How to Become a Dental Assistant in New Mexico

Who can apply

• New Mexico has no general license for basic dental assistants. You need a board certificate to perform the expanded functions listed below.
• A dentist may not let a dental assistant take dental x-rays at any level of supervision unless the assistant is certified by the board or is in board-authorized training (16.5.33.8 NMAC).
• Coronal polishing, topical fluoride and pit and fissure sealants under general supervision also require board certification (16.5.33.8 NMAC).
• For the sealant certificate you need 2,080 hours of chairside dental assisting in the two years before you apply.

Step by step

1. Study radiation health and safety on your own or in a training course (within the past 36 months), and assist with or observe five full-mouth x-ray series (or five panoramic films for a limited certificate).
2. Pass the board or DANB written exam on radiation health and safety.
3. Apply to the board for a training permit. It lets you practice x-ray technique and is valid for six months after you pass the written exam.
4. Within those six months, expose a full-mouth x-ray series or a panoramic film on a phantom or patient for the technique test, with an affidavit from your supervising dentist, hygienist or certified assistant.
5. Pass the board's jurisprudence exam, now taken inside the online application. You get 3 attempts; if you do not pass by the third, your application is put on hold and the Dental Board contacts you.
6. Apply online through the RLD licensing portal with the fee and documents. Applications are valid for one year from receipt.
7. Repeat the matching steps if you also want certificates in coronal polishing and topical fluoride or in pit and fissure sealants.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: For each expanded function you study by independent preparation or in a training course. Radiography: radiation health and safety study within the past 36 months, plus assisting with or observing five full-mouth series (or five extraoral films for a limited certificate). Coronal polishing and fluoride: assist with or observe five coronal polishing cases and five fluoride applications. Sealants: 2,080 hours of chairside experience in the past two years and assisting with or observing 12 sealant placements.

Exam: Each certificate needs a written exam from the board or DANB (radiation health and safety; coronal polishing and topical fluoride; or pit and fissure sealants), a hands-on technique check, and the board's take-home jurisprudence exam. The radiography technique test is graded by at least two board or committee members, and you get three tries; after a third failure you and your supervisor must send the board a remediation plan. If you fail a written exam you must re-apply and pay again. A panoramic-only technique test gives a limited certificate for extraoral films only.

What it costs in New Mexico

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: Certificates expire every three years on June 30. Renew with the $50 renewal fee and proof of 30 hours of continuing education. Renewals postmarked after July 1 also owe a $25 late fee. Passing the board's open-book jurisprudence exam (once a year, $25) counts for 3 CE hours.

Good to know in New Mexico

Board certificate vs. DANB: Board certification is separate from DANB. DANB's CDA lets you use the initials CDA but does not by itself let you perform expanded functions in New Mexico.

Moving from another state: If you are certified in another state with requirements at least as strict, you may be certified by credentials. You need verification sent directly from each state (or a current DANB CDA, or a letter from an accredited hygiene program), a jurisprudence exam score of at least 75%, and certificates in good standing for two years.

CDA shortcut for polishing: A current DANB CDA can be issued the coronal polishing and topical fluoride certificate without meeting the other requirements of that section.

Students in a dental assisting program: Students in a recognized dental assisting program may expose x-rays after the didactic radiography coursework, under supervision of a licensee or certified assistant, and with a dentist's written prescription when the patient is a person.

Display: Your certificate must be displayed where the public can see it.

Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary: New Mexico also issues a separate Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary (EFDA) credential for dental assistants and hygienists: $100 application fee and $100 renewal on the RLD fee page. The Board posts an EFDA application guide (which asks for a clinical exam date and testing agency and your supervised period) and an apprenticeship affidavit for EFDA certification.

Sources

• 16.5.33 NMAC - Dental Assistants, Requirements for Certification (State Records Center)
• 16.5.32 NMAC - Dental Assistants, Fees (State Records Center)
• 16.5.35 NMAC - Dental Assistants, Certificate Expiration and Renewal (State Records Center)
• NM RLD - Dental Health Care: Fees
• NM RLD - Dental Health Care: Licensing, Registration, and Renewal
• NM RLD - Dental Assistant Application Manual (July 2026)
• NM RLD - Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary Application Manual (July 2026)
• NM RLD - Apprenticeship Affidavit for EFDA Certification