Median hourly earnings of dental assistants were $12.49 in 2000. The middle 50 percent earned between $9.99 and $15.51 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.26, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $18.57 an hour.
Benefits vary substantially by practice setting and may be contingent upon full-time employment. According to the American Dental Association's 1999 Workforce Needs Assessment Survey, almost all full-time dental assistants employed by private practitioners received paid vacation. The survey also found that 9 out of 10 full- and part-time dental assistants received dental coverage.
