Dental assistants
help dentists care for patients.
Typically, there is no certification requirement for dental assistants. If you work with radiology, however, most states require you to be licensed or certified, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Requirements vary based on your state. The Dental Assisting National Board offers the Certified Dental Assistant credential, which is recognized by 37 states.
Certification Process
The certification process for the CDA is a lot like other certification processes. It begins with sending an application to the DANB, which includes information about your dental assistance education and experience. This is of course used during your application's processing to determine whether you are eligible for the exam. If you are, they send you test approval and you then schedule your test within 60 days of notification. After completing the test, your scores are calculated. If you pass, your certification is mailed to you.
Eligibility
There are three pathways to become eligible for the CDA credential, according to DANB. All of the pathways require that you are certified in CPR. For the first, you must graduate from a Commission on Dental Accreditation-accredited dental assisting program. For the second, you must have 2,500 hours of work experience in dental assisting. For the final pathway, you may be a graduate of a CODA-accredited Doctor of Dental Surgery program or Doctor of Dental Medicine program or a current for former CDA.
Examinations
The CDA has three separate exams: the General Chairside, the Radiation Health and Safety and the Infection Control. The GC exam lasts 90 minutes and consists of 120 questions. The questions cover basic chairside dental procedures, as well as the handling of clinical data, emergency prevention and management, and other topics. The 75-minute, 100-question RHS exam tests your knowledge of radiation safety for the patient and the operator. The ICE test also lasts 75 minutes and has 100 questions. Approximately half of this exam tests your knowledge of occupational safety and the prevention of cross-contamination.
Fees
The cost of the three-part CDA exam as of June 2010 is $300 ($25 discount for military individuals). You may take the exams separately if you wish. Separately, the ICE exam costs $150, the GC exam costs $175, and the RHS costs $150. All of these have a $5 military discount, according to DANB.
Salary Potential
Dental assistants who are certified have salaries that gradually increase as their level of experience grows. As such, those with less than a year of experience have a salary range of $22,600 to $35,000, while those with five to nine years of experience have a salary range of $22,600 to $38,000, according to PayScale.com. Experienced dental assistants with more than 20 years of experience report some of the highest salaries. They have a salary range of $26,400 to $40,900 as of June 2010.
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