How to Become a Dental Assistant in Pennsylvania

Who can apply

• Pennsylvania has no license for basic dental assistants. The Board certifies Expanded Function Dental Assistants (EFDAs), and only people holding a Board certificate may practice as an EFDA (49 Pa. Code 33.101).
• To take dental x-rays, a dental assistant must pass the DANB Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam, the radiologic procedure exam adopted by the Board (49 Pa. Code 33.301-33.302).
• To certify as an EFDA you must finish a Board-approved EFDA program (or a qualifying dental hygiene program) and pass the Board's written EFDA exam.

Step by step

1. Start as a dental assistant doing supportive duties under a dentist's supervision.
2. To take x-rays, pass DANB's Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam; you may then take x-rays when the dentist is on the premises.
3. To become an EFDA, complete a Board-approved EFDA program: an associate degree program, a CODA-accredited hygiene program with at least 75 hours of restorative functions, or a certificate program of at least 200 hours (with at least 120 clinical hours).
4. Register with Pearson VUE and pass the Pennsylvania EFDA certification exam.
5. Apply for EFDA certification through the Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS) and pay the application fee.
6. With your initial application, submit proof of 3 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting training approved by the Department of Human Services (49 Pa. Code 33.256(a)).

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: For x-rays, Pennsylvania requires passing the DANB RHS exam rather than a set course. For EFDA certification, one of: graduation from a Board-approved EFDA program at an accredited two-year college offering an associate degree; graduation from a CODA-accredited dental hygiene school with at least 75 hours of clinical and didactic restorative functions; or a Board-approved EFDA certificate or diploma program of at least 200 hours from an accredited dental assisting program. Board-approved EFDA programs must include at least 120 hours of clinical experience (49 Pa. Code 33.102 and 33.117).

Exam: X-rays: DANB Radiation Health and Safety exam. EFDA: a written exam acceptable to the Board, now given by Pearson VUE (appointments began April 3, 2023). Passing scores are accepted for up to five years; after that only if you have been practicing as an EFDA in another jurisdiction.

What it costs in Pennsylvania

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: EFDA certificates renew every two years, for periods beginning April 1 of each odd-numbered year. The biennial renewal fee is $37 for April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2027 and $44 from April 1, 2027. You need 10 hours of CE each cycle, including 2 hours of approved child abuse recognition and reporting training and 3 hours of coronal polishing (unless exempt), and you must keep current infant, child and adult CPR certification as a condition of renewal (49 Pa. Code 33.105(b)). You are exempt from CE for the cycle in which you passed the exam.

Good to know in Pennsylvania

What an EFDA may do: Under a dentist's direct supervision (dentist in the office the whole time and checks the work): rubber dams, matrices and wedges, liners and bases, placing, condensing and carving amalgam, placing and finishing composite and sealants, coronal polishing, fluoride treatments, and impressions for study models or athletic appliances (49 Pa. Code 33.205a).

What an EFDA may not do: Examine or diagnose, cut tissue, prescribe, do final checks of work that affects the bite, endodontic procedures, place or adjust prosthetics, or give local anesthesia, sedation or nitrous oxide.

X-ray supervision: Assistants who passed the RHS exam may take x-rays on the dentist's premises under direct supervision; the dentist must be on the premises but need not watch.

Moving from another state: EFDAs certified in another state may be certified by endorsement if they hold a current credential in good standing and meet the other conditions in 49 Pa. Code 33.107a.

Practicing on an expired certificate: EFDAs who fail to renew may not practice until reactivated. Anyone who practiced without a current certificate pays a $5 late fee for each month or part of a month.

Sources

• 49 Pa. Code Chapter 33 - State Board of Dentistry (Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin)
• Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry
• Pearson VUE - Pennsylvania EFDA exam (linked from the Board)
• 49 Pa. Code 33.256 - Child abuse recognition and reporting training (PA Code & Bulletin)