Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
Health Care Workforce
Minnesota’s Registered Dental Assistants 2006-2007
Dental assistants renew their Minnesota registration biannually with the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.
Data included below was gathered from that renewal process and from a voluntary survey conducted by the
Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC).
The Role of Dental Assistants
Dental assistants are unlicensed dental practitioners who work under supervision of a licensed dentist.
Dental assistants may or may not be registered. Non-registered assistants may perform non-dental duties
such as retracting a patient’s cheek, vacuuming or rinsing debris accumulated during dental treatment, and
otherwise assisting registered dental assistants, hygienists or dentists during dental work.
Dental assistants may perform only duties delegated to unlicensed assistants by the Board of Dentistry.
Registered dental assistants may perform a range of dental duties beyond what is allowed to non-registered
assistants – some duties without a dentist present and others with a dentist present in the office.
Dental assistant registration requires completion of a program approved by the American Dental
Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), or another program approved by the Board of
Dentistry. CODA standards require the equivalent of a one-year post-secondary program; students may or
may not earn an academic degree. In addition to competence in dental procedures, the CODA requires that
graduates be competent in business office procedures, including appointment management, financial
transactions, insurance paperwork, supply inventory management and patient recall systems.
Thirteen Minnesota community and technical colleges offer dental assistant programs approved by the
Minnesota Board of Dentistry. The Board recognizes one North Dakota program.
Numbers of Dental Assistants
Based on survey responses and registration data from the Minnesota Board of Dentistry, the Office of Rural
Health and Primary Care estimates that approximately 4,790 dental assistants were practicing at least part
time at Minnesota practice sites in 2007-08. This is approximately 6 percent fewer than were registered in
2006. (For explanation of these estimates, see the methodological notes at the end of this report).
The exact number of dental assistants working in Minnesota is not known. According to the Minnesota
Board of Dentistry, Minnesota had 6,968 registered dental assistants at the end of 2008. The U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics estimated Minnesota had about 5,300 employed dental assistants in May 2007. Some of
these people renewed their registration in Minnesota, but were not working as dental assistants; many lived
or practiced in other states.
P.O. Box 64882
St. Paul, MN 55164-0882
(651) 201-3838
http://www.health.state.mn.us
January 2009
Minnesota’s Registered Dental Assistants
page 2
Using the July 1, 2008, population estimate for Minnesota, 4,790 dental assistants equate to 92 working
dental assistants per 100,000 people. The 2006 U.S. Health Workforce Profile reported 5,180 dental
assistants in Minnesota, or 102 per 100,000 population.
Dental Assistants per 100,000 People, 2006
120
100
101.6
75.7
84.3
North
Dakota
South
Dakota
78.8
92.8
91.6
80
60
40
20
0
Iow a
Minnesota
Wisconsin
U.S.
The following data is for dental assistants who work at least part time at a primary practice site in
Minnesota, according to the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care survey of dental assistants renewing
registrations during 2006 and 2007.
Geographic Distribution
Dental assistant practice sites are disproportionately located in metropolitan area counties. Rural counties,
with 13 percent of the state’s population, have only 8 percent of the state’s dental assistants. This pattern
closely resembles the distribution of dentist practice sites.
Geographic Distribution of Dental Assistants
compared to Population
Dental
Assistants
77.9%
14.1%
8.0%
Metropolitan
Micropolitan
72.8%
Population
0%
20%
40%
14.6%
60%
80%
12.6%
100%
Rural
Minnesota’s Registered Dental Assistants
page 3
Statewide
Metropolitan
counties
Micropolitan
counties
Rural
2007
Population
5,231,106
3,810,396
%
Population
100.0%
72.8%
% of Dental
Assistants
100.0%
77.9%
% of
Dentists
100.0%
77.1%
761,302
14.6%
14.1%
14.4%
659,408
12.6%
8.0%
8.5%
Demographics
Gender
More than 99 percent of active dental assistants are female.
Age and Career Longevity
Compared to other health care professions, dental assistants are relatively young. Sixty-three percent of
dental assistants active in Minnesota received their first license in 1990
or later.
