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Summary Job Description | Tasks | |||
Assist dentist, set up equipment, prepare patient for treatment, and keep records. | Prepare patient, sterilize and disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials, and assist dentist during dental procedures. | |||
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Expose dental diagnostic x-rays. | ||||
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Record treatment information in patient records. | ||||
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Take and record medical and dental histories and vital signs of patients. | ||||
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Provide postoperative instructions prescribed by dentist. | ||||
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Assist dentist in management of medical and dental emergencies. | ||||
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Pour, trim, and polish study casts. | ||||
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Instruct patients in oral hygiene and plaque control programs. | ||||
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Make preliminary impressions for study casts and occlusal registrations for mounting study casts. | ||||
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Clean and polish removable appliances. | ||||
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Clean teeth, using dental instruments. | ||||
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Apply protective coating of fluoride to teeth. | ||||
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Fabricate temporary restorations and custom impressions from preliminary impressions. | ||||
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Schedule appointments, prepare bills and receive payment for dental services, complete insurance forms, and maintain records, manually or using computer. | ||||
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Order and monitor dental supplies and equipment inventory. | ||||
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Fabricate and fit orthodontic appliances and materials for patients, such as retainers, wires, and bands. | ||||
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CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies
Dental Assistants
The Benchmark Job Description below represents the specific Position Characteristics of the job used in the Salary Survey. Benchmark Job Descriptions should be inspected carefully to review the degree of matching between an organizations' Job and the Salary Survey Benchmark. Matching internal Jobs to Salary Survey Benchmark Jobs should not be done on Job Title alone. A thorough comparison of Salary Survey Benchmark to Internal Job Descriptions is recommended. A good overlap should exist on any comparisons used on critical Job Dimensions and Competencies.- Job Description
- Knowledges
- Skills
- Abilites
- Tools and Technology
- Education and Experience
- Alternate Job Titles
- Salaries
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Important Knowledge Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Medicine and Dentistry | Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures. | |||
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Customer and Personal Service | Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. | |||
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English Language | Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. | |||
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Education and Training | Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. | |||
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Important Skill Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Speaking | Talking to others to convey information effectively. | |||
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Reading Comprehension | Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. | |||
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Active Listening | Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. | |||
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Service Orientation | Actively looking for ways to help people. | |||
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Critical Thinking | Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. | |||
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Monitoring | Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. | |||
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Social Perceptiveness | Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. | |||
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Coordination | Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. | |||
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Writing | Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. | |||
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Operation Monitoring | Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly. | |||
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Quality Control Analysis | Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. | |||
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Time Management | Managing one's own time and the time of others. | |||
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Instructing | Teaching others how to do something. | |||
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Complex Problem Solving | Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. | |||
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Judgment and Decision Making | Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. | |||
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Important Ability Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Oral Comprehension | The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |||
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Oral Expression | The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |||
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Speech Recognition | The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |||
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Near Vision | The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |||
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Arm-Hand Steadiness | The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. | |||
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Speech Clarity | The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | |||
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Written Comprehension | The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |||
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Finger Dexterity | The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. | |||
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Written Expression | The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |||
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Problem Sensitivity | The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. | |||
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Deductive Reasoning | The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |||
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Inductive Reasoning | The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |||
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Information Ordering | The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). | |||
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Category Flexibility | The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. | |||
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Selective Attention | The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. | |||
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Control Precision | The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions. | |||
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Manual Dexterity | The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. | |||
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Tools/Technology Example | Product Category | |||
Email software | Electronic mail software | |||
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Henry Schein Dentrix software | Medical software | |||
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Intuit Quicken software | Accounting software | |||
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Kodak Dental Systems Kodak SOFTDENT Practice management software PMS | Medical software | |||
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Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | |||
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Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | |||
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Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft | Medical software | |||
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The Systems Workplace TDOCS | Medical software | |||
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Web browser software | Internet browser software | |||
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Word processing software | Word processing software | |||
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Air abrasion units | Dental laboratory air abrasion units | |||
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Air compressors | Air compressors | |||
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Air/water syringes | Teeth cleaning devices or accessories | |||
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Amalgam carriers | Amalgam carriers | |||
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Amalgamators | Dental amalgamators | |||
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Apex locators | Dental depth gauges | |||
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Articulators | Dental articulators or accessories | |||
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Aspirating syringes | Dental syringes or needles or syringes with needles | |||
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Autoclaves | Steam autoclaves or sterilizers | |||
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Band seating pliers | Orthodontic pliers | |||
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Bench lathes | Dental laboratory lathes or accessories | |||
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Bite blocks | Dental bite blocks or wings or tabs | |||
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Bitewing film holders | Dental radiology film | |||
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Burs | Dental burs | |||
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Caries detection aids | Dental lasers | |||
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Cartridge syringes | Dental syringes or needles or syringes with needles | |||
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Chemiclaves | Chemical or gas sterilizers | |||
