Your CDA Certification Roadmap
Stand out and get ahead with certification
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) certification is a career milestone. Learn how to get started and access tools to help you succeed. Plus, explore other resources to advance your dental assisting career.
How to earn CDA certification
To earn CDA certification, you need to pass the component exams within five years:
- Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam
- Infection Control (ICE) exam
- General Chairside Assisting (GC) exam
If you prefer to take all of the component exams at once, you can apply for the CDA exam.
Trusted exam prep
Explore study tips and resources for the CDA exam — including exam outlines, practice tests, and more — to help you feel confident on exam day.
Benefits of certification
CDAs earn 15% more ($3.50 per hour) than dental assistants who aren’t certified. CDAs are also more likely to:
- Have high job satisfaction
- Be a lead dental assistant
- Become office managers or educators
State dental assisting requirements
View the different dental assisting levels in each state, along with the requirements for each. You can also view the allowable duties at each level.