Registered vs. Certified Dental Assistant

Having a clean bill of oral health is vital—maintaining healthy teeth and gums allows people to smile confidently, speak clearly, and chew food well. To create a positive patient experience and encourage people to come in for regular check-ups, dental clinics rely on highly-trained teams of professionals to serve patients’ oral healthcare needs. Dental assistants play integral administrative and clinical roles in dental practices and support the needs of patients as well as dental hygienists and dentists.

Two credentials are available for dental assistants: a registered dental assistant (RDA) and a certified dental assistant (CDA). The requisite education is the main differentiating factor between the two. When considering a career in dental assisting, it is important to understand both credential options in order to find the educational training program that is best suited to future career plans.

Registered dental assistants (RDAs) generally have more educational requirements than certified dental assistants. RDAs are trained to perform administrative and clinical duties, including scheduling patients for future exams, preparing clinical spaces, assisting the dentist or dental hygienist with a procedure by handing them instruments, taking x-rays, administering topical anesthesia, and other non-invasive clinical tasks.

Most RDAs complete a dental assistant program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). RDA degree programs typically take one to two years to complete, and students in these programs graduate with a diploma in one year or an associate’s degree in two years.

Upon completing a CODA-accredited program, future RDAs are eligible to sit for state licensing exams. Many states require proof of engagement in continuing education in order to maintain RDA credentialing. Renewal terms and requirements for RDA certification vary from state to state.

Certified dental assistants, by contrast, typically have fewer formal education requirements compared to RDAs. CDAs are generally responsible for performing the same administrative and clinical duties as RDAs in assisting patients and dental clinic staff with administrative and clinical tasks including inputting medical records, scheduling appointments, leading patients to examination chairs, asking questions regarding a patient’s dental health history, and reviewing the process of dental procedures with patients prior to treatment.

CDA certification is offered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) and prospective applicants are eligible to take the CDA certification exam offered by DANB through a variety of professional pathways, namely on-the-job experience, military experience, or completion of a dental assisting educational program not accredited by CODA. The CDA certification exam costs $450 is divided into three parts: general chairside assisting, radiation health and safety, and infection control.

Renewal for CDA certification is required annually through DANB and requires proof of continuing dental education credits as well as current cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other health-related certifications.

Of course, not all dental assistants are required to have credentials—although they are highly recommended—and each state has unique employment rules governing the educational and certification requirements for this career. Aspiring dental assistants should take care to research the various pathways and requirements for the profession, including degree programs, supervised on-the-job training, and certification exams.

Keeping in mind that each state has its own requirements, read on to learn more about the general pathways to follow to become a registered dental assistant (RDA) or a certified dental assistant (CDA).