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Dental Nurses

Dental nurses prepare patients for, and assist with, dental examinations, prepare and sterilise instruments and maintain case records.

Wages

New workers
AVERAGE
Experienced
£9,730
£18,350
£29,598

New workers start around £9,730. Normal pay is £18,350 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £29,598.

Available jobs

In the past year there were 69,074 vacancies for this type of job

5.94%

Projected job growth over the next 8 years

Related courses

People work towards these careers by taking these courses at college and uni.

What they do most days?

  • Maintains records, processes and mounts x-ray films and undertakes reception duties.

  • Removes water and saliva from patient’s mouth during treatment.

  • Assists with minor treatment, such as preparing materials for fillings.

  • Hands required equipment and medication to dentist during examination.

  • Prepares and sterilises instruments and follows guidelines to maintain sterile conditions within the surgery.

  • Prepares patient for examination.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Surgery

  • Dentistry

  • Dental Hygiene

  • Nursing

  • Sales Prospecting

  • Infection Control

  • Dental Care

  • Radiography

  • Hepatitis B

  • Orthodontics

Soft Skills

Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education.

Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.

  • Communication

  • English Language

  • Customer Service

  • Detail Oriented

  • Teamwork

  • Mathematics

  • Organizational Skills

  • Enthusiasm

  • Management

  • Patience

How do I get a job like this?

People in these types of job started their career paths after studying courses like the ones below.

Routes to this career

See all

Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy

University of Portsmouth

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Portsmouth · 23/09/2024

Tariff points: 120/128

Dental Nursing

University of Northampton

FdSc · 2 Years · Full-time · Northampton · 16/09/2024

Tariff points: 64/64

Dental Therapy and Hygiene

University of Plymouth

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Plymouth · 09/2024

Tariff points: N/A

Dental Hygiene

Teesside University, Middlesbrough

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Middlesbrough · 18/09/2023

Tariff points: 112/120

Dental Hygiene and Therapy

University of Birmingham

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Birmingham · 30/09/2024

Tariff points: N/A

Dental Hygiene

London South Bank University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · London · 09/2023

Tariff points: 112/112

Dental Therapy

University of Central Lancashire

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Preston · 02/09/2024

Tariff points: N/A

Dental Hygiene and Therapy

University of Manchester

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Manchester · 18/09/2023

Tariff points: N/A

Dental Hygiene

Bangor University

DipHE · 2 Years · Full-time · Bangor, Gwynedd · 23/09/2024

Tariff points: 72/72

Gateway to Dentistry

University of Bristol

BDS · 6 Years · Full-time · Bristol · 09/2024

Tariff points: 96/129

Oral Health Science

University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)

BSc · 3 Years · Full-time · Inverness · 2024-2025

Tariff points: 104/108

Oral Health

Queen Mary University of London

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · London · 02/09/2024

Tariff points: 128/152

Healthcare Practice

North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College

HND · 2 Years · Full-time · Nuneaton · 23/09/2024

Tariff points: 64/64

Dental Surgery

University of Sheffield

BDS · 5 Years · Full-time · Sheffield · 30/09/2024

Tariff points: N/A

International Nursing Studies

Anglia Ruskin University

BSc (Hons) · 1 Year · Full-time · Chelmsford · 09/09/2024

Tariff points: N/A

Mental Health and Resilience

Blackpool and the Fylde College

CertHE · 1 Year · Full-time · Blackpool · 09/2024

Tariff points: 80/80

Health and Applied Social Studies

Nelson and Colne College Group

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Accrington · 09/2023

Tariff points: 96/96

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