How to Become a Dental Assistant in Vermont

Who can apply

• No one may practice as a dental assistant in Vermont without registering with the Board.
• There are two registrations: Traditional Dental Assistant (not DANB-certified) and Certified Dental Assistant (DANB-certified).
• Within 2 years before or 6 months after your first registration, you must complete a CPR course and an emergency office procedures course of at least 2 hours each.
• To take x-rays, a traditional dental assistant needs a radiography specialty. You must be at least 18 and have finished, within the last 10 years, a CODA-accredited dental assisting program with radiography or a didactic and clinical radiography course at a CODA-accredited institution.
• The expanded function (EFDA) specialty is for DANB-certified assistants or dental hygienists who finish a CODA-accredited EFDA program.

Step by step

1. Take a CPR course and an emergency office procedures course (at least 2 hours each).
2. Apply online through OPR's Online Services System as a Traditional or Certified Dental Assistant and pay the $80 application fee.
3. Upload your CPR and emergency office procedures certificates. Certified applicants also upload their DANB certificate showing its expiration date.
4. To take x-rays, finish a radiography course at a CODA-accredited institution and use 'Add A Specialty' in your online account to add radiology privileges.
5. If you are DANB-certified and finish a CODA-accredited EFDA program, add the expanded function specialty the same way.
6. Renew every two years by September 30 of odd years.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Every dental assistant needs a CPR course and an emergency office procedures course of at least 2 hours each, completed within 2 years before or 6 months after first registration. Radiography needs a CODA-accredited program or course taken within 10 years before applying. While in a radiography course, a student may take up to 100 radiographs in the supervising dentist's office. The EFDA specialty needs a CODA-accredited program with at least 50 hours of didactic training, 5 weeks of clinical training, and 6 more weeks of supervised field training in a dental office.

Exam: Vermont has no state exam for traditional dental assistants. The Certified Dental Assistant registration and the EFDA specialty require current DANB certification (or, for EFDA, a dental hygienist license).

What it costs in Vermont

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

How long it takes

OPR asks applicants to allow 3-5 business days for processing.

Keeping your credential

Renewal: Registrations renew every two years on September 30 of odd years ($105). To renew, a dental assistant must complete the emergency office procedures course (at least 2 hours) and a CPR course during the two-year cycle. Certified and EFDA renewals need current DANB certification. A radiography specialty renews only if you trained in the last 10 years or practiced radiography under a dentist in the last 5 years.

Good to know in Vermont

Sealants and coronal polishing: A traditional dental assistant may not place sealants or do coronal polishing unless the supervising dentist has personally verified they can do it competently. They may place silver diamine fluoride (SDF) if properly trained.

Supervision: All intraoral tasks require direct supervision by a dentist. Your scope is set by an agreement with your supervising dentist or dental therapist, based on your education and experience.

Never delegable: Diagnosis, treatment planning, prescribing, surgery, permanent changes to oral anatomy, oral debridement, direct periodontal probing and placing subgingival agents are never delegable to a dental assistant.

Becoming DANB certified later: A traditional dental assistant who earns DANB certification must apply for the Certified Dental Assistant registration. DANB certification alone does not upgrade your registration.

First registration period: A first registration issued 90 days or less before the September 30 renewal date runs through the next full two-year period. One issued earlier must be renewed at the upcoming renewal.

CPR deadline is enforced: If you register before finishing the CPR and emergency office procedures courses, practicing more than 6 months after initial registration without them is unauthorized practice (Rule 7-2).

Out-of-state x-ray credential: OPR may issue the radiography specialty to a traditional dental assistant who holds a current, unrestricted radiography credential from another U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements (Rule 9-5).

Sources

• Vermont Board of Dental Examiners Administrative Rules (effective 10/15/2025)
• OPR - Dental Assistant Application Instructions (January 2026)
• OPR - Initial Licensing/Renewal Fees & Dates (updated 7/1/2025)
• OPR - Dental Examiners Forms & Instructions