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Advanced General Dentistry

A program that focuses on the advanced study of dental clinical techniques and dental practice issues. Includes instruction in subjects such as the history of dentistry, advanced dental practice management, dental ethics and jurisprudence, social and behavioral science studies of dentistry, advanced restorative dentistry, oral medicine, oral radiology, advanced clinical procedures and technology, and others. Examples: [Advanced General Dentistry (Cert.)], [Advanced General Dentistry (MS)], [Advanced General Dentistry (PhD)]

Types of Degrees Advanced General Dentistry Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Advanced General Dentistry have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	238

What Advanced General Dentistry Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Advanced General Dentistry emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Advanced General Dentistry graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Advanced General Dentistry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Advanced General Dentistry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Advanced General Dentistry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Advanced General Dentistry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Advanced General Dentistry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
MDC Services DentalMate	Medical software	—
Teleo Practice Services The Complete Practitioner	Medical software	—
Dental imaging software	Medical software	—
EZ 2000	Medical software	—
OCS Office-Partner	Medical software	—
DSN Software Dental-Exec	Medical software	—
Data Team DDS	Medical software	—
Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft	Medical software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Advanced General Dentistry graduates include:

• Endodontist
• General Dentist
• Pediatric Dentist
• Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)
• Dental Medicine Doctor (DMD)
• Dental Officer
• Periodontist
• Public Health Dentist
• Dental Surgery Doctor (DDS)
• Family Dentist
• Dentist
• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
• Lecturer
• Osteopathic Medicine Teacher
• Adjunct Clinical Instructor

What Can You Do With a Advanced General Dentistry Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Advanced General Dentistry commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Advanced General Dentistry graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	64.9%
Master’s degree	14.6%
Post-doctoral training	5.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.3%
Some college courses	5.1%
Bachelor’s degree	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	0.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Advanced General Dentistry?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 59.7% women and 40.3% men among Advanced General Dentistry graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	142	59.7%
Men	96	40.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Advanced General Dentistry graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	93	39.1%
Asian	29	12.2%
Hispanic or Latino	53	22.3%
Black or African American	10	4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	4	1.7%
Race Unknown	11	4.6%
International Students	37	15.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Advanced General Dentistry Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Advanced General Dentistry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$209,489
4 years	$191,956
5 years	$225,886

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $225,886 — roughly 8% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Advanced General Dentistry Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Advanced General Dentistry graduates earn a median of $191,956 four years after completion — roughly 405% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Dentistry	6,950
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences	1,981
Dental Clinical Sciences, General	426
Orthodontics/Orthodontology	323
Oral Biology and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology	187
Endodontics/Endodontology	157
Pediatric Dentistry/Pedodontics	154
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	150
Prosthodontics/Prosthodontology	95
Dental Public Health and Education	84
Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery	41

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.