Dental assistants of Indiana: comments from the front lines

During the summer of 1996, a random sample survey of 1500 Indiana dental assistants licensed in radiology by the Indiana State Board of Health was conducted. Surveys were mailed to participants, and follow-up postcard reminders were sent out a few weeks later. There were 569 surveys returned, representing a 38 percent return rate. Numerical data were coded and entered in an SPSS program, and written comments were analyzed independently by the co-authors. Major demographic data and many categories of open-ended comments are summarized and analyzed in this paper. Results from this survey underscore the necessity for wages being improved in the dental assisting field. Comments underscore the fact that many dental assistants are not satisfied with their jobs and therefore may not be committed to either their careers or their employers. Office climate and relationships with the dentist are also described as being very important.