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Dental Assistant vs. Dental Hygienist: What’s the Difference?

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Written and reported by:
All Allied Health Schools Staff

Dental assistants and dental hygienists do many of the same things from day to day, such as taking and developing X-rays and teaching patients about proper oral care. But they are not different names for the same job.

Here’s a breakdown of some key differences between dental assistants vs. dental hygienists.

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What Are the Differences?

Job Duties


Dental Assistants

Dental Hygienists

  • Prepare patients for treatment
  • Clean patients’ teeth and apply preventive treatments
  • Clean instruments and equipment
  • Administer local anesthetics
  • Assist dentist during procedures
  • Remove sutures and dressings
  • Help with office management, including billing, record-keeping, and insurance paperwork
  • Examine teeth and gums, collect information about patients’ oral and medical health history, and chart patients’ dental conditions for the dentist

Education


Dental Assistants

Dental Hygienists

  • Some states require dental assistants to graduate from an accredited program with a certificate or diploma (nine months to a year). Some schools offer two-year associate’s degree dental assisting programs, which include general education classes.
  • Dental hygienists usually need an associate’s degree (two years) to practice. Other less common options include certificates (a year or less), bachelor’s degree (four years) and master’s degrees (two years). (Years required to complete degree are based on full-time study.)

Licensing and Certification


Dental Assistants

Dental Hygienists

  • Most dental assistants who choose to become nationally certified take the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exam. To take the exam, you need to graduate from an accredited training program or complete two years of full-time work as a dental assistant.
  • Dental hygienists must be licensed by the state where they want to practice. To qualify, you need to graduate from an accredited training program and pass a regional or state clinical exam.

Median Annual Salaries

Education, experience, and location may play a factor in your salary for any career. Take a look at median annual salaries, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for dental assistants and hygienists:

Dental Assistants

National data

Median Salary: $44,820

Projected job growth: 6.9%

10th Percentile: $31,450

25th Percentile: $36,910

75th Percentile: $48,870

90th Percentile: $59,200

Projected job growth: 6.9%

State data

State Median Salary Bottom 10% Top 10%
Alabama $36,120 $28,770 $47,580
Alaska $49,170 $38,900 $63,910
Arizona $45,990 $35,970 $56,820
Arkansas $36,330 $29,010 $44,360
California $46,170 $36,270 $63,140
Colorado $45,490 $35,680 $59,320
Connecticut $47,870 $36,930 $58,680
Delaware $46,000 $30,830 $59,270
District of Columbia $51,580 $39,060 $62,660
Florida $42,330 $35,960 $50,740
Georgia $39,500 $30,680 $47,670
Hawaii $38,450 $29,120 $47,690
Idaho $36,720 $30,570 $47,070
Illinois $38,240 $26,750 $54,390
Indiana $45,270 $30,540 $58,300
Iowa $46,660 $34,030 $57,780
Kansas $38,170 $29,080 $48,010
Kentucky $39,400 $28,210 $55,540
Louisiana $35,180 $28,390 $47,470
Maine $46,600 $36,370 $58,040
Maryland $46,040 $31,750 $59,350
Massachusetts $48,140 $43,330 $63,060
Michigan $42,870 $30,560 $49,920
Minnesota $60,810 $46,850 $73,630
Mississippi $35,470 $28,770 $46,800
Missouri $42,450 $31,920 $48,770
Montana $38,390 $30,920 $49,400
Nebraska $43,560 $36,460 $49,770
Nevada $45,050 $30,740 $53,040
New Hampshire $49,630 $37,950 $60,740
New Jersey $46,290 $35,710 $61,110
New Mexico $38,110 $30,980 $46,620
New York $46,280 $35,870 $61,000
North Carolina $46,140 $34,090 $60,950
North Dakota $49,960 $37,720 $60,940
Ohio $44,980 $34,760 $62,750
Oklahoma $38,920 $29,700 $48,930
Oregon $50,110 $41,610 $61,380
Pennsylvania $45,160 $32,860 $58,410
Rhode Island $43,550 $39,780 $55,580
South Carolina $43,710 $34,740 $56,080
South Dakota $45,910 $36,980 $50,330
Tennessee $38,360 $30,450 $50,380
Texas $37,570 $28,270 $50,420
Utah $36,910 $29,670 $45,040
Vermont $49,910 $38,860 $60,050
Virginia $45,620 $34,470 $59,630
Washington $49,320 $37,140 $60,650
West Virginia $35,400 $28,860 $49,560
Wisconsin $45,280 $36,410 $54,560
Wyoming $38,450 $32,300 $50,500

