The majority of graduates from allied dental programs were inspired to join the field by their personal experiences, according to the American Dental Education Association’s 2026 U.S. Allied Dental Graduating Student Survey.
To create the report, released this month, the ADEA surveyed 2,773 students graduating from 264 allied dental programs between April 7 and June 29. The report includes data on learning experiences, education debt, funding sources and future career plans.
Here is how dental assisting and hygiene program graduates responded to a question on what influenced their decision to pursue their careers:
Dental assistants
| Reason | Percentage |
| Personal dental experience | 38% |
| Shadowing a dental assistant | 7.6% |
| A family member, relative or friend who is a dental assistant | 11.4% |
| High school or college counselor | 4.6% |
| Family or friend’s dental experience | 9.6% |
| A career day school visit by a dental assistant | 3.2% |
| Your family dental assistant | 2.2% |
| Workforce supply and demand trends in dentistry | 5.1% |
| A family member, relative or friend who is not a dental assistant | 7.50% |
| Websites on careers in dentistry | 5.9% |
| A visit to a dental assisting program | 3.5% |
| Opportunity to participate in a summer enrichment program | 0.7% |
| Specific recruitment by a dental assisting program | N/A |
| Other | N/A |
Dental hygienists
| Reason | Percentage |
| Personal dental experience | 44.6% |
| Shadowing a hygienist | 13% |
| A family member, relative or friend who is a hygienist | 11.2% |
| High school or college counselor | 2.3% |
| Family or friend’s dental experience | 6% |
| A career day school visit by a hygienist | 1.4% |
| Your family hygienist | 5.3% |
| Workforce supply and demand trends in dentistry | 4.5% |
| A family member, relative or friend who is not a hygienist | 7.4% |
| Websites on careers in dentistry | 2.7% |
| A visit to a dental hygiene program | 1.4% |
| Opportunity to participate in a summer enrichment program | N/A |
| Specific recruitment by a dental hygiene program | N/A |
| Other | N/A |
