Salary for a Clinical Dental Assistant
Clinical dental assistants work closely with dental patients. They prepare the dental tools, may apply anesthesia or help with dental impressions, assist during procedures and educate clients on what needs to be done before and after treatments. These specialists might also perform administrative duties, such as keeping patients' records, scheduling appointments and order necessary supplies. The average salary depends on the employer and geographic location.
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Average Salary
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that dental assistants in 2009 earned an annual mean wage of $34,000, or $16.35 per hour. The median salary was $33,230 per year, or $15.98 an hour. The lowest-paid 10th percentile earned $22,710 per year, or $10.92 per hour. The top-paid 90th percentile made $47,070 a year, or $22.63 an hour.
Employers
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In 2009, the majority of dental assistants -- 272,920 out of 294,020 -- worked in private dental offices and earned an average salary of $34,010, according to the bureau. The second largest employer, offices of physicians, employed only 5,060 assistants and paid them an annual mean wage of $30,930. Dental assistants working for the federal government earned the highest salary among employers, a $37,690 per year average, while those working in colleges and universities made $33,340 per year. The employment services industry paid these specialists $35,160 per year.
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States
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The bureau reports that the District of Columbia was the highest-paying place for dental assistants among states, with an annual mean wage at $45,630. Alaska paid an average of $43,670 per year, and had the fifth-highest concentration of these specialists per 1,000 workers. Minnesota paid the assistants $41,510 per year. New Hampshire and Massachusetts paid annual salaries of $40,910 and $40,730, respectively. California had one of the highest numbers of working dental assistants, but an average pay of $35,290 per year.
Cities
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In 2009, Santa Rosa, California, paid dental assistants the top average salary of $46,740 per year, according to the bureau. Manchester, New Hampshire, was next at $46,110 a year, followed by Anchorage, Alaska, at $44,960. Taunton, Massachusetts, and Waterbury, Connecticut, had annual mean wages of $44,480 and $44,380 a year, respectively. Two cities in Utah, Logan and Provo, had the highest concentrations of dental assistants per 1,000 workers, but paid only $23,090 and $30,560 per year.
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References
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