Dental Assistants build instructing, service orientation and social perceptiveness skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Ophthalmic Medical Technicians (88%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ophthalmic Medical Technicians | 88% | $45,570 | −5% | None |
| 2 | Ophthalmic Medical Technologists | 84% | $50,290Pay for the broader BLS group “Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 3 | Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 82% | $47,380 | −1% | None |
| 4 | Surgical Assistants | 81% | $66,800 | +39% | None |
| 5 | Surgical Technologists | 79% | $64,650 | +34% | None |
| 6 | Hearing Aid Specialists | 78% | $65,160 | +36% | None |
| 7 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 76% | $64,400 | +34% | None |
| 8 | Pharmacy Technicians | 75% | $45,750 | −5% | None |
| 9 | Respiratory Therapists | 74% | $82,280 | +71% | None |
| 10 | Physical Therapist Assistants | 74% | $68,380 | +42% | None |
Compared with Dental Assistants, median $48,070. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as dental assistants (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
88% skill match · $45,570 · −5% pay
84% skill match · $50,290 (broader BLS group)
Management of Personnel Resources · Social Perceptiveness · Service Orientation
82% skill match · $47,380 · −1% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Troubleshooting · Systems Evaluation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Ophthalmic Medical Technicians (88% skill match, median $45,570), Ophthalmic Medical Technologists (84% skill match, median $50,290) and Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (82% skill match, median $47,380), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 16 pay more than dental assistants at the median. The biggest increases: Radiation Therapists (+119%, $105,310), Nuclear Medicine Technologists (+111%, $101,370) and Registered Nurses (+103%, $97,550).
24 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.