Dental assisting is a rewarding career that requires both technical and interpersonal skills. Just as there are many paths that lead to the decision to enter this exciting profession, there are also several ways to receive training. Primarily, they include:
- On-the-job training (OJT)
- A formal dental assisting program
If you choose to attend a dental assisting program, there are some things you should look for.
CODA-Accredited Programs
One of the eligibility requirements for earning DANB certification is graduating from a dental assisting program accredited by the American Dental Association's (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). By attending a CODA-accredited program, you can be assured that it reflects CODA’s high professional and ethical standards. According to the ADA, there are currently 270 CODA-accredited dental assisting programs in the United States.
CODA-Accredited Dental Assisting Programs
DANB-Accepted Programs for NELDA Certification
There are three educational pathways that meet the requirements to earn DANB’s National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA) certification. These three pathways include:
- Graduating from an approved post-secondary dental assisting program that is NOT accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation
- Graduating from a U.S. Department of Labor job corps dental assisting program
- Graduating from an approved high school dental assisting program
To learn more about the eligibility requirements for DANB’s NELDA certification, download a NELDA application packet.
DANB-Accepted Dental Assisting Programs for NELDA Certification
Voc-Tech Programs
Vocational-Technical (Voc-Tech) dental assisting programs are usually offered at community colleges or career centers. The programs on DANB’s Voc-Tech list are not CODA-accredited. Therefore, they do not fulfill some of the eligibility requirement pathways for the CDA/GC, COA/OA, CPFDA or CRFDA exams. This list is provided as a reference for information requested on the RHS and ICE exam applications. Programs are added to this list upon request. Please note: The programs on this list may not be accepted for DANB’s NELDA certification. Please see the DANB-accepted dental assisting programs if you are looking to earn DANB’s NELDA certification.
Voc-Tech Dental Assisting Programs