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Dentistry

Instructional content is defined in code 51.0401.

Types of Degrees Dentistry Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Dentistry can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	30
Doctor’s Degree	6,920

What Dentistry Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in 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 built by a 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.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to 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, 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 Dentistry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
MOGO Dental Software MOGO	Medical software	—
DentiMax	Medical software	—
DSN Software Dental-Exec	Medical software	—
Data Team DDS	Medical software	—
ACE Dental	Medical software	—
eClinicalWorks EHR software	Medical software	—
Accounting software	Accounting software	—
AlphaDent	Medical software	—
DSN Software Perio-Exec	Medical software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Dentistry graduates include:

• General Dentist
• Pediatric Dentist
• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
• Endodontist
• Dental Surgery Doctor (DDS)
• Public Health Dentist
• Periodontist
• Dentist
• Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)
• Dental Officer
• Family Dentist
• Dental Medicine Doctor (DMD)
• Gastroenterology Teacher
• Dentistry Teacher
• Health Assessment and Treatment Teacher

What Can You Do With a Dentistry Degree?

Graduates with a degree in 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 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 Dentistry?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 55.6% women and 44.4% men among Dentistry graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,865	55.6%
Men	3,085	44.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,242	46.6%
Asian	1,579	22.7%
Hispanic or Latino	766	11.0%
Black or African American	374	5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	14	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.1%
Two or More Races	231	3.3%
Race Unknown	246	3.5%
International Students	493	7.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Dentistry Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Dentistry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$116,673
4 years	$138,423
5 years	$156,494

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $156,494 — roughly 34% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Dentistry Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Dentistry graduates earn a median of $138,423 four years after completion — roughly 264% 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
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443

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.