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2022 median salary; projected job growth through 2032. Actual salaries may vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

Dental Hygienists

National data

Median Salary: $81,400

Projected job growth: 7.4%

10th Percentile: $61,510

25th Percentile: $75,100

75th Percentile: $96,870

90th Percentile: $107,640

Projected job growth: 7.4%

State data

State Median Salary Bottom 10% Top 10%
Alabama $55,410 $46,430 $60,690
Alaska $106,930 $104,730 $126,420
Arizona $91,280 $78,620 $96,410
Arkansas $77,530 $46,800 $91,220
California $107,960 $97,110 $127,000
Colorado $96,560 $79,840 $114,400
Connecticut $93,480 $82,060 $101,600
Delaware $84,070 $77,690 $103,400
District of Columbia $85,650 $62,290 $119,460
Florida $77,660 $59,120 $85,610
Georgia $77,420 $61,620 $93,160
Hawaii $87,080 $66,180 $99,280
Idaho $82,830 $67,090 $94,530
Illinois $79,560 $48,340 $93,990
Indiana $78,630 $62,120 $96,620
Iowa $77,850 $65,860 $88,300
Kansas $77,610 $64,550 $86,210
Kentucky $72,930 $49,210 $93,600
Louisiana $80,030 $55,840 $91,810
Maine $77,950 $63,580 $91,380
Maryland $100,790 $61,360 $105,290
Massachusetts $91,970 $80,980 $102,920
Michigan $72,660 $59,380 $80,170
Minnesota $83,140 $77,940 $95,210
Mississippi $61,210 $45,670 $73,810
Missouri $77,330 $63,870 $91,250
Montana $83,180 $79,110 $93,690
Nebraska $78,760 $66,370 $84,310
Nevada $96,100 $39,020 $106,040
New Hampshire $88,020 $73,130 $98,690
New Jersey $95,420 $84,140 $102,640
New Mexico $93,150 $75,520 $96,630
New York $89,030 $62,730 $103,420
North Carolina $79,200 $64,860 $92,460
North Dakota $79,350 $63,230 $85,540
Ohio $76,350 $62,350 $83,910
Oklahoma $91,500 $62,000 $99,880
Oregon $98,220 $83,240 $107,250
Pennsylvania $76,770 $60,380 $96,450
Rhode Island $79,860 $78,820 $81,220
South Carolina $74,970 $59,810 $80,000
South Dakota $75,810 $65,090 $82,920
Tennessee $76,340 $44,230 $82,940
Texas $79,660 $66,420 $92,350
Utah $75,540 $64,800 $80,680
Vermont $85,320 $75,660 $92,280
Virginia $93,600 $61,250 $116,270
Washington $109,230 $93,330 $126,210
West Virginia $61,970 $49,690 $76,550
Wisconsin $77,170 $64,690 $83,660
Wyoming $80,840 $55,440 $102,760

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2022 median salary; projected job growth through 2032. Actual salaries may vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

Job Growth

Based on the national average for all jobs resting at 5% through 2032, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Dental Assistant job growth projected to be faster than average through 2032: 6.9%

Dental Hygienist job growth projected to be faster than average through 2032: 7.4%

What’s Next?


  • Dental Assistants: Many dental assistants go back to school to get a dental hygienist degree.
  • Dental Hygienists: With a bachelor’s or master’s degree, you can move up to research, teaching, or clinical practice in public or school health programs.