How to Become a Dental Assistant in California

Checked against Dental Board of California (Department of Consumer Affairs) · Verified 2026-10-16

Exam: Required
Training: Required
Term: 2 years
State fee: $120 nonrefundable RDA application fee. No separate initial license fee.
Regulated by: Dental Board of California (Department of Consumer Affairs)

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Who can apply

You may work as an unlicensed dental assistant (DA), doing basic supportive procedures under a licensed dentist, but you must complete a Board-approved 8-hour infection control course, a Board-approved 2-hour Dental Practice Act course and Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Your employer must make sure you finish the 8-hour infection control course before you do any task with possible exposure to blood or saliva (SB 1453, effective January 1, 2025).
To take x-rays as an unlicensed DA you must first complete a Board-approved radiation safety course, and the certificate must be displayed at the office.
The Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) license requires a qualifying pathway, Board-approved courses, BLS, fingerprints and the RDA Combined Written and Law and Ethics Examination.

Step by step

Complete the Board-approved 8-hour infection control course before doing any task with possible exposure to blood or saliva, then work as an unlicensed DA under a licensed dentist. Within one year of your first day of employment, also complete the Board-approved 2-hour California Dental Practice Act course and get Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, and keep BLS current.
Add a Board-approved radiation safety course (32+ hours for RDA purposes) so you can take x-rays, and optionally coronal polishing (12+ hours) and pit and fissure sealants (16+ hours).
Qualify for the RDA through one pathway: a Board-approved RDA program; 15 months and 1,280 hours of dental assisting work; a non-Board-approved DA program plus work totaling 15 months and 1,280 hours; DANB CDA; an alternative program (500 course hours + 300 clinical hours); a preceptorship (500 clinical + 300 course hours); or a California hygienist license issued on or after January 1, 2006.
Apply online in BreEZe (or by mail) with your pathway document and all course certificates, and pay the $120 nonrefundable application fee.
Get Live Scan fingerprints (California DOJ and FBI) using the form the Board sends you.
When the Board approves you, schedule and pass the RDA Combined Written and Law and Ethics Examination with PSI ($46.59 per attempt).
The Board issues your RDA pocket license and wall certificate. There is no separate initial license fee.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Every unlicensed DA needs a Board-approved 8-hour infection control course, a Board-approved 2-hour Dental Practice Act course and BLS. RDA applicants also need Board-approved courses in radiation safety (at least 32 hours, completed within 10 years before application), coronal polishing (at least 12 hours, within 5 years), pit and fissure sealants (at least 16 hours, within 5 years), the Dental Practice Act (2 hours, within 2 years) and infection control (8 hours, within 2 years). Those time limits apply to license and permit applicants, not to unlicensed DAs. Course certificates must show the Board-issued approval number and hours.

Exam: Unlicensed DAs take no state exam. RDA applicants must pass the RDA Combined Written and Law and Ethics Examination, given by PSI after the Board approves your application. The fee is $46.59 for each registration (effective January 1, 2025), paid to PSI. If you fail, you can contact PSI to reschedule; you do not need a new application. An application is abandoned if you do not test within two years of the Board receiving it.

Practice for the dental assistant exam free — radiation safety, infection control, chairside skills and dental materials →

What it costs in California

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

RDA application fee$120
RDA Combined Written and Law and Ethics Exam (PSI, per attempt)$46.59
Live Scan fingerprinting$
Board-approved courses and BLS$
RDA renewal (every 2 years)$100

Estimated total in California$266.59Plus 2 items with no state-set price. Add your quotes above to complete the total.

Cost details from the state

RDA written and law and ethics exam: $46.59 per attempt, paid to PSI.
Live Scan fingerprinting fee, paid to the Live Scan location.
Tuition for Board-approved courses and programs (infection control, Dental Practice Act, radiation safety, coronal polishing, sealants) and BLS.

How long it takes

The Board says standard processing of an RDA application takes up to 30 days, and the DOJ fingerprint report usually arrives within seven days.

Keeping your credential

Renewal: RDA licenses run two years and expire on the last day of your birth month. Renew online in BreEZe for $100 ($50 late fee more than 30 days after expiration). You need 25 CE units each renewal, including a 2-unit infection control course, a 2-unit Dental Practice Act course and up to 4 units of in-person BLS; CE is not required at the first renewal. RDAs licensed on or after January 1, 2010 must finish a pit and fissure sealant course before their second renewal. A license not renewed within five years is canceled.

Good to know in California

Coronal polishing before RDA: An unlicensed DA may do coronal polishing after completing a Board-approved coronal polishing course. You must show the course provider your 8-hour infection control certificate and current BLS before enrolling. The dentist must directly supervise and evaluate each patient afterward.

Tasks needing a license: The Board warns that unlicensed dental assistants may not place pit and fissure sealants or do ultrasonic scaling. Those need a license or permit.

Other dental assisting credentials: California also issues the Registered Dental Assistant in Extended Functions (RDAEF) license and the Orthodontic Assistant (OA) and Dental Sedation Assistant (DSA) permits. Each renews every two years for $100 with 25 CE units.

Supervision: Direct supervision means the dentist is physically present in the facility. General supervision means the dentist gave instructions but need not be present. Procedures done by a DA or RDA under direct supervision must be checked by the dentist before the patient leaves.

Processing time: The Board says standard RDA application processing takes up to 30 days. Applications missing documents are deficient, and you must fix deficiencies within one year or the application is abandoned.

Course deadlines for unlicensed DAs: The 8-hour infection control course must come before any task with possible blood or saliva exposure. The 2-hour Dental Practice Act course and BLS certification may be finished within one year of your first date of employment, and your employer must keep proof and make sure you keep BLS current. RDA renewals are online only in BreEZe; mailed renewals are not accepted.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change — confirm with Dental Board of California (Department of Consumer Affairs) before you apply.