How to Become a Dental Assistant in Canada

Dental assistants are trained clinical professionals who work chairside with the dentist: preparing patients and rooms, taking radiographs, performing intra-oral duties where certified, and managing sterilization and infection control. Becoming one is a college-program-plus-certification path, and the certification and registration rules vary by province. Here is how to get there.

Understand the classification

Job Bank classifies dental assistants under NOC 33100, Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants, a health-support occupation. It is a certified clinical role, and it is distinct from the dental hygienist, which is a separate profession under a different classification (NOC 32111).

Complete an accredited program

• Enrol in an accredited dental assisting diploma or certificate program
• Learn chairside assisting, dental radiography, intra-oral procedures, sterilization and infection control, and dental office practice
• Complete the supervised clinical training the program requires

Certify and register (this varies by province)

Dental assisting is certified and, in most of Canada, regulated. The rules differ by province, and getting them right matters.

• NDAEB certification: the National Dental Assisting Examination Board certification is required to perform intra-oral duties in all provinces except Quebec, where dental assistants do not perform intra-oral duties.
• Provincial registration: registration with a provincial regulatory body is required in all provinces except Quebec and Ontario.
• Level II or intra-oral certified: many provinces distinguish a Level II or intra-oral certified dental assistant who can perform expanded chairside clinical duties, which broadens the roles you qualify for.

This is a college-program-plus-certification-and-registration health profession, not an apprenticeship and not a trade. NDAEB certification and provincial registration are the distinguishing credentials where they apply.

Add what practice requires

• Current NDAEB certification and provincial registration where required
• First aid and CPR, commonly required
• Continuing education to maintain registration where it applies

Land your first role

Apply to general and specialty dental practices, and be clear about your accredited program, your NDAEB certification, and your registration status for the province you want to work in. Set up a job alert on a board built for the certified role so new openings reach you before they fill, because practices face high turnover and hire quickly when a certified assistant applies.

Sources: Job Bank Canada (NOC 33100), the National Dental Assisting Examination Board (NDAEB), and provincial dental assisting regulatory authorities.