How to Become a Dental Assistant in South Carolina

Who can apply

• South Carolina does not license dental assistants. The Board's rules say no formal academic dental training is required for dental assistants (S.C. Code Regs. 39-12).
• All dental assistant procedures must be done under the direct supervision of a South Carolina-licensed dentist who is present on the premises.
• Anyone who places and exposes x-ray films must first complete a Board-approved structured course in radiation safety, and the dentist must certify this to the Board (S.C. Code Regs. 39-16).
• An Expanded Duty Dental Assistant (EDDA) is a graduate of an ADA-accredited dental assisting program, or someone with two years of continuous full-time employment as a chairside dental assistant (S.C. Code Regs. 39-13).

Step by step

1. Start as a dental assistant doing basic chairside duties under a dentist's direct supervision.
2. Before taking x-rays, complete a Board-approved radiation safety course (from an ADA-accredited school, an ADA CERP provider, the South Carolina Dental Association, or by holding DANB's CDA or RHS certificate).
3. Your employing dentist certifies to the Board that you completed the radiation safety training.
4. To work as an EDDA, graduate from an ADA-accredited dental assisting program or complete two years of continuous full-time chairside work.
5. Optional for EDDAs: complete a Board-approved nitrous oxide monitoring course and get Board certification before monitoring nitrous oxide.

Training and exam

Training: No formal training is required to start. Exposing x-rays requires a Board-approved structured radiation safety course. The Board accepts courses from ADA-accredited schools, ADA CERP-approved providers and other ADA constituents, the South Carolina Dental Association, or DANB's CDA certification or RHS certificate. Monitoring nitrous oxide requires a Board-approved course; the Board lists Greenville Tech, Florence-Darlington Tech, Midlands Tech, MUSC College of Dental Medicine, Trident Tech, Tri-County Tech, York Tech and Summerville Pediatric Dentistry (nitrous only).

Exam: There is no state exam for dental assistants. DANB's CDA or RHS is one accepted way to meet the radiation safety requirement.

What it costs in South Carolina

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

Good to know in South Carolina

Basic dental assistant duties: Chairside assisting, charting existing restorations and missing teeth, applying topical drugs prescribed by the dentist, rubber dams, matrices, orthodontic ligatures, vital signs, x-rays after the radiation safety course, periodontal packs and suture removal (S.C. Code Regs. 39-12).

EDDA duties: In addition: impressions for study models, socket dressings, gingival retraction cord, temporary restorations, cementing temporary crowns or bridges, removing excess cement, polishing restorations and supra-gingival tooth structure, pit and fissure sealants, and monitoring nitrous oxide with Board certification (S.C. Code Regs. 39-13).

No individual x-ray certificate: The Board does not issue radiation safety certificates to individuals. It approves which courses count, and the employing dentist certifies your training.

Cleanings: Only licensed dentists and dental hygienists may perform oral prophylaxis. An EDDA may still polish restorations and supra-gingival tooth structure (S.C. Code 40-15-80).

Public health settings: Dental assistants may perform oral screenings with the DHEC-approved screening system in school and public health settings under the DHEC public health dental program, and assistants employed or contracted in the public health system may help deliver its services without the coordinator present (S.C. Code 40-15-110(F)-(G)).

Sources

• S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 39 - State Board of Dentistry (SC Legislature)
• SC Board of Dentistry - FAQ
• S.C. Code Title 40, Chapter 15 - Dentists, Dental Hygienists and Dental Technicians