Dental assisting trends and insights we saw in 2024

Dental assisting is an ever-changing field, and with another new year approaching, it’s a good time to take stock of the profession. Some challenges have persisted over the last several years, including dental staffing shortages, prompting new research into the profession as well as opportunities for positive change. Here are some of the trends and insights we saw in 2024 to keep an eye on in the new year and beyond. 

Pay is up, but gaps remain.

Because dental assistants perform numerous duties — more than 200, according to DANB’s 2024 Job Analysis Report — many feel they should receive higher pay. Insufficient pay is the top reason dental assistants change jobs. Some practices have responded by offering raises to their dental assistants. DANB’s 2024 Dental Assistants Salary and Satisfaction Survey showed that Certified Dental Assistants (CDAs) are earning $26 per hour and non-certified assistants make $22.50 an hour, with both figures up since the 2022 report. Additionally, 48% of dental assistants have received a raise within the last year, and nearly 80% have seen a pay increase within the last two years. The majority of raises (59%) were between 1-3%, though about one-quarter of dental assistants received a raise between 4-6%. Another 14% received a raise of 7% or higher.

There is still room for improvement, however, as there are gaps in what dental assistants feel they should earn and their actual wages. The median wage for CDAs who are satisfied with their pay is $29 per hour, while those who are dissatisfied earn $25 per hour. The overall median wage for CDAs is $26 per hour. Non-certified dental assistants who feel compensated fairly earn $25 per hour, and those who don’t get $21 per hour. The overall median wage for non-certified dental assistants is $22.50 per hour.

Dental assistant turnover is costly for practices.

High turnover remains a concern in the dental assisting profession. Per DANB’s Salary and Satisfaction Survey, 14% of CDAs and 24% of non-CDAs changed jobs within the last year. As of September 2024, 40% of private dental practices were actively recruiting dental assistants and three-quarters described their hiring efforts as “very” or “moderately” challenging, according to the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute. And these struggles can be costly for practices.

DANB’s Financial Impact of Dental Assistants on the Dental Practice report shows not only the monetary value dental assistants bring to their practices — but also the significant impact of turnover. The research found that the average at-risk revenue of an open dental assistant position is more than $21,000 over the course of the role’s vacancy. These are costs related to lost productivity, recruiting, hiring, and training. If the position stayed open for a full year, a practice could potentially lose out on nearly $110,000 in revenue. The solution: offering raises to dental assistants. The report found that offering a 15% wage increase can help retain dental assistants and offset the costs of turnover.

National model gains support.

Each U.S. state has its own dental assisting regulations, which has led to inconsistent job requirements, a lack of public understanding about what dental assistants do, and limited career paths. This has contributed to difficulty attracting and retaining dental assistants. One potential solution is creating a professional model for dental assistants that provides a national agreement on the scope of their work and levels for advancement. DANB published the Perspectives on Dental Assisting Professional Requirements report in March 2024, which indicated that 83% of dentists and dental assistants support states adopting similar dental assisting laws, regulations, and scopes of practice to create more uniformity for the profession.

To move these efforts forward, DANB created the Dental Assisting Professional Model Workgroup, which consists of professionals from more than 10 leading dental organizations across the country such as the American Dental Assistants Association, American Dental Association, American Association of Dental Boards, and American Dental Hygienists’ Association. The group has met every month since February to develop a recommended framework for dental assisting requirements that states can consider. The framework will contain definitions of dental assisting levels, scope of duties, pathways for education and training, sample legislation and regulations, and guidance and resources for implementation. The group will publish a draft of the framework in early 2025 and ask for feedback from the dental community.

Read the latest updates on the Dental Assisting Professional Model Workgroup.

Appreciation for dental assistants remains a top concern.

Dental assistants are invaluable to their practices and deserve to be valued and appreciated for it. However, that isn’t always the case. In addition to insufficient pay, lack of appreciation is another top reason cited by dental assistants for changing jobs. Among dental assistants who changed jobs in the previous year, 40% cited feeling underappreciated as a motivating factor, according to the Dental Assistants Salary and Satisfaction Survey. The report also showed that less than half of dental assistants (49%) feel valued by their employers, down from 54% in the 2022 survey.

When dental assistants are recognized and rewarded for their hard work and dedication, it improves job satisfaction and morale, builds loyalty to their practices, and improves retention. This can, in turn, improve patient care and boost a practice’s bottom line. The Financial Impact of Dental Assistants on the Dental Practice report showed that 94% of dental leaders believe dental assistants help improve patient retention, which directly impacts revenue.

Patients value educated and credentialed dental assistants.

Education never stops for dental assistants. They regularly seek out continuing education to improve their skills and knowledge, as well as keep up on the latest research, techniques, and technology in the field. As a result, they can provide safe, high-quality dental care — which is, of course, exactly what patients are seeking!