Dental Assistant Job Description

Summary

A dental assistant supports the dentist and the patient during care. The role combines chairside help, preparing instruments and rooms, infection control and friendly patient contact.

Rules on what a dental assistant may do differ by state. Describe the tasks your office needs so candidates can see whether they qualify.

Duties and responsibilities

• Prepare treatment rooms, set up instruments and materials, and clean up after each patient.
• Assist the dentist chairside by passing instruments and keeping the patient comfortable.
• Follow infection control and sterilization steps for instruments and surfaces.
• Take and process dental images where your state and training allow it.
• Review care instructions with patients, as the dentist directs.
• Update patient records accurately and keep information private.
• Help with scheduling, supplies and front-desk tasks when needed.

Skills and qualities

• Warm and calm with nervous patients.
• Careful with details, procedures and records.
• Good hand coordination and steady work.
• Strong habits in cleanliness and infection control.
• Clear communication with patients and the dental team.
• Respect for patient privacy.

Typical requirements

• Any dental assisting certification, registration or training that your state requires for the tasks in the job. Rules differ widely by state.
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification, which many offices require. Say whether you will help arrange it.
• Ability to stand or sit for long periods and work in close quarters.
• Willingness to complete the health and safety steps that your office requires.

Requirements differ by state, city and employer. Check the licensing, age, safety and pay rules that apply to your business before you post. This page is a starting point, not legal advice.

Schedule and conditions

Dental offices usually run during regular daytime hours on weekdays, and some have evenings or Saturdays. Give the schedule and the number of days a week.

Say whether the job is full time or part time and how time off is handled.

Nice to have

• Experience with the dental software your office uses.
• Experience in a specialty such as orthodontics or oral surgery, if that is your office.
• Insurance or front-desk experience.
• A second language, if your patients need it.

Tips for posting this job

• Describe the office and the kind of care you provide.
• List the credentials your state requires for the tasks, and what you will pay for or support.
• Give the schedule, including any Saturdays.
• Explain how training works for a new assistant.
• Mention your office culture in a sentence or two.

Put your real pay, schedule and location in the posting. Candidates skip posts that leave them out.

Sample job post

Copy this, then change the words in brackets to match your business.

Interview questions for a dental assistant

• Walk me through how you set up and break down a room between patients.
• What sterilization and infection control steps do you follow every day?
• How do you help a nervous patient, or a child, feel calm in the chair?
• Which procedures have you assisted with most often?
• What credentials do you hold, and which tasks are you allowed to do with them in this state?
• What dental software have you used for records or imaging?
• Tell me about a time the schedule fell behind. How did you help the team catch up?

Ask every candidate the same questions so you can compare answers fairly. HRGP keeps your questions, notes and scores with each applicant.

Questions and answers