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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
£29,599

New workers start around £9,730. Normal pay is £18,350 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £29,599.

Available jobs

In the past year there were 69,090 vacancies for this type of job

5.96%

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

  • Nursing

  • Dental Care

  • Infection Control

  • Radiography

  • Sales Prospecting

  • Food Safety And Sanitation

  • Orthodontics

  • Machinery

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

  • Detail Oriented

  • Customer Service

  • English Language

  • Teamwork

  • Management

  • Mathematics

  • Organizational Skills

  • Enthusiasm

  • 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 Nursing

University of Northampton

FdSc · 2 Years · Full-time · Northampton · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: 64/64

BSc Dental Nursing

University of the West of Scotland

BSc · 3 Years · Full-time · Cumbernauld · 08/09/2025

Tariff points: 42/42

Dental Hygiene

Teesside University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Middlesbrough · 15/09/2025

Tariff points: 112/120

Dental Hygiene and Therapy

University of Birmingham

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Birmingham · 29/09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Dental Therapy

University of Central Lancashire

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Preston · 01/09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Dental Therapy

London South Bank University

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · London · 09/2025

Tariff points: 112/112

Dental Hygiene

Bangor University

DipHE · 2 Years · Full-time · Bangor, Gwynedd · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: 72/72

Dental Hygiene and Therapy

University of Manchester

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Manchester · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Oral Health Science

University of Essex

FdSc · 2 Years · Full-time · Colchester · 22/09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Gateway to Dentistry

University of Bristol

BDS · 6 Years · Full-time · Bristol · 09/2025

Tariff points: 96/129

Oral Health Science

University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)

BSc · 3 Years · Full-time · Thurso · 09/2025

Tariff points: 104/108

Healthcare Professions' Support

Newham College of Further Education

HND · 4 Years · Part-time · London · 08/09/2025

Tariff points: 64/64

Oral Health

Queen Mary University of London

BSc (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · London · 15/09/2025

Tariff points: 128/152

Dental Surgery

University of Sheffield

BDS · 5 Years · Full-time · Sheffield · 29/09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Oral Health Sciences

University of Dundee

BSc · 3 Years · Full-time · Dundee · 09/2025

Tariff points: N/A

Health and Social Care BA (Hons)

Coventry University

BA (Hons) · 3 Years · Full-time · Scarborough · 01/2026

Tariff points: 104/104

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