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In Utah, the regulations related dental assistants cover the activities these professionals cannot do.
Some of these activities are:
- Perform definitive treatments
- Perform final cementation
- Make diagnoses
- Attempt to correct the malocclusion or malposition of teeth
- Finish, carve, condense, polish, or place restorative materials
- Extract teeth
- Cut hard or soft tissue
- Make adjustments that will result in teeth moving upon appliances
- Perform sub-gingival modification with instrumentation
- Make decisions regarding prescribing, administrating, or dosing drugs
On the other hand, they can perform the following duties:
- Coronary polish
- Remove accretions, stains, bonded materials, or deposits
- Use nitrous oxide on patients, while being supervised by a dentist
- Take oral impressions
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Becoming a Dental Assistant
The main requirement for dental assistants in Utah is to first obtain a CPR certification or Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification.
Those who need to work with x-ray equipment need to attend a special training program or pass an exam.
However, those who want to access better-paid jobs should consider enrolling in a training program.
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | $35,896 |
| Provo | $34,581 |
| West Jordan | $35,765 |
| Orem | $34,581 |
| Sandy | $35,798 |
| Ogden | $34,993 |
| Saint George | $38,585 |
| Layton | $34,862 |
| South Jordan | $35,732 |
| Lehi | $34,418 |
The programs need to be accredited by CODA and they last almost a year or a minimum of 1200 hours.
The subjects cover:
- Financial operations for dental assistants
- Dental office administrative procedures
- Law and ethics in the dental field
- Terminology
- Dental assisting clinical procedures and lab
- Overview of dental assisting
- Anatomy and physiology for dental assistants
- Dental radiology
- Therapeutic communications for dental assistants and health professionals
At the end of the program, certification or diploma is issued.
Some institutions also offer programs lasting for 2 years that result in an associate’s degree.
Taking X-Rays Permission
To be able to take X-rays dental assistants need to meet one of the following requirements:
1. Complete a CODA-accredited dental assisting program
2. Score a passing score on the Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) Exam offered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB).
The exam covers:
- Exposure and evaluation
- Convention film processing
- Labeling and mounting
- Radiation safety for patients, operators, and other staff
3. Complete a course or pass an exam that is approved by the Utah Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensing Board.
The topics must cover:
- Radiation technology and terminology
- Radiographic dental pathology and anatomy
- Radiation physics
- Radiation Protection for the operator and patient
- Radiation biology
- Factors that influence the response of cells and tissue to ionizing radiation
- Cumulative effects of x-rays
- Radiographic techniques
- Dental radiology infection control
- Proper disposal of chemicals and other processing techniques
Additional Dental Assistant Qualifications
Dental assistants in Utah can earn any of the following certifications, in the specified ways:
- Dental assistant certification through a nationally-recognized association
- Certificate of completion from a dental assistant training program
The Dental Assistant National Board (DANB) is the largest association for dental assistants, though others do exist.
DANB is the best route to obtain permission to process X-rays.
This association also sponsors other certifications with national recognition:
- Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)
- Certified Orthodontic Assistant (CDO)
- Certified Preventative Functions Dental Assistant (CPFDA)
- Certified Restorative Functions Dental Assistant (CRFDA)
- Coronal Polish (CP)
- Sealants Exam (SE)
- Infection Control Exam (ICE)
- General Chairside (GC)
- Orthodontic Assisting (OA)
Schools Offering Dental Assisting Programs in Utah
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Bridgerland Applied Technology College | 1301 North 600 West, Logan, Utah 84321 |
| Fortis College | 3949 S 700 E Ste 150, Salt Lake City, Utah 84107 |
| Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College | 200 N Washington Blvd, Ogden, Utah 84404-4089 |
| Dental Fundamentals | 622 E. 4500 S. #101A Salt Lake City, UT 84107 |
| Creekside Academy of Dental Assisting | 1275 E Fort Union Blvd Suite 200 Cottonwood Heights, Utah 84047 |
| The Salt Lake Academy | 3001 South Richmond Street (1300 East). Salt Lake City, Utah 84106 |
| Utah Valley Dental Assisting | 165 N 400 W A2 Orem, UT 84057 |
| Intermountain Dental Assisting | 2148 North Hill Field Road Suite 5 , Layton, Utah 84041 |
| PDA of Utah Cedar City | 427 S Main Street Cedar City, UT 84720 |
| PDA of Utah South Jordan | 3630 S Jordan Pkwy #103, South Jordan, UT 84095 |
| PDA of Utah | 389 West 600 North Lindon, UT 84042 |
| Apex Dental Assisting School | 271 Spring Creek Pkwy, Providence, UT 84332, United States |
| Summit Dental Academy | 230 West 400 South Suite 202 Salt Lake City, UT 84101 |
| UTAH DENTAL CAREER | 7555 Center View Ct Suite 104 West Jordan, UT 84084 |
| Provo Dental Assisting | 1355 N University Ave Ste 330 Provo Ut, 84604 |
| Assist To Succeed | Center Creek Dental 10 E. State St. Lehi, UT 84043 |
| Northern Utah Orthodontic Assisting School | 3550 Harrison Blvd., Suite 2 South Ogden, Utah 84403 |
| West Mountain Dental Academy | 4121 West 13400 South Riverton, UT 84096 |
Read the full guide: How to Become a Dental Assistant
Dental Assisting by State