Before you become a full fledged dental assistant, you would need to fulfill a few requirements and the dental assistant certification is one of them. Although you can work without a certification, the negative aspect of it is that you lose the credibility and better chance for career promotion.
An assistant without a certification isn’t given much work to do by the dentists, compared to a certified dental assistant. In many states, only a certified dental assistant is allowed to perform the important duties like taking x-rays of the patients. A certified assistant will be paid more than an uncertified assistant, no matter the years of work experience.
On an average a certified dental assistant makes $18.73 an hour that is $36,000 per annum. An uncertified assistant makes $16.46 an hour that is $31,000 per annum. It is a huge difference and the salary alone should make you want to be certified. A certified dental assistant enjoys the benefits of pension plan, state registration renewal reimbursement, dental care for free among others. A certified dental assistant is also given a higher pay, has better chances of employment, and benefit more when the comparison is made with and uncertified assistant.
By obtaining dental assistant certification, you will gain recognition. As you’re certified by the dental association for your attributes of reliability, loyalty, and efficiency, your employers will have trust in your capabilities. Recognition through a certification has become very important now.
There are dental assistant schools available online. These online or distant education schools give you the benefits of flexibility when time of classes and examinations are taken into consideration. Dental assistant online schools contain a comprehensive curriculum that includes both real time and recorded video lectures. The method of instruction is basically easy to understand and you get to learn a lot more through concentration and privacy at your home. You will have a better understanding of the subjects and you wouldn’t need to travel to a certain location. This saves your time, energy, cost of transportation and in fact, well-structured online courses are relatively cheap.
Certification
Dental Assisting National Board (DANB)
The American Dental Association recognizes the Dental Assisting Nation Board (DANB) as a national board for the recognition of dental assistants. The mission of DANB is to provide the public with services of certified dental assistants. The following are areas where a DANB certification can be earned for eligible dental assistants.
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)
Certified Orthodontic Assistant (COA)
Certified Preventive Functions Dental Assistant (CPFDA)
Apart from the national certifications, the DANB also gives certifications for competency. Competency certifications given by DANB are –
Radiation Health and Safety (RHS)
Infection Control (ICE)
Coronal Polish (CP)
Sealants (SE)
Topical Anesthetic (TA)
Topical Fluoride (TF)
For the certification agencies, the DANB has CDA and COA programs. These are national commission accredited programs. The number of nationwide DANB certificate holders is 34,000 plus and more number of dental assistants are applying for certification every month.
The requirement of DANB certifications is in 38 states, in the United States Air Force, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the District of Columbia. The need for a Dental Assistant Certification is for proving the competency of a dental assistant in handling important areas of oral safety and healthcare of patients and workers.
Job Titles
Job Titles by State
Titles stated according to requirements that are needed to be fulfilled for a Dental assistant in Texas:
- Dental Assistant
- Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)
- Dental Assistant qualified to perform expanded functions
Titles stated according to requirements that are needed to be fulfilled for a Dental assistant in California:
- Unlicensed Dental Assistant
- Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)
- Registered Dental Assistant in Extended Functions (RDAEF)
- Orthodontic Assistant (OA)
- Dental Sedation Assistant
Titles stated according to requirements that are needed to be fulfilled for a Dental assistant in Florida:
- Dental Assistant
- Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA)
Titles stated according to requirements that are needed to be fulfilled for a Dental assistant in Illinois:
- Dental Assistant
- Dental Assistant qualified in expanded functions
Titles stated according to requirements that are needed to be fulfilled for a Dental assistant in Ohio:
- Basic Qualified Personnel
- Dental Assistant Radiographer
- DANB Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)
- Ohio certified dental assistant
- Expanded Functions Dental Auxiliary (EFDA)
Titles stated according to requirements that are needed to be fulfilled for a Dental assistant in Michigan:
- Dental Assistant
- Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)
- Registered Dental Assistant qualified in expanded functions
Exams
Dental assistant Certification Exam
Certified Dental Assistant Exam or CDA exam is the examination conducted by Dental Assisting National Board also known as the DANB. There are three components of the CDA Exam namely GC or General Chairside, RHS or Radiation Health and Safety, and ICE or Infection Control.
There are two options for taking the examination; on paper or on the computer. If the examination is taken on the computer then taking of all the three components of the exam can be done. If the examination is taken on paper then just one of the three components can be attempted during the examination taken by the test administration.
If you want to register for one or all of the CDA examination components, you must either fax or mail an application to the DANB. You can find this application online either on DANB website or in the Examination Candidate Guide. While submitting the application the examination fee must be submitted.
The schedule of the fees is specifically outlined on the online application. At least one of the many pathways of eligibility is to be followed when you apply for the CDA exam. For every CDA exam’s component a different eligibility pathway is set.
The DANB website has outlined these pathways. There are no deadlines for application of these exams as this computer based examination can be given throughout the year and across the country in the testing centers.
But the written exam is conducted in the months of February, June and October. All specific deadlines must be followed before you apply for the written exam. The DANB website has listed these deadlines and you can find them there. After you apply for the CDA exam, you will receive an admission notice via mail by the DANB terming you as a successful applicant for the examination.
If you have applied for the computer based exam, you will receive an admission notice within a month from the date of your application’s reception. If you apply for a written exam, you will receive an admission notice within a week or two prior to the date of the exam.
If you apply for a computer based exam, you will have on your admission ticket information about scheduling the exam’s date and time. You can see it done by either registering online or calling the given telephone number.
You will be given an eligibility window of 60 days within which you need to undertake the examination else the application is termed void. If you are taking a written exam then on the admission ticket you will find the location, test date and time of the examination.
The Three Components of Dental Assistant Certification Exam
Component One: Radiation Health and Safety Exam
Out of the three components of the exam, radiation health and safety exam or the RHS is the first one. In the RHS exam you will be asked to attempt 100 multiple choice questions. You will find, for the radiation health and safety exam, no prerequisites. Hence there is no requirement of documentation along with the application.
Once this exam is passed, dental assistants can demonstrate their competence in this highly important health and safety area of both patients and dental health care workers. A candidate who has passed the RHS exam can apply this certificate within five years for a DANB CDA certification mark. But first it is important to pass the GC (General Chairside) and ICE (Infection Control) exams within those five years.
Component Two: Infection Control Exam
As with the radiation health and safety exam, the infection control exam is an important and must attempt component of the certified dental assistant exam (CDA). This exam is also a component of the Certified Orthodontic Assistant exam (COA). The infection control exam has 100 multiple choice questions. As with the radiation health and safety exam, this exam has no prerequisites to it. Hence there is no need of documentation with the application.
Once this exam is passed, dental assistants can demonstrate their competence in this highly important health and safety area of both patients and dental health care workers. A candidate who has passed the RHS exam can apply this certificate within five years for a DANB CDA certification mark. But first it is important to pass the GC (General Chairside) and Radiation Health and Safety Exam (RHS).
For saving the cost of writing exams differently, candidates have been given the option of taking the ICE and RHS exams together.
Component Three: General Chairside Exam
Like the above two examinations, the General Chairside exam is an important and must attempt component of the certified dental assistant exam (CDA). This exam is also a component of the Certified Orthodontic Assistant exam (COA). The General Chairside exam has 120 multiple choice questions. There is a requirement of specific documentation that supports the requirements of the possible three pathways of eligibility.
Once this exam is passed, dental assistants can demonstrate their competence in this highly important health and safety area of both patients and dental health care workers. A candidate who has passed the RHS exam can apply this certificate within five years for a DANB CDA certification mark. But first it is important to pass the Infection Control Exam (ICE) and Radiation Health and Safety Exam (RHS).
Dental Assistant Certification Practice Test
You can acquire a Dental assistant certification practice test online. You can download a free online dental assistant practice test. In a dental assistant practice test you will be required to answer test questions in multiple choice questions and quiz format. The practice questions are good for preparation and you will see them in your actual test too. The test cost is free as it is online.
Recertification
Dental Assistant Recertification
The requirements for recertification are earning of continuing dental education credits and maintenance of current DANB accepted CPR certification and payment of renewal fee.
After the one year period of certification by the DANB, the 12-CDE credits minimum per annum is required. The CDE requirements are mandatory for all dental assistants. In order to attain an addition certification, a certificate holder must have completed additional six CDE credits. There are different programs like Professional Development Examination Program by the DANB or by DANB’s affiliate the DALE Foundation. You will need to pay a $15 fee within three months of the certificate’s expiration date. It takes around four weeks for the processing to complete. The current CDPMA and COSMA certificate holders can continue renewing the certification if the recertification requirements of DANB are met.
If there is a lapse in certification, an individual cannot be certified any longer and may not be given permission to use of acronyms or credentials whatever the circumstance may be.