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Clinical dental assistant jobs vary based on the dental office and the state your work in. Typical duties include preparing patients for treatment, sterilizing tools, instructing on proper dental hygiene, passing instruments to the dentist during procedures, keeping records of treatments, scheduling appointments and processing x-rays.

Most clinical dental assistant training programs can be completed in one year or less. This does not include the time you will spend working in an externship or similar position to gain experience in the field. It also does not include the required two years of work experience you will need to become certified.

To become a Certified Dental Assistant, you will need to pass the three components of the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) Certification Exam and meet the Board’s work experience requirements. You will need to pass the Radiation Health and Safety, Infection Control, and General Chairside components of the DANB Certification Exam as well as complete at least two years of work experience (or a minimum of 3,500 hours accrued over a two to four year period).

Most dental assistants work a full-time schedule of 40 hours per week, however there are some dental assistants that work part-time. Many of the hours will be worked during the day, but depending on your dental office, you may be asked to work some evenings or weekends.

Almost all clinical dental assistants work in dental offices under the supervision of dentists, though some may find employment with the government or in physicians’ offices. Dental assistants work very closely with dental hygienists. In this position, you will be on your feet for large portions of the day and wear surgical masks, safety goggles, gloves, and protective clothing to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

While both roles are important components of the dental staff, an administrative dental assistant focuses more on the office's administrative tasks, such as greeting patients, collecting patient information, filling out medical forms, organizing office records, and other clerical tasks. On the other hand, a clinical dental assistant helps dentists and dental hygienists with treatment procedures, sterilization and disinfection of dental tools, patient charting, taking vital signs, processing quality radiographs (x-rays), and more.

1. The Dental Profession
2. Communication Skills
3. Ethics for the Dental Assistant
4. Basic Dental Sciences
5. Dental Anatomy
6. Oral Pathology
7. Infection Control
8. Hazardous Materials
9. Caring for Exceptional Patients
10. Pharmacology for the Dental Assistant
11. Emergency Management
12. Oral Health and Nutrition
13. The Dental Office
14. Dental Instruments
15. Introduction to Chairside Assisting
16. New Patients and Charting
17. Introduction to Dentrix Learning Software (Optional)
18. Anesthesia and Sedation
19. Preventative Care
20. Radiation Health Safety
21. Extraoral and Digital Radiology 
22. Dental Emergency Procedures and Amalgam Restorations 
23. Composite Procedures and Laboratory Materials 
24. Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics 
25. Dental Specialties 
26. Dental Implants and Fixed Prosthetics 
27. Computerized Restorative Systems and Removable Prosthodontics 
28. Cosmetic Dentistry 
29. Dental Practice Management 
30. Your Dental Career