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Occupation Profile
Selected Criteria:
Occupation: Dentists, General Change Occupation
State: Minnesota Change State
Profile Content: (content listed below) Modify Profile Content
Wages  |  Employment Trends  |  Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities  |  Tasks & Activities
Tools & Technology  |  Education & Training  |  Related Occupations
Web Resources

DENTISTS, GENERAL: MINNESOTA

Occupation Description

Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums and related oral structures. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting vitality of teeth. Exclude "Prosthodontists", "Orthodontists", "Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons" and "Dentists, all other specialists".


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Dentists, General
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State and National Wages

Location Pay
Period		 2008
10% 25% Median 75% 90%
United States Hourly $34.55 $48.75 $68.69 $80.00+ $80.00+
Yearly $71,900 $101,400 $142,900 $166,400+ $166,400+
Minnesota Hourly $38.22 $51.91 $80.00+ $80.00+ $80.00+
Yearly $79,500 $108,000 $166,400+ $166,400+ $166,400+
Annual Wages for Dentists, General

United States - $166,400+ United States - $142,900 United States - $71,900 Minnesota - $166,400+ Minnesota - $166,400+ Minnesota - $79,500
  • High is the wage at which 90% of workers earn less and 10% earn more.
  • Middle is the wage at which 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more.
  • Low is the wage at which 10% of workers earn less and 90% earn more.

Hourly Wages for Dentists, General

United States - $80.00+ United States - $68.69 United States - $34.55 Minnesota - $80.00+ Minnesota - $80.00+ Minnesota - $38.22
  • High is the wage at which 90% of workers earn less and 10% earn more.
  • Middle is the wage at which 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more.
  • Low is the wage at which 10% of workers earn less and 90% earn more.

Occupation Wages FAQs

Median Wage by Occupation Across States
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National Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Survey
State Data Source: Minnesota Wage Information

State and National Trends

United States Employment Percent
Change		 Job Openings 1
2008 2018
Dentists, general 120,200 138,600 +15% 5,180
Minnesota Employment Percent
Change		 Job Openings 1
2006 2016
Dentists, general 3,550 3,790 +7% 90
1Job Openings refers to the average annual job openings due to growth and net replacement.

Note: The data for the State Employment Trends and the National Employment Trends are not directly comparable. The projections period for state data is 2006-2016, while the projections period for national data is 2008-2018.

Occupation Trends FAQs

Employment Trends by Occupation Across States
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Employment Trends by Industry and Occupation

National Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections
State Data Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The most important knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) are listed for Dentists, General.

Knowledge:

  • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills:

  • Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities:

  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Source: Occupational Information Network: Dentists, General.

Tasks and Activities

Occupation specific tasks and the most important generalized work activities are listed for Dentists, General.

Occupation Specific Tasks:

  • Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures.
  • Advise and instruct patients regarding preventive dental care, the causes and treatment of dental problems, and oral health care services.
  • Analyze and evaluate dental needs to determine changes and trends in patterns of dental disease.
  • Apply fluoride and sealants to teeth.
  • Bleach, clean or polish teeth to restore natural color.
  • Design, make, and fit prosthodontic appliances such as space maintainers, bridges, and dentures, or write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for denturists and dental technicians.
  • Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth, gums and related oral structures, and provide preventive and corrective services.
  • Eliminate irritating margins of fillings and correct occlusions, using dental instruments.
  • Examine teeth, gums, and related tissues, using dental instruments, x-rays, and other diagnostic equipment, to evaluate dental health, diagnose diseases or abnormalities, and plan appropriate treatments.
  • Fill pulp chamber and canal with endodontic materials.
  • Formulate plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue.
  • Manage business, employing and supervising staff and handling paperwork and insurance claims.
  • Perform oral and periodontal surgery on the jaw or mouth.
  • Plan, organize, and maintain dental health programs.
  • Produce and evaluate dental health educational materials.
  • Remove diseased tissue using surgical instruments.
  • Treat exposure of pulp by pulp capping, removal of pulp from pulp chamber, or root canal, using dental instruments.
  • Use air turbine and hand instruments, dental appliances and surgical implements.
  • Use masks, gloves and safety glasses to protect themselves and their patients from infectious diseases.
  • Write prescriptions for antibiotics and other medications.

