Dental Assistant Training and Certification

Time to Completion

A majority of academic dental assisting programs take 9 to 11 months to complete.

You can get a formal education at any of the following institutions:

• Community colleges
• Dental schools
• Technical institutes
• Universities
• Vocational schools

Graduates of these programs usually receive certificates.

Some schools offer accelerated training, part-time education programs or training via distance or online education.

Dental Assisting Certification

Dental assistants become certified by passing an examination that evaluates their knowledge. The dental assistant certification exam itself is approximately 4 hours long and consists of 320 test questions. A scaled score of 400 is required to pass on a scaled score range of 100-900. The national test is broken down into 3 parts:

• General chairside test – 120 questions
• Radiation health and safety – 100 questions
• Infection control test – 100 questions

Most dental assistants who choose to become nationally certified take the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) examination offered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). See accreditation and organizations for more information about the DANB.

Becoming a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) assures the public that the dental assistant is prepared to assist competently in the provision of dental care. Read more about certificate programs vs. degree programs.

Formal Training vs. On-the-Job Training

Dental assistants are eligible to take the CDA examination if they have completed a dental assisting program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. 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.