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| The AGDTranscript is a quarterly e-newsletter sent to each state dental board in an effort to facilitate greater awareness of dental trends and issues across the nation. As the Academy of General Dentistry worked with Licensing dental boards toward acceptance of the AGD state transcript, it was noticed that happenings in one state were not always publicized to other states. Through this newsletter, the AGD hopes to build a lasting relationship with state licensing agencies while communicating information of interest. |
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The duties of a dental assistant are among the most comprehensive and varied in the dental office. Most dental assistants may be responsible for the following procedures in a dental office:
- assisting the dentist during a variety of treatment procedures;
- taking and developing dental radiographs (X-rays);
- asking about the patient's medical history and taking blood pressure and pulse;
- serving as an infection control officer, developing infection control protocol and preparing and sterilizing instruments and equipment;
- helping patients feel comfortable before, during and after dental treatment;
- providing patients with instructions for oral care following surgery or other dental treatment procedures, such as the placement of a restoration (filling);
- teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health;
(e.g., brushing, flossing and nutritional counseling);
- taking impressions of patients' teeth for study casts;
- performing office management tasks that often require the use of a personal computer;
- communicating with patients and suppliers (e.g., scheduling appointments, answering the telephone, billing and ordering supplies); and/or
- helping to provide direct patient care in all dental specialties, including orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, and oral surgery.
The dental assistant performs many tasks requiring both interpersonal and technical skills, but the education and training requirements for dental assistants vary from state to state. The certified dental assistant (CDA) is a national credential recognized by some states and required by others. RDA stands for registered dental assistant, a state-specific credential required in California, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Jersey. In addition, expanded functions dental assistant (EFDA) is a credential required by some states in order to do expanded functions such as radiology and impressions.
It takes a relatively short period of time to become a dental assistant compared to how long it takes to obtain a DDS or DMD degree. Dental assistants receive their formal education through academic programs at community colleges, vocational schools, technical institutes, universities, or dental schools. Graduates of these programs usually receive certificates. Although the majority of academic dental assisting programs take nine to 11 months to complete, some schools offer accelerated training, part-time education programs or training via distance education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association is responsible for accrediting dental assisting programs. There are approximately 256 Commission-accredited dental assisting programs in the United States as of 2001/2002.
Dental assistants can become certified by passing an examination that evaluates their knowledge. Most dental assistants who choose to become nationally certified take the Dental Assisting National Board's (DANB) CDA examination. Becoming a CDA assures the public that the dental assistant is prepared to assist competently in the provision of dental care.
Dental assistants are eligible to take the CDA examination if they have completed a dental assisting program accredited by CODA. Individuals who have been trained on the job or have graduated from non-accredited programs are eligible to take the national certification examination after they have completed two years of full-time work experience as dental assistants. Some states also recognize passage of components of the CDA examination, such as the Radiation Health and Safety examination, or the Infection Control examination, for licensing and regulatory purposes.
State regulations vary, and some states offer registration or licensure in addition to this national certification program. According to a survey of state dental boards conducted by the AGD, 31 percent of states have some type of training requirements for dental assistants. The other 69 percent either do not regulate the dental assistant profession or do not have requirements for training or licensure. Of the 16 states that do regulate dental assisting requirements, only nine require continuing education (CE) to renew licenses. One of the most comprehensive is Michigan, which requires 36 hours (of which 12 are in dental assisting) and current CPR certification or recertification by DANB every three years in order to remain licensed as an RDA. Iowa also requires CE: 20 hours every two years, including CPR and two CE hours in infection control. In Iowa, as well as Kentucky, California and Nebraska a dental assistant must be certified by the board to perform radiography and coronal polishing.
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