Home » Blog » Dental Assistant vs. Dental Hygienist
Written and reported by:
All Allied Health Schools Staff
To those outside the dental industry, a dental assistant and a dental hygienist seem interchangeable. However, there are important distinctions between the two. If you are planning to enter either career field, you should understand the differences between a dental assistant and dental hygienist before you choose. You’ll find that your job duties vary, as does the required education and training you’ll need to undertake.
Dental Assistants
- Working closely with patients before, during and after procedures
- Assisting the dentist during a variety of treatment procedures
- Taking and developing X-rays
- Preparing and sterilizing instruments and equipment
- Taking impressions of patients’ teeth for study casts (models of teeth)
- Teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies
- Performing office management
- Degree you’ll need to practice: Certificate or diploma
- Median annual salary: $38,660
Dental Hygienists
- Collecting information about the patient’s oral and medical health history
- Removing calculus, stains and plaque (hard and soft deposits) from all surfaces of the teeth
- Making molds of patients’ teeth used for evaluating treatment
- Charting patients’ dental conditions for the dentist
- Applying fluorides and decay preventatives
- Administering local anesthetics
- Removing sutures and dressings
- Degree you’ll need: Associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene
- Median annual salary: $77,810
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021
