What the work involves, what it pays, and real lines you can start from. Answer a few small questions and leave with a resume.
Also called certified dental assistant, CDA, certified registered dental assistant and dental office assistant.
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Dental Assistant
Dental assistant performing clinical duties under a dentist's direction, including patient preparation, instrument sterilization, and treatment assistance, while also managing administrative tasks such as scheduling and record maintenance
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The line
Prepared several patients each day for dental procedures and ensured instruments were sterilized and ready for use
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The line
Assisted the dentist during medical emergencies, providing critical support and maintaining patient safety
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The work itself
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
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.
What it pays
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
| 25th percentile | $44,340 |
|---|---|
| Median | $48,070 |
| 75th percentile | $58,090 |
| State | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK | $47,480 | $57,710 | $61,370 |
| AL | $36,190 | $39,080 | $47,100 |
| AR | $36,790 | $42,830 | $46,730 |
| AZ | $46,050 | $49,000 | $57,880 |
| CA | $46,270 | $50,110 | $60,670 |
| CO | $45,520 | $48,340 | $58,340 |
| CT | $48,360 | $56,850 | $59,650 |
| DC | $58,590 | $60,580 | $74,220 |
| DE | $43,480 | $47,600 | $55,650 |
| FL | $45,120 | $47,620 | $54,690 |
| GA | $40,270 | $46,840 | $48,960 |
| HI | $37,580 | $44,720 | $48,120 |
| IA | $45,990 | $48,430 | $57,620 |
| ID | $39,800 | $45,880 | $57,690 |
| IL | $40,390 | $48,610 | $56,860 |
| IN | $45,860 | $48,670 | $57,720 |
| KY | $42,400 | $47,730 | $56,760 |
| LA | $36,590 | $44,090 | $46,630 |
| MA | $48,600 | $57,980 | $60,720 |
| MD | $41,600 | $48,620 | $58,820 |
| ME | $49,250 | $60,070 | $61,510 |
| MI | $45,390 | $48,820 | $56,940 |
| MN | $59,940 | $65,270 | $74,410 |
| MO | $38,990 | $45,970 | $50,150 |
| MS | $36,240 | $39,160 | $47,450 |
| MT | $43,820 | $46,680 | $49,920 |
| NC | $47,680 | $50,380 | $57,720 |
| ND | $47,150 | $57,770 | $60,270 |
| NE | $43,590 | $46,660 | $49,370 |
| NH | $49,260 | $59,530 | $61,160 |
| NJ | $45,970 | $49,390 | $61,290 |
| NM | $38,300 | $44,400 | $47,160 |
| NV | $37,760 | $47,110 | $48,450 |
| NY | $44,730 | $48,110 | $58,630 |
| OH | $42,660 | $47,970 | $59,520 |
| OK | $37,210 | $45,740 | $47,990 |
| OR | $56,600 | $59,490 | $63,520 |
| PA | $45,620 | $47,930 | $56,840 |
| PR | $27,620 | $35,910 | $46,850 |
| RI | $48,070 | $50,150 | $59,170 |
| SC | $43,000 | $47,320 | $50,780 |
| SD | $47,060 | $47,900 | $57,890 |
| TN | $44,440 | $46,720 | $59,270 |
| TX | $37,360 | $45,430 | $48,280 |
| UT | $36,400 | $37,760 | $45,770 |
| VA | $39,160 | $46,670 | $53,040 |
| VT | $47,350 | $52,760 | $60,420 |
| WA | $48,780 | $58,090 | $62,340 |
| WI | $45,560 | $47,520 | $55,630 |
| WV | $36,360 | $37,960 | $45,180 |
| WY | $36,460 | $44,990 | $48,490 |
Other names
certified dental assistant, CDA, certified registered dental assistant, dental office assistant, expanded dental assistant, expanded duties dental assistant, EDDA, expanded duty dental assistant, expanded function dental assistant, EFDA, expanded functions dental assistant, general practical dental assistant.
oral surgery assistant, ortho assistant, orthodontic assistant, orthodontic dental assistant, orthodontist assistant, pediatric dental assistant, registered dental assistant, RDA, surgical dental assistant, dental aide, dental nurse, dental specialist, dentist attendant.
If you served
From the crosswalk the US Department of Labor publishes itself. If one of these was your job, this page is about the civilian work it maps to.
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This page is about the occupation Dental Assistants. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.