Army Dental Specialist (MOS 68E): Career Details

Army Dental Specialist (MOS 68E) is responsible for assisting the Army dentist in patient care and treatment.

The specialist prepares the patient for procedures and assist the dentist with any procedure or examination needed.

Specialist are also responsible for managing dental offices.

Qualifications,Training and Duty Stations

To enter into this MOS, recruits must receive a minimum score of 91 on the Skilled Technical (ST) portion of the ASVAB test.

After passing all entry testing and physical/medical requirements, recruits will attend Basic Combat Training for 10 weeks.

Upon successful completion of Basic Training, individuals will attend Advanced Individual Training for 8 weeks.

This training will be a combination of field and classroom work and will include practicing dental care.

Skills that are helpful in this MOS include:

Hand-Eye coordination
Interest in Biology and Chemistry
Ability to follow verbal instructions
Ability to follow detail procedures/procedure instruction
Interest in work that helps others

Duty Stations

Those serving in the Army as an MOS 68E can expect to be potentially based at one of the following duty stations:

Inside the Continental US (CONUS)

Ft. Aberdeen, MD
Ft. Carlisle, PA
Ft. Detrick, MD
Eglin AFB, FL
Ft. Hunter Liggett, CA
Ft. Monterey, CA
Ft. Story, VA
Ft. White Sands, WS
Ft. Belvoir, VA
Ft. Benning, GA
Ft. Bethesda, MD
Ft. Bliss, TX
Ft. Bragg, NC
Ft. Campbell, KY
Ft. Carson, CO
Ft. Dix, CO
Ft. Drum, NY
Ft. Eustis, VA
Ft. Gordon, GA
Ft. Hood, TX
Ft. Huachuca, AZ
Ft. Irwin, CA
Ft. Jackson, MS
Ft. Knox, KY
Ft. Leavenworth, KS
Ft. Lee, VA
Ft. Leonard Wood, MO
Ft. Lewis, WA
Ft. Meade, MD
Ft. Myer, VA
Ft. Polk, LA
Ft. Riley, KS
Ft. Rucker, NY
Ft. Sam Houston, TX
Ft. Sill, OK
Ft. Stewart, GA
West Point, NY

Outside the Continental US (OCONUS)

Brussels, Belgium
Honolulu, Hawaii
Ft. Richardson, AK
Ft. Wainwright, AK
Grafenwoehr, Germany
Pulaski, Germany
Vogelweh, Germany
Storck, Germany
Hohenfels, Germany
Vilseck, Germany
Katterbach, Germany
Patch, Germany
Landstuhl, Germany
Smith, Germany
Wiesbaden, Germany
Darby, Italy
Vicenza, Italy
Zama, Japan
Casey, South Korea
Stanley, South Korea
Walker, South Korea
Yongsan, South Korea
Arifjan, kuwait

What Does a Dental Specialist Do?

Army Dental Specialist caring for a pediatric patient in Honduras. Image: southcom.mil

A Dental Specialist in the Army is responsible for patient care and assisting the dentist.

When a patient arrives, the specialist will get them prepared for their examination or procedure with the Dentist.

This means that they will complete any teeth cleaning procedures and give the patient any instructions/written information on their procedure.

This also means preparing any dental materials.

They can measure and record temperature of the patient, blood pressure and pulse.

Prior to a procedure, the specialist will assist with administering anesthesia.

The specialist assist with placing and removing sutures.

Specialist are required to be familiar with radiology techniques and take X-rays of patients.

To assist the Dentist, the specialist will prepare dental operatory.

They will perform sanitation procedures, set-up the correct tools needed for the procedure and hand the tools to the Dentist during procedures.

Along with setting up and preparing the tools, specialist must perform preventative maintenance on tools and equipment.

Specialist prepare restorative and impression materials for patients.

There may be times when the specialist is required to treat diseases of teeth or in the oral region.

Specialist assist with replacing fillings, crowns, dentures and extractions.

When the patient is finished with their examination, the specialist will go over dental hygiene procedures and can sometimes assist with scheduling follow-up appointments.

Any procedures or examination/testing details will be logged into patient files by the specialist.

