How to Become a Dental Assistant in Arkansas

Who can apply

• Basic dental assistants need no state permit, but every delegated task must be done under the dentist's personal supervision (the dentist is in the office).
• You need a Board permit before you take x-rays, do coronal polishing, give or monitor nitrous oxide, or monitor sedation (Ark. Code 17-82-403). An assistant with one or more permits is a Registered Dental Assistant (RDA).
• The Board's application lists only two routes for the x-ray and polishing permits: graduate of a CODA-accredited dental assisting program or DANB Certified Dental Assistant, or on-the-job training attested by an Arkansas-licensed dentist. The Board does not issue permits by reciprocity.
• You need a current Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR card. The Board does not accept online CPR.

Step by step

1. Get hired by an Arkansas-licensed dentist and train in the expanded duties you need (x-rays, coronal polishing).
2. Qualify for the permit: send proof you graduated from a CODA-accredited program or hold DANB CDA, or have your supervising Arkansas dentist sign that they observed and tested you and find you competent.
3. For nitrous oxide, complete a nitrous oxide administration and monitoring course from a Board-approved instructor or ADA-accredited school.
4. Type the Application for Registration of Dental Assistants, attach a passport photo, your BLS CPR card and certificates, and mail it with the $4 fee (check or money order).
5. Complete the jurisprudence exam the Board emails you (Dental Practice Act and Board rules) and return it within 30 days. Passing score is 75%.
6. Display your permit(s) in the dental office, and re-register them every odd-numbered year.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: No training is required for basic assisting. For x-ray and coronal polishing permits, Board Article XVII calls for a Board-approved course; the Board's current application accepts CODA-accredited program graduation, DANB CDA, or on-the-job training attested by an Arkansas dentist. The nitrous oxide permit requires a Board-approved nitrous course. The sedation monitoring permit requires a current nitrous permit plus the AAOMS Dental Anesthesia Assistant National Certification Examination (DAANCE) program, the only course the Board accepts for it.

Exam: Every permit applicant takes the Board's jurisprudence exam on the Dental Practice Act, Dental Corporation Act and Board rules. The Board emails it after you apply; you return it to the Board office, and 75% passes. If you do not return it within 30 days of it being emailed, your application and fee are voided.

What it costs in Arkansas

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

Keeping your credential

Renewal: Permits stay in force until forfeited, suspended or revoked, but you must register them with the Board on January 1 of each odd-numbered year and pay a registration fee of up to $60 (Ark. Code 17-82-405). To renew, an RDA needs 2 hours of infection control continuing education each 2-year reporting period.

Good to know in Arkansas

Personal supervision: Every task delegated to a dental assistant must be done under personal supervision: the dentist is in the office, has diagnosed the condition and authorized the procedure, stays in the office while you work, and checks your work before the patient leaves.

Sealants: A dental assistant who holds a coronal polishing permit may place sealants under the dentist's personal supervision.

Prohibited tasks: Assistants may not diagnose or treatment plan, scale or root plane, cut hard or soft tissue, inject drugs, place or remove final restorations, do final placement of orthodontic brackets, or do any irreversible procedure.

Cone beam CT and digital imaging: Assistants with an x-ray permit issued before November 2011 must complete a Board-approved radiography course before operating any imaging machine other than conventional flat film x-ray, such as cone beam CT.

Sedation monitoring: You may monitor deep sedation or general anesthesia patients only in offices where the dentist holds that permit. You must hold a nitrous permit and current CPR, be a CDA, RDA, RN or LPN, and have completed DAANCE within the two years before applying.

Rules under revision: In February 2026 the Board posted proposed rules for public comment (comments closed March 11, 2026). Check the Board's page for the adopted version.

Sources

• Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners - Dental Assistants Registration
• Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners - Application for Registration of Dental Assistants
• Arkansas Dental Practice Act (May 2025), Ark. Code 17-82-401 to -406
• Board Rules Article XVII - Dental Assistant Functions (Cornell LII)
• Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners - Proposed Rules (February 2026)