The philosophy tends to ring true in all areas of life. Two trends in dentistry illustrate the point.

A career as a dental assistant was ranked No.1 by Forbes.com in a 2012 listing of the best jobs for young people in the current market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for a Dental Assistant is $34,500 per year, however and this week’s report from marketwatch.com discusses a new DentalPost Survey which reveals the average annual salary for a full-time Dental Assistant is closer to $27,000.

DentalPost Founder and CEO, Tonya Lanthier offered thoughts on the 20 percent disparity to marketwatch.com, “Through our Dental Assistant Survey, we learned that while workplace realities may differ slightly than industry reports, this occupation remains one of the fastest growing in the dental industry and talent continues to be in high demand.”

The survey, which polled more than 500 DentalPost users on topics including salary information, workplace benefits and employment longevity,  revealed that the average full time Dental Assistant worked between 36 and 37 hours a week, earning between $24,000 and $27,000 per year, depending on experience. In contrast, the average part time Dental Assistant works between 24 and 26 hours a week, earning between $19,000 and $22,000 per year.