Generalized Work Activities:

  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Detailed Work Activities:

  • administer anesthetics
  • administer injections
  • administer medications or treatments
  • analyze dental data
  • calculate medical dosages
  • collect clinical data
  • collect dental laboratory diagnostic data
  • communicate technical information
  • conduct patient assessments
  • counsel patients concerning diet
  • diagnose or treat oral diseases
  • diagnose or treat oral injuries
  • follow clinical radiation safety procedures
  • follow confidentiality procedures
  • follow dental or medical office procedures
  • follow dental or medical x-ray procedures
  • follow infectious materials procedures
  • follow patient care procedures
  • identify body response variations
  • interpret medical laboratory test results
  • interpret x-rays
  • make decisions
  • make presentations on health or medical issues
  • monitor patient's condition
  • observe patient condition
  • obtain information from clients, customers, or patients
  • operate dental equipment
  • order medical laboratory tests
  • perform dental hygiene procedures
  • perform minor surgery
  • prepare patient reports
  • prescribe or recommend drugs, medical devices or other forms of treatment
  • understand properties or composition of drugs
  • understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
  • use clinical problem solving techniques
  • use counseling techniques
  • use dental treatment procedures
  • use emergency medical treatment procedures
  • use interpersonal communication techniques
  • use knowledge of investigation techniques
  • use knowledge of medical terminology
  • use research methodology procedures in health care
  • use sanitation practices in health care settings
  • write technical health or medical documents

Source: Occupational Information Network: Dentists, General.

Tools and Technology

Dentists, General  View Detailed Report

Tools:

  • Dental elevators - Cross-bar elevators, Fiberoptic periosteal elevators, Periodontal elevators, Periosteal elevators, Root elevators
  • Dental forceps - Anterior forceps, Articulating paper forceps, Bayonet forceps, Biscuspid forceps, Crown removing pliers
  • Dental hand pieces or accessories - Angle dental handpieces, Dental handpieces, High-speed dental handpieces, Periotomes, Slow-speed dental handpieces
  • Dental material pluggers or tips or accessories - Cement placing instruments, Dental condensers, Endodontic pluggers, Plastic filling instruments, Pluggers
  • Dental probes - Double-end explorers, Double-end periodontal probes, Explorers, Fiberoptic diagnostic probes, Furcation probes

Technology:

  • Accounting software - Accounting software
  • Internet browser software - Web browser software
  • Medical software - ABELSoft ABELDent, ACE Dental, AlphaDent, AltaPoint Data Systems AltaPoint Dental, DSN Software Dental-Exec
  • Spreadsheet software - Spreadsheet software
  • Word processing software - Word processing software

Source: Occupational Information Network: Dentists, General.

Education and Training

Occupation: Dentists, General
Most Common Educational/Training Level: First professional degree
Related Instructional Programs:

  • Advanced General Dentistry (Cert., MS, PhD)
  • Dental Public Health Specialty
  • Dental Public Health and Education (Cert., MS/MPH, PhD/DPH)
  • Dentistry (DDS, DMD)
  • Pediatric Dentistry/Pedodontics (Cert., MS, PhD)
  • Pedodontics Specialty
Distribution of Educational Attainment
Occupation Percent of employees aged 25 to 44 in the occupation whose highest level of educational attainment is
Less than high school diploma High school diploma or equivalent Some college, no degree Associate's degree Bachelor's degree Master's degree Doctoral or professional degree
Dentists, general 0.1% 0.4% 0.3% 0.4% 1.2% 1.5% 96.2%
Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners 0.6% 2.6% 3.6% 8.3% 18.9% 17.8% 48.2%
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical 1.2% 10.4% 15.4% 15.4% 20.7% 11.6% 25.2%
Total, All Occupations 10.7% 27.6% 20.6% 8.9% 19.4% 8.3% 4.5%

Find colleges, training schools and instructional programs for this occupation.

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Use the Financial Aid Advisor to help find funds for financing education.

WIA Eligible Training Provider List: http://www.iseek.org/education/collegeList?area=&major=&instType=&wia=W&tuition=&x=27&y=10

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections (Education/Training Level, Educational Attainment); National Center for Education Statistics (Typical Instructional Programs)

Related Occupation Profiles
Occupations with similar skill requirements

Web Resources

The following resources are related to occupations in the job family
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners
Health Technologists and Technicians
Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners
Health Technologists and Technicians
Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations


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