The youthful profile of the profession may also reflect a tendency for dental assistants to leave the field for
other careers. Young dental assistants were more likely than middle-age assistants to say they expected to
leave the field within 10 years.
Age of Dental Assistants, 2007
29.60%
35%
31.40%
26.20%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
6.30%
6.50%
5%
0%
< 25
•
•
25-34
35-44
45-54
55 and older
The dental assistant workforce is young, with a median age of 37.
41 percent of dental assistants are under age 35.
While a slightly greater percentage of micropolitan and rural area dental assistants are under age 25,
compared to metropolitan area counties, rural dental assistants are also more likely to be older. Forty percent
of rural assistants are 45 or older, compared to only 33 percent of assistants in metropolitan area counties.
page 4
Minnesota’s Registered Dental Assistants
Overall, 69 percent of dental assistants said they planned to continue working more than 10 years. Thirteen
percent of dental assistants under age 35 said they planned to leave the field within five years, compared to
only 4 percent of assistants 35-44.
Seventy percent of active dental assistants first registered by age 25; the median age of first registration
is 22.
Age Group
Median age
Less than 25
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65 and older
Total
Statewide
Metropolitan
Micropolitan
Rural
39
6.5%
29.6%
31.4%
26.2%
5.8%
.5%
100.0%
39
6.1%
30.5%
32.0%
25.6%
4.8%
.4%
100.0%
38
8.4%
29.5%
28.3%
27.2%
6.1%
.5%
100.0%
42
7.8%
21.4%
30.5%
30.0%
8.6%
1.6%
100.0%
Race and ethnicity
The dental assistant workforce is nearly 97 percent white. Only in metropolitan area counties are minorities
a significant share of the dental assistant workforce.
White
Asian
Black or African American
American Indian or
Alaska Native
Other
(ethnicity)Spanish or
Latino origin
Statewide
96.5%
1.3%
.9%
.9%
Metropolitan
95.8%
1.6%
1.3%
.9%
Micropolitan
98.8%
.2%
-03.7%
Rural
98.75
-0-0-0-
.4%
.9%
.5%
.9%
1.2%
.5%
.8%
1.3%
Note: Some respondents did not answer the question; percentages based on only respondents who answered questions. Precise
data not available for metropolitan, micropolitan and other rural counties.
Education
The vast majority – 98 percent – of active Minnesota dental assistants received their dental assistant training
in Minnesota.
Most dental assistants have two years or less of college. Eighty percent report their highest post-secondary
credential is a certificate in dental assisting. Seventeen percent hold a two-year associate degree and 3
percent a bachelor’s degree. The percentages are virtually identical for dental assistants working in
metropolitan, micropolitan and rural counties.
page 5
Minnesota’s Registered Dental Assistants
Highest post-secondary degree
Statewide
79.8%
Certificate
16.9%
Associate degree
3.1%
Bachelor’s degree
*
M.A. or Ph. D.
Metropolitan
79.6%
16.8%
3.4%
*
Micropolitan
80.9%
17.5%
1.7%
*
Rural
80.8%
16.7%
2.5%
*
* less than .5 percent.
Practice Settings
• Forty-four percent of dental assistants are employed in private, solo-practice dental offices. Fortyeight percent work for small or large group practices.
• Dental assistants in rural areas are more likely to be employed in solo private dental practices than
are assistants in metropolitan or micropolitan areas. The same pattern holds for dentists.
Type of Site
Solo private
Small group private
Large group private
Staff model HMO
College or university
Community or school clinic
Hospital
Institution
Long term care facility
Other
Statewide
43.6%
34.5%
13.2%
2.4%
2.0%
1.3%
.9%
.5%
.1%
1.3%
Metropolitan
39.5%
35.5%
15.1%
3.1%
2.4%
1.4%
1.1%
.4%
.1%
1.4%
Micropolitan
51.1%
36.5%
8.7%
-01.2%
.7%
-01.2%
-0.7%
Rural
70.7%
22.3%
2.5%
-0.4%
1.2%
1.2%
.4%
-01.2%
Restorative functions
The survey asked whether dental assistants perform expanded restorative functions1, and if so, which. Less
than 1 percent of respondents said they perform restorative functions authorized under M.S. 150A.10, subd.
