How to Become a Dental Assistant in Delaware

Checked against Delaware Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene (duties); Division of Public Health, Office of Radiation Control (x-ray certificate) · Verified 2026-10-16

Exam: Required
Training: Not required
Term: 3 years
State fee: Dental Radiation Technician or CDA certificate: $50 initial application fee, $50 on-time renewal, $100 late renewal (1-180 days after expiration). The initial fee is waived for students in a Delaware vocational-technical high school dental assisting program.
Regulated by: Delaware Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene (duties); Division of Public Health, Office of Radiation Control (x-ray certificate)

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Who can apply

Delaware does not license dental assistants. Under 24 Del. C. 1101, a dental assistant is an unlicensed person who helps a dentist with chairside, clerical, radiography, lab and other delegated tasks.
The dentist may delegate procedures only under direct supervision, and the dentist decides your competency and is responsible for your training (Board Rule 2.0).
To take x-rays you need a state certificate from the Office of Radiation Control as a Dental Radiation Technician or as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA). You must be at least 18 (16 DE Admin. Code 4466).

Step by step

Get hired by a licensed Delaware dentist, who trains you and decides which tasks you are competent to do.
Before taking x-rays, pass an exam the Authority on Radiation Protection accepts (DANB is on its approved list), or hold DANB's Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) credential.
Apply to the Office of Radiation Control for a Dental Radiation Technician or CDA certificate and pay the $50 application fee.
Display your certificate (or a verified copy) at each place you regularly work.
Renew the certificate every 3 years for $50 before it expires. If it is based on DANB CDA, keep your DANB credential current.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Delaware sets no required course for dental assistants. Board Rule 2.3 makes the dentist responsible for adequate training. For the x-ray certificate, the state requires passing an approved certification exam or holding an accepted national credential, not a set number of course hours.

Exam: Required only to take x-rays: you must pass a certification exam acceptable to the Authority on Radiation Protection, or hold a current national credential from an accepted body; the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) is on the accepted list (16 DE Admin. Code 4466, 6.3). If you fail, you may retest 2 times per calendar year.

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

What it costs in Delaware

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

Dental Radiation Technician or CDA certificate (initial)(optional)$50
Certificate renewal, on time (every 3 years)(optional)$50
DANB exam fee(optional)$

Estimated total in Delaware$0

Cost details from the state

DANB exam fee (for example the Radiation Health and Safety exam or CDA), paid to DANB.

Pay in Delaware

Before you compare job offers, see what a paycheck takes home in Delaware after taxes.

Keeping your credential

Renewal: The x-ray certificate renews every 3 years for $50 if postmarked before it expires, or $100 if 1-180 days late. You may not take x-rays with an expired certificate. After 180 days lapsed you must re-certify by retaking an approved exam or showing a current national credential. A certificate based on a national credential ends automatically if that credential lapses.

Good to know in Delaware

Sample delegated tasks: Board Rule 2.4 lists tasks a dentist may assign, including taking and developing x-rays, home-care instruction, placing rubber dams and cotton rolls, taking impressions for study models, removing excess cement with hand instruments, and removing temporary fillings or packs on the dentist's orders.

What assistants may not do: Dental auxiliaries may not diagnose or treatment plan, cut hard or soft tissue, do intraoral steps that lead to making an appliance or restoration that will touch the patient's tissue, or do procedures the dental code reserves for licensed hygienists.

Employer liability: If a technician takes x-rays with an expired certificate, the employer can be cited under the Delaware Radiation Control Regulations (16 DE Admin. Code 4465).

Students: Students in an accredited radiation technology program may take x-rays as part of the program under a certified technologist without the certificate. The one-time temporary certificate (good up to 90 days) is only for students enrolled in a post-secondary accredited school of radiation technology who are approved to take a national exam.

Hygienist supervision coming: SB 283 (effective July 29, 2026) lets dental hygienists directly supervise dental assistants, in a manner the Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene will set by regulation. Check the Board's rules before relying on it.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change — confirm with Delaware Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene (duties); Division of Public Health, Office of Radiation Control (x-ray certificate) before you apply.