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digital dentistry

A program that focuses on the use of digital and CAD/CAM technology in dental treatment. Includes instruction in digital diagnostic and treatment planning techniques, CAD/CAM restoration, and patient management.

What digital dentistry Majors Need to Know

Coursework for digital dentistry develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that digital dentistry graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in digital dentistry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a digital dentistry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to digital dentistry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, digital dentistry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by digital dentistry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
TechSmith Snagit	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Dental software	Medical software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
Material safety data sheet MSDS software	Compliance software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for digital dentistry graduates include:

• Physical Therapy Teacher
• Instructor
• Toxicology Teacher
• Dermatology Teacher
• Clinical Laboratory Science Professor
• Physical Therapy Professor
• Lecturer
• Opticianry Teacher
• Coding Educator
• Health Diagnostics Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Hearing Therapy Teacher
• Pharmacy Teacher
• Music Therapy Teacher
• Gynecology Teacher

What Can You Do With a digital dentistry Degree?

Graduates with a degree in digital 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 digital dentistry graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	35.9%
Doctoral degree	24.9%
Post-doctoral training	19.1%
Bachelor’s degree	12.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.9%

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

How Much Do digital dentistry Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of digital dentistry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 digital dentistry Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, digital 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
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
Advanced General Dentistry	238
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.