gave each program an Intelligent Score on a scale from 0 to 100. For a more extensive explanation, check out Our Ranking Methodology.
- 83 hours to write this article
- 72 universities and colleges we assessed
- 447 education programs we compared