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Dental Support Services

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 51.0601 - 51.0699.

Types of Degrees Dental Support Services Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Dental Support Services can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	10,289
Associate’s Degree	7,435
Bachelor’s Degree	2,470
Master’s Degree	4,151

What Dental Support Services Majors Need to Know

Programs in Dental Support Services develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Dental Support Services graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Dental Support Services emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Dental Support Services program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Dental Support Services careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Dental Support Services graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.0 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Dental Support Services professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft	Medical software	—
Henry Schein Dentrix	Medical software	✓
Open Dental	Medical software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Dental Support Services graduates include:

• Dental Nurse
• Neurological Surgery Teacher
• Orthopedics Teacher
• Laboratory Technology Teacher
• Dentistry Professor
• Dental Hygiene Instructor
• Anatomy Teacher
• Educational Therapy Teacher
• Gastroenterology Professor
• Pediatrics Teacher
• Gericare Aide Teacher
• Teacher
• Public Health Teacher
• Activity Therapy Teacher
• Nutrition Aides Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Dental Support Services graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	36.5%
Master’s degree	16.9%
Doctoral degree	11.7%
Post-doctoral training	9.0%
Bachelor’s degree	7.3%
First professional degree	5.7%
Postsecondary certificate	4.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.7%
Some college courses	1.3%
Less than a high school diploma	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Dental Support Services?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 92.5% of Dental Support Services degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	22,895	92.5%
Men	1,866	7.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Dental Support Services graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	8,849	35.7%
Asian	1,374	5.5%
Hispanic or Latino	7,634	30.8%
Black or African American	3,179	12.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	185	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	58	0.2%
Two or More Races	773	3.1%
Race Unknown	2,507	10.1%
International Students	202	0.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Dental Support Services Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Dental Support Services graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$28,149
4 years	$30,974
5 years	$33,855

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $33,855 — roughly 20% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Dental Support Services Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Dental Support Services. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	6	13
Bachelor’s	18	18
Master’s	5	5

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Dental Support Services Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Dental Support Services graduates earn a median of $30,974 four years after completion — about 18% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health Care Professions	994,689
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.