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Collar scissors | Dental scissors | |||
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Computerized pressure/vacuum casting systems | Dental laboratory vacuum units or supplies | |||
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Contouring orthodontic pliers | Orthodontic pliers | |||
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Cotton forceps | Dental forceps | |||
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Crown scissors | Dental scissors | |||
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Dental chairs | Dental examination chairs or related parts or accessories | |||
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Dental crimping pliers | Orthodontic pliers | |||
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Dental cutting instruments | Dental cutting or separating discs | |||
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Dental explorers | Dental probes | |||
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Dental furniture units | Combination furniture sets for dental procedures | |||
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Dental handpieces | Dental hand pieces or accessories | |||
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Dental laser systems | Dental lasers | |||
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Dental pliers | Orthodontic pliers | |||
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Dental retainers | Dental retainers | |||
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Dental spatulas | Dental spatulas | |||
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Dental tweezers | Dental tweezers | |||
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Dental wedges | Dental wedges or sets | |||
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Dental x ray film processors | Dental film processors | |||
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Dental x ray machines | Dental x ray units | |||
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Denture model presses | Dental laboratory casting machines or its parts or accessories | |||
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Denture, acrylic and porcelain polishing kits | Dental finishing or polishing kits | |||
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Double-ended probes | Dental probes | |||
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Electric endodontic handpieces | Dental hand pieces or accessories | |||
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Electric general dentistry handpieces | Dental hand pieces or accessories | |||
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Electric surgical handpieces | Dental hand pieces or accessories | |||
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Electronic blood pressure devices | Electronic blood pressure units | |||
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Electronic calculus detectors | Dental hygiene instruments | |||
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Electrosurgery units | Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products | |||
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Evacuator systems | Dental saliva ejectors or oral suction devices or supplies | |||
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Extracting forceps | Dental forceps | |||
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Filling instruments | Dental filler contouring instruments | |||
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Gingival retraction cords | Dental operatory retraction cords | |||
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Gracey curettes | Periodontal curettes | |||
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Headgear | Orthodontic appliance clasps | |||
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Hemostatic forceps | Dental forceps | |||
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High-intensity lights | Cosmetic dentistry curing lights or accessories | |||
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High-speed handpieces | Dental hand pieces or accessories | |||
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High-velocity evacuators | Dental saliva ejectors or oral suction devices or supplies | |||
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Impression trays | Dental impression trays | |||
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Instrument sharpening devices | Dental instrument sharpening accessories | |||
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Intraoral detailing pliers | Orthodontic pliers | |||
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Intraoral x ray equipment | Dental x ray units | |||
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Lead aprons | Medical radiological shielding aprons or masks or drapes | |||
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Light curing units | Cosmetic dentistry curing lights or accessories | |||
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Manual blood pressure cuffs | Mercury blood pressure units | |||
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Matrix bands | Bands for dental matrix | |||
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Model trimmers | Dental laboratory model trimmers or accessories | |||
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Molar clamps | Dental dam supplies | |||
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Needle holders | Dental syringe accessory kits | |||
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Needles | Dental syringes or needles or syringes with needles | |||
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Offset utility pliers | Orthodontic pliers | |||
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Orthodontic band pushers | Orthodontic setter bands | |||
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Orthodontic band slitters | Orthodontic setter bands | |||
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Orthodontic brackets | Orthodontic brackets | |||
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Orthodontic pliers | Orthodontic pliers | |||
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Orthodontic separators | Dental tooth separators | |||
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Oxygen tanks | Medical gas cylinders or related devices | |||
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Panoramic x ray equipment | Dental x ray units | |||
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Personal computers | Personal computers | |||
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Posterior matrices | Dental matrices or sets | |||
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Power vacuum mixers | Dental laboratory vacuum units or supplies | |||
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Prophylaxis angles | Dental finishing or polishing discs | |||
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Protective shielding equipment | Medical radiological shielding aprons or masks or drapes | |||
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Pulp testers | Dental pulp or vitality testers | |||
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Radiation dosimeters | Medical radiation dosimeters | |||
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Root elevators | Dental elevators | |||
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Rotary handpieces | Dental hand pieces or accessories | |||
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Rubber dam clamp forceps | Dental dam supplies | |||
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Rubber dam punches | Dental dam supplies | |||
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Rubber dams | Dental dam supplies | |||
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Saliva ejectors | Dental saliva ejectors or oral suction devices or supplies | |||
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Scalers | Dental scalers or accessories | |||
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Single-ended periodontal probes | Dental probes | |||
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Slow-speed dental handpieces | Dental hand pieces or accessories | |||
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Splinter forceps | Dental forceps | |||
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Steam cleaning equipment | Steam autoclaves or sterilizers | |||
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Steam sterilizers | Steam autoclaves or sterilizers | |||
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Sterilizers | Steam autoclaves or sterilizers | |||
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Straight utility pliers | Orthodontic pliers | |||
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Thermal disinfectors | Dry heat or hot air sterilizers | |||
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Thyroid collars | Medical radiological shielding aprons or masks or drapes | |||
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Tongue forceps | Dental forceps | |||
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Torqueing pliers | Orthodontic pliers | |||
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Ultrasonic sterilization units | Ultrasonic cleaning equipment | |||
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Universal curettes | Periodontal curettes | |||
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Vacuum formers | Dental formers | |||
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X ray machine cones | Dental x ray apparatus parts or kits or accessories | |||
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Prerequisite Qualification Category | Education and Experience Level | |||
Required Level of Education | Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in Personnel Services, Engineering-related Technologies, Vocational Home Economics, Construction Trades, Mechanics and Repairers, Precision Production Trades) | |||
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On-Site or In-Plant Training | None | |||
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On-the-Job Training | Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months | |||
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Alternate Job Title(s) | |||
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) | |||
Certified Registered Dental Assistant | |||
Dental Aide | |||
Dental Assistant | |||
Dental Nurse | |||
Dental Office Manager | |||
Dentist Attendant | |||
Expanded Dental Assistant | |||
Expanded Duties Dental Assistant (EDDA) | |||
Expanded Duty Dental Assistant | |||
Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) | |||
Hygiene Assistant | |||
Oral And Maxiofacial Surgical Assistant | |||
Oral Surgery Assistant | |||
Orthodontic Assistant | |||
Orthodontist Assistant | |||
Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) | |||
Surgical Dental Assistant | |||
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