Below are the skills needed to be dentists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).
| Skill Name | Importance | Competence |
| Critical Thinking | 4.12 | 4.38 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Active Listening | 4 | 4 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4 | 4.12 |
| Monitoring | 4 | 4 |
Below are the abilities needed to be dentists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).
| Ability Name | Importance | Competence |
| Finger Dexterity | 4.25 | 4.75 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.25 | 5.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 4.12 | 4.62 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.88 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 5.25 |
Below are the knowledge areas needed to be dentists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).
| Knowledge Area | Importance | Competence |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 5 | 5.69 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.24 | 5.43 |
| English Language | 3.93 | 4.14 |
| Biology | 3.52 | 3.72 |
| Psychology | 3.43 | 4.04 |
Below are the work activities involved in being dentists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest).
| Work Activity | Importance | Competence |
| Getting Information | 4.68 | 5.04 |
| Performing for or Working Directly with the Public | 4.67 | 5.41 |
| Assisting and Caring for Others | 4.65 | 5.53 |
| Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge | 4.64 | 6.02 |
| Making Decisions and Solving Problems | 4.63 | 5.34 |
Below are the work styles involved in being dentists according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest).
| Work Style | Importance | |
| Attention to Detail | 4.66 | |
| Integrity | 4.49 | |
| Dependability | 4.42 | |
| Concern for Others | 4.32 | |
| Self Control | 4.31 |
Metro Areas Sorted by Total Employment for
Dentists
Listed below are the 10 largest metro areas based on the total number of people employed in Dentists jobs , as of 2019
| Metro Area | Total Employment | Annual Mean Salary |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 5,660 | $141,810 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 2,930 | $207,180 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward | 2,890 | $169,730 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 2,420 | $166,700 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | 2,110 | $175,140 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 2,020 | $170,290 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | 2,000 | $172,960 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale | 1,710 | $196,300 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 1,690 | $234,490 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 1,480 | $148,650 |
Compare Total Employment & Salaries for Dentists
Use our handy tool to see what employment and salary numbers look like for two different metro areas
Total employment and salary for professions similar to dentists
Source : 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov; O*NET® 24.3 Database, O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, onetonline.org
