Mixed signals

Dental therapist

8.6K UK workers · typical pay £43,000 · entry route Bachelor's degree (Level 6). Projected growth of +5% to 2035.

How AI is actually used here · measured · Anthropic Economic Index

Thin signal. Only 25% of the Claude usage mapped to this job is actual work. The rest is personal or study use of the same skills. Read the figures below as indicative, not precise.

45%

Augmentation

AI mostly does the task

4.5×

Time compression

~1.3h → ~17min

2.51/5

AI autonomy

how hands-off it runs

56%

Automation

of measured usage

How the collaboration splits · the six measured modes

directive 44.3%learning 33.7%feedback loop 9.7%task iteration 8.3%unclassified 2.2%validation 1.8%

What people make with AI here

explanation / answer34%advice / recommendation17%math / calculation8%

Real Claude.ai usage mapped to this occupation's SOC group, Apr+May 2026, CC-BY. Claude users only; task times model-estimated; augment/automate is how AI is used, not a count of jobs lost. Method →

Facts · ONS + NCS

UK workers (2024)

8.6K

Median pay

£43.0K

Our scored call · a labelled hypothesis, not a measurement

AI exposure

3 / 10

Elasticity

6.5 / 10

2035 outlook

+5%

Exposure · 3/10

Why AI can do the work

Dental therapy is primarily a physical, hands-on healthcare role requiring manual dexterity and real-time interaction with patients in a clinical setting. While AI may assist with diagnostic imaging analysis and administrative scheduling, the core tasks of scaling, polishing, and performing clinical procedures cannot be automated by digital tools.

Elasticity · 6.5/10

Gated by population

Whether demand expands when it gets cheaper

Lower costs would unlock massive latent demand for preventative care and cosmetic hygiene treatments currently deferred by patients due to price.

Trajectory to 2035

Headcount grows +5%, a Jevons-pattern curve.

Adoption scenario

×1.00 · Consensus

Change the scenario in the nav to reshape this curve.

Headcount projection · 2024 → 2035

Baseline 8.6K workers (2024) · % change vs baseline

Peak 2035 +5%2035 +5%

Peak headcount

2035

+5% vs 2024

2035 endpoint

+5%

9.0K workers

Time to −10%

–

Never crosses in model

Total wage pool

£0.4B

pay × jobs

Where this role lives

UK employment share by region, SOC-joined to 3213.

South East

9.8K · 32.8%

North West

8.2K · 27.4%

Yorkshire and The Humber

5.8K · 19.4%

South West

3.1K · 10.4%

Wales

3.0K · 10%

Gender split

Majority-female role (69.8% women).

30.0K women · 70%13.0K men · 30%

Career pivots · same category, higher elasticity

Five roles with transferable skills and better demand dynamics.

Elasticity 8.5/10 · AI 3/10

Plastic surgeon

£92,000+9%

Elasticity 7.5/10 · AI 5/10

Nutritionist

£39,000+7%