Logging information can be done with symbols and abbreviations and logged into computer tracking programs.

This position requires individuals to be familiar with basic First-Aid, perform CPR and operate resuscitation equipment.

Soldiers working in this Army job may be in a fixed facility or in a field unit.

The position requires soldiers to work with both adults and children and can be in deployed operations or humanitarian operations.

The specialist may assist with emergency medical or dental procedures while in a field unit.

The Army recruiting video below provides more information on Dental Specialist job functions.

What Does a Dental Specialist get Paid?

Army Dental Specialist will receive pay based on rank and time of service.

If entering into this MOS with no prior Military experience or formal education, individuals can expect to make around $20,000 a year in base pay.

Base pay varies the first few months during training and does not include any Army benefits.

Follow the base pay table below to get an idea of how your pay increases based on rank/time of service.

Pay Grade	Rank	Abbreviation	Minimum Monthly Pay
E-1 +4 months	Private	PVT	$1,917.60
E-2	Private Second Class	PV2	$2,149.20
E-3	Private First Class	PFC	$2,259.90
E-4	Specialist	SPC	$2,503.50
E-4	Corporal	CPL	$2,503.50
E-5	Sergeant	SGT	$2,730.30
E-6	Staff Sergeant	SSG	$2,980.50
E-7	Sergeant First Class	SFC	$3,445.80
E-8	Master Sergeant	MSG	$4,957.20
E-8	First Sergeant	1SG	$4,957.20
E-9	Sergeant Major	SGM	$6,055.50
E-9	Command Sergeant Major	CSM	$6,055.50
E-9	Sergeant Major of the Army	SMA	$6,055.50

Benefits

In addition to the base pay amount described above, the Army offers benefits as well as other compensation opportunities.

Certain recruiting bonuses are available based on factors such as position or time it takes to go to Basic Training.

Special pay opportunities are available for situations such as deployment.

The Army pays for housing and food for those soldiers who live on base.

They also offer an annual Military Clothing Allowance.

Other benefits include:

Free/low-cost medical and dental
Low-cost life insurance
Paid vacation
Paid sick time
Tuition assistance programs/scholarships

Job Reviews

The reviews for this position are very positive.

Most previous Dental Specialist ranked the job 4/5 and stated that they enjoyed the overall position.

Positive reviews discuss being able to work with different people and having access to all of the Army benefits.

Negative reviews point out the amount of time that individuals spend away from home and the possibility of receiving a supervisor that you do not get along with.

The review below discusses both positive and negative aspects of the Dental Assistant position.

This review explains the opportunities that the position offers.

Civilian Career Opportunities

Working as a Dental Specialist in the Army provides the experience and discipline necessary to work in a civilian dental office or clinic.

This role provides experience in all aspects of a dental facility.

The Army offers additional training opportunities that allows additional certifications to assist with civilian career opportunities.

Certifications with the American Medical Technologists as a Registered Dental Assistant or Dental Assisting National Board as a Certified Dental Assistant are available.

This position also qualifies for the PAYS recruiting program that guarantees a job interview with a Military friendly civilian employer.

Summary

Army Dental Specialist (MOS 68E) are responsible for assisting the Army dentist, preparing patients and managing dental offices.

Their tasks range from performing teeth cleaning procedures to assisting with dental surgery.

This is an entry-level position that requires passing all required entry level testing.

Individuals will receive pay based on rank and time of service.

Previous Dental Specialist in the Army recommend the position for the experience and benefits offered.

Civilian career opportunities related to this position include civilian dental assistant and hygienist.

Related Article-Army MOS 51C: Career Details

References

Army MOS 68E Career Details

Army COOL MOS 68E

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Rob V.

Rob V. is the founder of OperationMilitaryKids.org. While he never actually served in the US Military, he has a passion for writing about military related topics.

Born and raised in Woodbridge, NJ, he graduated from the New Jersey Institute Of Technology with an MBA in eCommerce.His hobbies include beach volleyball, target shooting, and lifting.

Rob is also a Commercially rated pilot and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), with over 1,500 hours of flight time.