4. Most respondents did not answer the question asking whether they performed restorative functions.
However, when asked about specific type of restorative functions, 2 to 4 percent said they performed the
following restorative functions:
• Place, contour or adjust amalgam restorations: 2 percent
• Place, contour or adjust glass ionomers: 2 percent
• Place, contour or adjust Class I supragingival composite restorations: 2 percent and
• Adapt and cement stainless steel crowns: 4 percent.
These percentages may be low. Restorative activities are one category of several duties registered dental
assistants may perform when a dentist is present.
1
In addition to other activities, Chapter 150A.10, subd. 2 of Minnesota Statutes permits dental assistants to perform the following
restorative functions if a dentist is available in the clinic during the procedure: 1) place, contour, and adjust amalgam
restorations; (2) place, contour, and adjust glass ionomers; (3) adapt and cement stainless steel crowns; and (4) place,
contour, and adjust class I and class V supragingival composite restorations where the margins are entirely within the
enamel.
page 6
Minnesota’s Registered Dental Assistants
Methodological notes
Data is reported for three categories of counties.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) counties2 – 21 Minnesota counties included in seven
metropolitan statistical areas (Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Cloud, Rochester, Duluth-Superior, Fargo,
Grand Forks and La Crosse).
Micropolitan counties3 – 20 counties surrounding smaller urban centers of at least 10,000 people.
Rural counties4 – 46 counties outside MSAs and micropolitan areas.
The counties constituting each of these categories are not geographically contiguous. ORHPC can provide
data for other county groupings upon request.
Data reported here is from responses received from dental assistants renewing registrations during 2006 and
2007. Renewals are for two-year periods, due by birth month in odd or even years based on birth year. It
takes 24 months to present the survey questionnaire to all renewing dental assistants.
The Board of Dentistry received at least 6,157 license renewals during 2007 and 2008. This estimate is
based on the number of active licenses in effect December 31, 2008, minus initial licenses and license
reinstatements during the same time period.
The Office of Rural Health and Primary Care received survey responses from 3,933, or about 64 percent of
dental assistants renewing their licenses. At the time of license renewal, 3,061, or 78 percent, of these said
they working at least part time at a primary practice site in Minnesota. Applied to 6,157 registered dental
assistants, this percentage produces an estimate that about 4,790 dental assistants were working in
Minnesota at least part time at the end of 2008. If dental assistants actively working in Minnesota were more
likely to respond to the survey than dental assistants either not working or working outside Minnesota, the
estimated number of active Minnesota dental assistants would be somewhat lower.
Using the July 1, 2008, population estimate for Minnesota (5,220,393), the estimated 4,790 dental assistants
would equate 92 dental assistants per 100,000 people.
Because of different data sources and definitions, this estimate of 92 active dental assistants is not directly
comparable to other reported data. The 2006 U.S. Health Workforce Profile reported that Minnesota had
5,180 dental assistants, or 102 per 100,000 population, compared to a national rate of 92. The U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics estimated Minnesota had about 5,300 employed dental assistants in May 2007 or such
and such per 100,000 population?
For purposes of this report, age for all respondents was calculated as of January 1, 2007 – the mid-point in
the survey cycle.
2
Counties in metropolitan statistical areas: Anoka, Benton, Carlton, Carver, Chisago, Clay, Dakota, Dodge, Hennepin, Houston,
Isanti, Olmsted, Polk, Ramsey, St. Louis, Scott, Sherburne, Stearns, Wabasha, Washington and Wright.
3
Counties in micropolitan statistical areas: Beltrami, Blue Earth, Brown, Cass, Crow Wing, Douglas, Freeborn, Goodhue,
Kandiyohi, Lyon, McLeod, Martin, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Otter Tail, Rice, Steele, Wilkin and Winona.
4
All counties not named in notes 1 and 2.