How to Become a Dental Assistant in Massachusetts

Who can apply

• Every dental assistant must hold a Board license. Since January 1, 2015, no one may practice as an on-the-job trained (OJT), formally trained (FTDA), certified (CA) or expanded function (EFDA) dental assistant without one.
• You must be at least 18 years old and of good moral character.
• You must hold current BLS or CPR/AED certification.
• You must disclose any disciplinary, civil or criminal action taken against you as an adult.

Step by step

1. Choose your route: on-the-job training (OJT), or a license based on DANB certification or a completed dental assisting program (CA, FTDA, EFDA).
2. OJT route: before you start training, your supervising dentist and you file a notarized notice of intent with the Board, including the date your six-month training period starts. The dentist certifies you completed education in the CDC Guidelines.
3. Get current BLS (AHA BLS for Healthcare Providers) or CPR/AED (Red Cross Professional Rescuer) certification. OJT applicants also complete a course on the CDC infection control guidelines and show a Board-approved radiology course, a passing DANB RHS score, or the Massachusetts Dental Society Dental Radiology program.
4. Get a written health and fitness statement from a physician within one year before you apply.
5. Email the Board for the Dental Assistant Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam and complete it.
6. Apply online in the Health Professions Licensing Portal with the $60 fee, a passport-size color photo, the notarized affidavit, the jurisprudence exam answer sheet, a signed and witnessed CORI Acknowledgment Form, your supervising dentist's name and license number (OJT), and proof of DANB certification or your program transcript (CA, FTDA, EFDA). Applications stay open for one year.
7. OJT assistants who take x-rays must pass the DANB RHS exam (or another Board-approved exam) within one year of the radiology course.
8. Renew every two years by October 31 of odd-numbered years with 12 continuing education units.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: OJT applicants must complete a course on the CDC Guidelines and show either a Board-approved course in radiological techniques and safeguards, a passing DANB Radiation Health and Safety score, or completion of the Massachusetts Dental Society Dental Radiology program. An OJT assistant may train and practice without a license for a one-time period of up to six consecutive months under a dentist's supervision after filing a notice of intent; the Board may add up to six more months if you are enrolled in a qualifying dental assisting program. Licensed CA, FTDA or EFDA status is based on current DANB (or other Board-approved) certification or completion of a CODA-accredited or state-approved dental assisting program. To take x-rays, RDHs, EFDAs, CAs and FTDAs need a course that meets CODA standards for radiological techniques and safeguards; OJT assistants need a course in radiological techniques and safeguards and must pass the DANB RHS (or another Board-approved exam) within one year of the course.

Exam: Every applicant must complete the Board's Dental Assistant Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam (request it by email from the Board and attach the answer sheet to the application). An OJT dental assistant who takes x-rays must pass the DANB Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam, or another Board-approved exam, within one year of completing the radiology course. If your OJT training was not in English, you must reach a minimum score on a Board-designated English proficiency test.

What it costs in Massachusetts

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: Renew every two years, no later than October 31 of odd-numbered years ($45). You need at least 12 continuing education units in the 24 months before the deadline, including CDC Guidelines training and continuous CPR/AED or BLS certification. CEUs do not carry over. New graduates of a Board-approved dental assisting program are exempt for the period in which they graduate. You may not practice on an expired license.

Good to know in Massachusetts

License categories: The Board licenses dental assistants as on-the-job trained (OJT), formally trained (FTDA), certified assistant (CA) or expanded function (EFDA). Your category depends on your training and DANB certification.

Six-month OJT limit: An OJT trainee may practice unlicensed only once, for up to six consecutive months, and only after filing the notice of intent. The Board can extend this by up to six months if you enroll in a qualifying dental assisting program.

Ethics attestation: Applicants sign an attestation, under penalty of perjury, that they will follow the American Dental Assistants Association's Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct.

Military service: A dental assistant license stays valid until 90 days after release from active military duty, and the CE requirement is waived for a cycle in which you were on active duty within 90 days before the deadline.

What the application needs: Apply online in the Health Professions Licensing Portal. Every applicant must include the answer sheet from the Board's Dental Assistant Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam (request it by email from the Board), a notarized affidavit, and a CORI Acknowledgment Form signed in person before a notary or Board staff. OJT applicants also show a Board-approved radiology course, a DANB RHS pass, or the Massachusetts Dental Society radiology program. Applications stay open only one year.

Sources

• 234 CMR 4.11 - Initial Dental Assistant Licensure for EFDA-, CA-, and FTDA-qualified Individuals (Cornell LII)
• 234 CMR 4.12 - Initial Licensure for Dental Assistants Trained on the Job (Cornell LII)
• 234 CMR 4.13 - Notice of Intent to Apply as a First-time OJT Dental Assistant (Cornell LII)
• 234 CMR 4.14 - License Renewal (Cornell LII)
• 234 CMR 5.09 - Requirements for Training in Radiology (Cornell LII)
• 234 CMR 8.02 - Continuing Education General Requirements (Cornell LII)
• 234 CMR 8.03 - Required Continuing Education (Cornell LII)
• 801 CMR 4.02 - Fees for licenses (Board of Registration in Dentistry) (Cornell LII)
• Mass.gov: Apply for a dental assistant license (Board of Registration in Dentistry)
• Mass.gov - Apply for a dental assistant license (Wayback capture, Dec 12, 2025)