Dental Assistants
Healthcare Support Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 31-9091.00
Perform limited clinical duties under the direction of a dentist. Clinical duties may include equipment preparation and sterilization, preparing patients for treatment, assisting the dentist during treatment, and providing patients with instructions for oral healthcare procedures. May perform administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.15–0.16· 2 ISCO-08 groups
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 3251Dental Assistants and Therapists0.16
- ISCO-08 5329Personal Care Workers in Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified0.15
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only16 rated tasks · 6 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (37.5%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Record treatment information in patient records.O*NET Task ID 552 | 1.0 |
Provide postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist.O*NET Task ID 554 | 1.0 |
Expose dental diagnostic x-rays.O*NET Task ID 551 | 0.5 |
Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients.O*NET Task ID 553 | 0.5 |
Schedule appointments, prepare bills and receive payment for dental services, complete insurance forms, and maintain records, manually or using computer.O*NET Task ID 563 | 0.5 |
Order and monitor dental supplies and equipment inventory.O*NET Task ID 18552 | 0.5 |
Prepare patient, sterilize or disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, or assist dentist during dental procedures.O*NET Task ID 550 | 0.0 |
Assist dentist in management of medical or dental emergencies.O*NET Task ID 555 | 0.0 |
Pour, trim, and polish study casts.O*NET Task ID 556 | 0.0 |
Instruct patients in oral hygiene and plaque control programs.O*NET Task ID 557 | 0.0 |
Make preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts.O*NET Task ID 558 | 0.0 |
Clean and polish removable appliances.O*NET Task ID 559 | 0.0 |
Clean teeth, using dental instruments.O*NET Task ID 560 | 0.0 |
Apply protective coating of fluoride to teeth.O*NET Task ID 561 | 0.0 |
Fabricate temporary restorations or custom impressions from preliminary impressions.O*NET Task ID 562 | 0.0 |
Fabricate and fit orthodontic appliances and materials for patients, such as retainers, wires, or bands.O*NET Task ID 18553 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (16)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Prepare patient, sterilize or disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, or assist dentist during dental procedures. | Core |
| Expose dental diagnostic x-rays. | Core |
| Record treatment information in patient records. | Core |
| Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients. | Core |
| Provide postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist. | Core |
| Assist dentist in management of medical or dental emergencies. | Core |
| Pour, trim, and polish study casts. | Core |
| Instruct patients in oral hygiene and plaque control programs. | Core |
| Make preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts. | Core |
| Clean and polish removable appliances. | Core |
| Apply protective coating of fluoride to teeth. | Core |
| Fabricate temporary restorations or custom impressions from preliminary impressions. | Core |
| Schedule appointments, prepare bills and receive payment for dental services, complete insurance forms, and maintain records, manually or using computer. | Core |
| Order and monitor dental supplies and equipment inventory. | Core |
| Clean teeth, using dental instruments. | Supplemental |
| Fabricate and fit orthodontic appliances and materials for patients, such as retainers, wires, or bands. | Supplemental |
0.10/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Prepare patient, sterilize or disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, or assist dentist during dental procedures. | E0 none |
| Expose dental diagnostic x-rays. | E0 none |
| Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Assist dentist in management of medical or dental emergencies. | E0 none |
| Pour, trim, and polish study casts. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Make preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts. | E0 none |
| Clean and polish removable appliances. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Apply protective coating of fluoride to teeth. | E0 none |
| Fabricate temporary restorations or custom impressions from preliminary impressions. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Clean teeth, using dental instruments. | E0 none |
| Fabricate and fit orthodontic appliances and materials for patients, such as retainers, wires, or bands. | E0 none |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 389K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 417K
- Change (2025–35)
- +7.4%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $48,070
- Typical education needed for entry
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24950 | 간호조무사 | Related, not a match | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 3251Dental Assistants and Therapists
- ISCO-08 5329Personal Care Workers in Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- dental chairside assistantESCO 3251.1Same scope
Dental chairside assistants support dental practitioners in clinical treatments, as preparation and helping in practical execution and follow-up, and administrative tasks under supervision and following the orders of the dental practitioner.
- dental hygienistESCO 3251.2Overlapping, not the same
Dental hygienists work in cleaning and polishing teeth, supra- and sub-gingival scaling of the teeth, application of prophylactic materials to the teeth, collecting data, administering comprehensive advice on oral hygiene and the care of the mouth, according to patients` needs under the supervision of dental practitioners following her/his directions.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| J1312 | Assistant / Assistante dentaire | Same scopeprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 5629 | Trabajadores de los cuidados a las personas en servicios de salud no clasificados bajo otros epígrafes | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 3321 | Técnicos superiores en higiene bucodental | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 81112 | Zahnmedizinische Fachangestellte - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Same scope |
| 81113 | Zahnmedizinische Fachangestellte - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 372 | 歯科助手 | Same scopeprovisional |
| 146 | 歯科衛生士 | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources