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Dental Assistants

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth

Perform limited clinical duties under the direction of a dentist. Clinical duties may include equipment preparation and sterilization, preparing patients for treatment, assisting the dentist during treatment, and providing patients with instructions for oral healthcare procedures. May perform administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.

What you’d do

  • Prepare patient, sterilize or disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, or assist dentist during dental procedures.
  • Record treatment information in patient records.
  • Assist dentist in management of medical or dental emergencies.
  • Order and monitor dental supplies and equipment inventory.
  • Expose dental diagnostic x-rays.
  • Provide postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist.
  • Instruct patients in oral hygiene and plaque control programs.
  • Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients.

Skills that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Learning
  • Instructing
  • Monitoring

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)
  • Dental Assistant (DA)
  • Expanded Duty Dental Assistant (EDDA)
  • Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)
  • Certified Registered Dental Assistant
  • Expanded Dental Assistant

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