DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

Assist dentist, set up equipment, prepare patient for treatment, and keep records.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
Wages Updated to First Quarter, 2013

					Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	Mean SE*	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	5,180	233	$20.64/hr	$0.35/hr	$15.80/hr	$18.11/hr	$20.67/hr	$22.96/hr	$26.59/hr
U S	300,160	3,002	$17.06/hr	$0.07/hr	$11.46/hr	$13.80/hr	$16.79/hr	$20.10/hr	$23.15/hr
*SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate.

Leading Industries for Dental Assistants Industry OES Employment OES Median Wage Education and Health Services 4,980 $20.69/hr

Other Regional Data For Dental Assistants Geography (click title for details) OES Projections Employment Median Wage % Change 2010 - 2020 Minnesota 5,180 $20.67/hr 19.0% Minneapolis-Saint Paul MN-WI MSA 3,310 $21.33/hr N/A Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN 2,800 $21.30/hr 19.4% Northwest Minnesota 520 $17.41/hr 18.2% Northwest Balance of State 450 $17.26/hr N/A Southeast Balance of State 350 $20.10/hr N/A Northeast Minnesota 280 $17.56/hr 11.0% Central Minnesota 260 $21.22/hr 23.5% Duluth-Superior MN-WI MSA 250 $17.47/hr N/A Saint Cloud MN MSA 230 $19.65/hr N/A Fargo-Moorhead ND-MN MSA 230 $16.71/hr N/A Southeast Minnesota 220 $20.84/hr 20.1% Rochester MN MSA 200 $21.62/hr N/A Southwest Balance of State 190 $20.56/hr N/A Southwest Minnesota 150 $19.73/hr 17.5% La Crosse WI-MN MSA 140 $17.01/hr N/A Mankato-North Mankato, MN MetroSA 130 $20.22/hr N/A Northeast Balance of State 120 $19.41/hr N/A Grand Forks ND-MN MSA 90 $17.46/hr N/A

Related Occupations

Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
	Employment	Median Wage	% Change 2010 - 2020
Dental Hygienists	4,630	$33.61/hr	24.8%
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians	3,780	$29.11/hr	N/A
Nonfarm Animal Caretakers	2,240	$8.93/hr	31.4%
Surgical Technologists	1,770	$24.12/hr	21.1%

• Prepares patient, sterilizes and disinfects instruments, sets up instrument trays, prepares materials, and assists dentist during dental procedures.
• Takes and records medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients.
• Assists dentist in management of medical and dental emergencies.
• Records treatment information in patient records.
• Provides postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist.
• Pours, trims, and polishes study casts.
• Instructs patients in oral hygiene and plaque control programs.
• Cleans teeth, using dental instruments.
• Fabricates temporary restorations and custom impressions from preliminary impressions.
• Schedules appointments, prepares bills and receives payment for dental services, completes insurance forms, and maintains records, manually or using computer.
• Cleans and polishes removable appliances.
• Makes preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts.
• Applies protective coating of fluoride to teeth.
• Exposes dental diagnostic x-rays.