Dental Assistant Family
Career series with 1 positions across 1 levels
Dental Assistant 1 is a competitive state title, the kind you test for: the exam result, not a hiring manager's pick, decides where you land in line.
It expects 1 year of relevant experience and a valid NJ driver's license. Pay on the FY2027 schedule runs $46,215 to $66,786, and state payroll currently lists 8 people in the title, led by Health and Senior Services.
Dental Assistant is a single-title classification family: Dental Assistant 1 is the only position in it.
Positions in This Family
- DENTAL ASSISTANT 1 (01035) $46,215 - $66,786/year
What the Dental Assistant family covers
Dental Assistant is a single-title family in the New Jersey civil service classification plan: one title code, with no numbered rungs above or below it. Every title in it is a state title, so the employer is a state department, commission or authority rather than a county or municipality.
Clinical titles staff the state psychiatric hospitals, the developmental centers, the veterans homes and the county health departments. Licensure usually does the gatekeeping that an exam does elsewhere, so the qualification text points at a board registration rather than a test score, and the competitive exam is often an evaluation of credentials. This is also the corner of the compendium where the state pays to fill vacancies faster: several health care titles can be hired above the bottom step under the special incentive program.
What each title does
The published specification opens with this definition of the work.
- Dental Assistant 1: Under the direction of a Dentist, assists in the clinical and administrative functions of a dental care program; does other related work. NOTE: The examples of work for…
Requirements across the family
None of the specifications in this family names a degree requirement, which places these titles among the New Jersey positions open to applicants without formal higher education. Experience requirements sit at 1 year wherever they are stated.
Every title here carries a license or certification requirement, so the credential matters more than the exam score. On how the jobs are filled: 1 is competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination. 1 title in this family is covered by the compendium's special incentive program, which lets an appointing authority hire a qualified candidate above the bottom step instead of starting them at step one. See the full list of incentive titles.
Who actually employs these titles
State payroll records show 8 people working under 1 of this family's title, spread across 2 agencies. Health and Senior Services alone accounts for about 50% of them.
- Health and Senior Services — 4 employees
- Human Services — 4 employees
Median actual pay for Dental Assistant 1 is $60,198, which is what people in the title are really paid rather than the published band.
State payroll only, deduplicated by payroll title; local employers file separately, so a family with local codes looks smaller here than it is. How this is counted.
How the pay is set
Titles in this family are paid on the H salary schedule. See every step in that schedule. Bargaining is handled by AFSCME. Union contracts and rights are collected here.
Where these jobs exist
These are state titles, hired by New Jersey departments, commissions and boards through the Civil Service Commission's announcement and eligible list process rather than by an ordinary job posting. How state hiring works, and which agencies employ what.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
Other classifications built on the same terms as Dental Assistant. Worth checking if this family has no current opening.
- Dental Aide ($34,687 to $49,504, state jurisdiction)
- Dental Hygienist ($60,207 to $87,764, state jurisdiction)
- Dental Assistant (local jurisdiction)
- Chief of Dental Services ($146,038 to $216,490, state jurisdiction) — in the Chief family
- Coordinator of Dental Health Services (local jurisdiction)
- Registered Dental Assistant & Sterilization Technician ($50,431 to $73,088, state jurisdiction)
Common questions about Dental Assistant jobs
How many Dental Assistant titles are there in New Jersey civil service?
The Dental Assistant family holds 1 title code. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
What does a Dental Assistant earn in New Jersey?
Dental Assistant 1 is published at $46,215 to $66,786. Salary depends on the salary range assigned to the title and the step the employee has reached.
Do you need to take an exam to become a Dental Assistant?
Yes for most of the family. 1 of the 1 title are in the competitive division, which means appointment comes from an eligible list built by an open competitive or promotional examination.
What qualifications does a Dental Assistant need?
No degree requirement is parsed from the specifications in this family, which puts these titles among the New Jersey civil service jobs reachable without formal higher education. Experience of 1 year is named where a requirement is stated. 1 of the titles require a license or certification.
Which agencies employ Dental Assistant staff?
State payroll records show 8 people in this family across 2 agencies, with Health and Senior Services the largest at 4. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.