Dental Hygienists build social perceptiveness, service orientation and instructing 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 Nuclear Medicine Technologists (74%).
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 | Nuclear Medicine Technologists | 74% | $101,370 | +3% | None |
| 2 | Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | 74% | $96,590 | −2% | None |
| 3 | Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | 71% | $95,480 | −3% | None |
| 4 | Surgical Assistants | 70% | $66,800 | −32% | None |
| 5 | Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | 69% | $74,310 | −24% | None |
| 6 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 67% | $64,400 | −34% | None |
| 7 | Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | 65% | $80,110 | −18% | None |
| 8 | Surgical Technologists | 64% | $64,650 | −34% | None |
| 9 | Physical Therapist Assistants | 64% | $68,380 | −30% | None |
| 10 | Dental Assistants | 64% | $48,070 | −51% | None |
Compared with Dental Hygienists, median $98,100. 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 hygienists (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.
74% skill match · $101,370 · +3% pay
Operation and Control · Equipment Selection · Quality Control Analysis
74% skill match · $96,590 · −2% pay
Operation and Control · Quality Control Analysis · Social Perceptiveness
71% skill match · $95,480 · −3% pay
Operation and Control · Systems Analysis · Systems Evaluation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Nuclear Medicine Technologists (74% skill match, median $101,370), Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (74% skill match, median $96,590) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists (71% skill match, median $95,480), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 2 pay more than dental hygienists at the median. The biggest increases: Medical Dosimetrists (+50%, $147,470) and Nuclear Medicine Technologists (+3%, $101,370).
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.