How to become a dental assistant or therapist

Official title: Dental assistants and therapists

Also called: Dental assistant, Dental hygienist, Dental therapist

Dental assistants and therapists provide basic dental care services for the prevention and treatment of diseases and disorders of the teeth and mouth, according to care plans and procedures established by a dentist or other oral health professional.

Main tasks

• Advising communities and individuals on dental hygiene, diet and other preventive measures to reduce potential risks to oral health
• Conducting visual and physical examinations of patients’ mouths, teeth and related structures to assess oral health status
• Identifying cases of patients with poor oral health or oral disease requiring referral to a dentist or other health professional
• Assisting dentists during complex dental procedures
• Providing fluoride treatments, cleaning and removing deposits from teeth, preparing cavities and placing fillings, administering local anaesthesia, and performing other types of basic or routine clinical dental procedures
• Preparing, cleaning and sterilizing dental instruments, equipment and materials used in the examination and treatment of patients
• Getting patients ready for examination or treatment, including explaining procedures and correct positioning
• Taking impressions of the mouth and dental radiographs to support diagnosis and fitting of dental prosthetics

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$27,000 a month
• About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Ambulance workers
• Health associate professionals not elsewhere classified
• Dispensing opticians
• Medical records and health information technicians
• Medical assistants
• Physiotherapy technicians and assistants

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a dental assistant or therapist?

Not always. 35% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a dental assistant or therapist?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026