The latest salary numbers and previewing the 'best places to be a dental assistant'

By Kevin Henry, Editor

We’re halfway through 2010. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Seems like just yesterday we were ringing in the New Year. Now we’re in the midst of summer vacations and sweltering temperatures (well, at least here in Oklahoma).

As editor of Dental Assisting Digest™, I like this time of year. Why? I start working on our “best places to be a dental assistant” article that comes out in the July issue of DAD. The last two years, Minnesota has claimed the honor of being the best of the best. This year, that might change as I’ve added some new criteria to the mix (sorry to all of my friends enjoying the 10,000 lakes). Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be pouring through the numbers from 12 different categories to put together this year’s “best places” article. Be looking for it in the July issue of DAD.

One of the categories I use to compile the list is the average salary range for dental assistants in each of the 50 states, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are the latest numbers (from May of 2009) and will be used in our “best places” article. You can click here to see each of the 50 states and their corresponding dental assistant salaries. How does your salary stack up to what is listed here?

While we’re looking ahead on the calendar, go ahead and save some time on September 14 for a Webcast on early diagnosis and caries detection, sponsored by Air Techniques. Starting at 7 p.m. (EDT), this Webcast will provide one hour of CE at no cost. It’s also a great opportunity to learn about some of the new advances in the fight against dental disease. To learn more information and to register for the conference, CLICK HERE.

I hope your summer is off to a great start. Thanks for reading this issue of DAD.

Read on, this is your e-newsletter ...