Dentist job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 5 of 5

extensive preparation

Typical entry education

Doctoral or professional degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$170,950

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Dentists, General (O*NET-SOC 29-1021.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases. importance 5.0 of 5
2. Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures. importance 4.9 of 5
3. Formulate plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue. importance 4.8 of 5
4. Use dental air turbines, hand instruments, dental appliances, or surgical implements. importance 4.8 of 5
5. Design, make, or fit prosthodontic appliances, such as space maintainers, bridges, or dentures, or write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for denturists or dental technicians. importance 4.7 of 5
6. Advise or instruct patients regarding preventive dental care, the causes and treatment of dental problems, or oral health care services. importance 4.7 of 5
7. Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, or malformations of teeth, gums, or related oral structures and provide preventive or corrective services. importance 4.6 of 5
8. Manage business aspects such as employing or supervising staff or handling paperwork or insurance claims. importance 4.6 of 5
9. Analyze or evaluate dental needs to determine changes or trends in patterns of dental disease. importance 4.5 of 5
10. Remove diseased tissue, using surgical instruments. importance 4.5 of 5
11. Write prescriptions for antibiotics or other medications. importance 4.4 of 5
12. Apply fluoride or sealants to teeth. importance 4.3 of 5
13. Eliminate irritating margins of fillings and correct occlusions, using dental instruments. importance 4.2 of 5
14. Perform oral or periodontal surgery on the jaw or mouth. importance 4.2 of 5
15. Fill pulp chamber and canal with endodontic materials. importance 4.1 of 5
16. Plan, organize, or maintain dental health programs. importance 4.1 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems and Documenting/Recording Information.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Produce or evaluate dental health educational materials.

Knowledge areas: Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, Biology, Administration and Management and English Language.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Henry Schein Dentrix, eClinicalWorks EHR software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, ABELSoft ABELDent, ACE Dental. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 5 of 5 (extensive preparation). Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a dentist.

Most dentists surveyed by O*NET (62%) name a doctoral degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Dentist
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Dentist to examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases.
- Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures.
- Formulate plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue.
- Use dental air turbines, hand instruments, dental appliances, or surgical implements.
- Design, make, or fit prosthodontic appliances, such as space maintainers, bridges, or dentures, or write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for denturists or dental technicians.
- Advise or instruct patients regarding preventive dental care, the causes and treatment of dental problems, or oral health care services.
- Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, or malformations of teeth, gums, or related oral structures and provide preventive or corrective services.
- Manage business aspects such as employing or supervising staff or handling paperwork or insurance claims.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in judgment and decision making, critical thinking and social perceptiveness
- Working knowledge of Medicine and Dentistry and Customer and Personal Service
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Henry Schein Dentrix or eClinicalWorks EHR software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $170,950 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $82.19. BLS estimates about 124,390 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Dentists, General to grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,200 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full dentist salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real dentist posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only dentist work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (judgment and decision making and critical thinking); dentist interview questions turns them into practice questions.