A new report certainly won't put a smile on dentists' faces.

Dental surgeons and assistants have the most unhealthy jobs in the U.S. because of their daily exposure to infection and the length of time they spend sitting down, the data analysis reveals.

They are closely followed by flight attendants, anesthesiologists, veterinarians and, bizarrely, podiatrists, who specialize in the treatment of diseases of the feet, ankles and lower limbs.

Other jobs to rank in the top 27 most unhealthy professions in America include immigration and customs inspectors, embalmers and, unsurprisingly, chemical plant and system operators.

The analysis was carried out on data from the Occupational Information Network (O*Net) - a Department of Labor database containing vast information on jobs - by Business Insider.

It used various workplace risks - including employees' exposure to contaminants, diseases and infection, risk of minor injuries and exposure to radiation - to establish the unhealthiness of jobs.

The study reveals that dental surgeons, technicians, assistants and other related roles are in the least healthy jobs because they are exposed to diseases and infections on a daily basis.

They are regularly required to diagnose and treat diseases of the teeth and gums - for which, they wear protective gloves and masks - and also sit down for long stretches of time while doing so.

Meanwhile, flight attendants were found to be at a higher risk than many other workers of catching an infection because they operate within the confines of a plane with members of the public.

There is also a chance they will suffer from minor burns or cuts while serving food and beverages.

Those who are forced to deal with exposure to disease and infection on the most regular basis were revealed to be derrick operators, refractory materials repairers, continuous mining-machine operators, nuclear medicine technologists, and metal-refining furnace operators and tenders.

However, other elements of their job saw them ruled more healthy than both dentists and flight attendants - as well as surgical and medical assistants and pilots (except for derrick operators).

Remarkably, embalmers were found to be in the 24th most unhealthy profession due to the contaminants, hazardous chemicals and infections they may face when preparing bodies for burial.

They were 'tied' with elevator installers and repairers, who risk suffering minor injuries when fitting and fixing elevators, as well as exposure to contaminants, like pollutants, gases, dust and odors.

For the analysis, Business Insider looked at risks in all 974 occupations in O*Net's database.

The database marks these risks on a scale from 0 to 100.

THE TOP 27 UNHEALTHIEST JOBS IN THE U.S. - AND THEIR OVERALL SCORES

  • Listed from most unhealthy - least unhealthy 
  • Dentists, dental surgeons, and dental assistants - 65.4 (overall 'unhealthiness' score)
  • Flight attendants - 62.3 
  • Anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and anesthesiologist assistants - 62.3
  • Veterinarians and veterinary assistants and technicians - 60.3
  • Podiatrists - 60.2
  • Immigration and customs inspectors - 59.3
  • Histotechnologists and histologic technicians - 59
  • Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators - 58.2
  • Stationary engineers and boiler operators - 57.7
  • Surgical and medical assistants, technologists, and technicians - 57.3
  • Derrick operators (oil and gas) - 56
  • Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers - 55.7
  • Medical equipment preparers - 55.7
  • Nuclear equipment operation technicians - 55.2
  • Refuse and recyclable material collectors - 55
  • Refractory materials repairers (with the exception of brickmasons) - 54.8
  • Continuous mining-machine operators - 54
  • Emergency medical technicians and paramedics - 54
  • Chemical plant and system operators - 53.7
  • Service unit operators (oil, gas, and mining) - 53.7
  • Critical care nurses - 53.5
  • Refrigeration mechanics and installers - 53.3
  • Nuclear medicine technologists - 53
  • Elevator installers and repairers - 52.8
  • Embalmers - 52.8
  • Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders - 52.8
  • Radiologists - 52.8