Part IV. Entry Requirements for Dental Assistants II
18VAC60-30-115. General application requirements.
All applications for registration as a dental assistant II shall include:
1. Evidence of a current credential as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) conferred by the Dental Assisting National Board or another certification from a credentialing organization recognized by the American Dental Association and acceptable to the board that was granted following passage of an examination on general chairside assisting, radiation health and safety, and infection control; and
2. Verification of completion of educational requirements set forth in 18VAC60-30-120.
Statutory Authority
§ 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 5, eff. December 2, 2015; amended, Virginia Register Volume 41, Issue 2, eff. October 24, 2024.
18VAC60-30-116. Requirements for educational programs.
In order to train persons for registration as a dental assistant II, an educational program shall meet the following requirements:
1. The program shall be provided by an educational institution that maintains a program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.
2. The program shall have a program coordinator who is registered in Virginia as a dental assistant II or is licensed in Virginia as a dental hygienist or dentist. The program coordinator shall have administrative responsibility and accountability for operation of the program.
3. The program shall have a clinical practice advisor who is a licensed dentist in Virginia and who may also serve as the program coordinator. The clinical practice advisor shall assist in the laboratory training component of the program and conduct the program's calibration exercise for dentists who supervise the student's clinical experience.
4. A dental assistant II, registered in Virginia, who assists in teaching the laboratory training component of the program shall have a minimum of two years of clinical experience in performing duties delegable to a dental assistant II.
5. The program shall enter into a participation agreement with any dentist who agrees to supervise clinical experience. The dentist shall successfully complete the program's calibration exercise on evaluating the clinical skills of a student. The dentist supervisor may be the employer of the student.
6. Each program shall enroll practice sites for clinical experience, which may be a dental office, a nonprofit dental clinic, or an educational institution clinic.
7. All treatment of patients shall be under the immediate supervision of a licensed dentist who is responsible for the performance of duties by the student. The dentist shall attest to the successful completion of the clinical competencies and restorative experiences.
Statutory Authority
§ 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 14, eff. March 31, 2021.
18VAC60-30-120. Educational requirements for dental assistants II.
A. A prerequisite for entry into an educational program preparing a person for registration as a dental assistant II shall be current certification as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) conferred by the Dental Assisting National Board or active licensure as a dental hygienist.
B. To be registered as a dental assistant II, a person shall complete a competency-based program from an educational institution that meets the requirements of 18VAC60-30-116. An applicant may be registered as a dental assistant II with specified competencies completed in education as described in this subsection:
1. Didactic coursework in dental anatomy that includes basic histology, understanding of the periodontium and temporal mandibular joint, pulp tissue and nerve innervation, occlusion and function, muscles of mastication, and any other item related to the restorative dental process.
2. Didactic coursework in operative dentistry, to include materials used in direct and indirect restorative techniques, economy of motion, fulcrum techniques, tooth preparations, etch and bonding techniques and systems, and luting agents.
3. Laboratory training to be completed in the following modules:
a. No less than 15 hours of placing, packing, carving, and polishing of amalgam restorations, placement of a non-epinephrine retraction cord, and pulp capping procedures and no less than six class I and six class II restorations completed on a manikin simulator to competency;
b. No less than 40 hours of placing and shaping composite resin restorations, placement of a non-epinephrine retraction cord, and pulp capping procedures, and no less than 12 class I, 12 class II, five class III, five class IV, and five class V restorations completed on a manikin simulator to competency; and
c. At least 10 hours of making final impressions, placement of a non-epinephrine retraction cord, final cementation of crowns and bridges after preparation, and adjustment and fitting by the dentist, and no less than four crown impressions, two placements of retraction cord, five crown cementations, and two bridge cementations on a manikin simulator to competency.
4. Clinical experience applying the techniques learned in the preclinical coursework and laboratory training in the following modules:
a. At least 30 hours of placing, packing, carving, and polishing of amalgam restorations, placement of a non-epinephrine retraction cord, and no less than six class I and six class II restorations completed on a live patient to competency;
b. At least 60 hours of placing and shaping composite resin restorations, placement of a non-epinephrine retraction cord, and no less than six class I, six class II, five class III, three class IV, and five class V restorations completed on a live patient to competency; and
c. At least 30 hours of making final impressions; placement of non-epinephrine retraction cord; final cementation of crowns and bridges after preparation, adjustment, and fitting by the dentist; and no less than four crown impressions, two placements of retraction cord, five crown cementations, and two bridge cementations on a live patient to competency.
5. Successful completion of the following competency examinations given by the accredited educational programs:
a. A written examination at the conclusion of didactic coursework; and
b. A clinical competency exam.
Statutory Authority
§ 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 5, eff. December 2, 2015; amended, Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 14, eff. March 31, 2021; Volume 41, Issue 2, eff. October 24, 2024.
18VAC60-30-130. (Reserved).
Statutory Authority
§ 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Reserved Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 5, eff. December 2, 2015.
18VAC60-30-140. Registration by endorsement as a dental assistant II.
A. An applicant for registration by endorsement as a dental assistant II shall provide evidence of the following:
1. Current certification as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) conferred by the Dental Assisting National Board or another national credentialing organization recognized by the American Dental Association;
2. Current authorization to perform expanded duties as a dental assistant in a jurisdiction of the United States;
3. A credential, registration, or certificate from another state with qualifications substantially equivalent in hours of instruction and course content to those set forth in 18VAC60-30-120 or, if the qualifications were not substantially equivalent, documented experience in the restorative and prosthetic expanded duties set forth in 18VAC60-30-60 for at least 24 of the past 48 months preceding application for registration in Virginia.
B. An applicant shall also be certified to be in good standing from each jurisdiction of the United States in which the applicant is currently registered, certified, or credentialed or in which the applicant has ever held a registration, certificate, or credential.
Statutory Authority
§ 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 5, eff. December 2, 2015; amended, Virginia Register Volume 41, Issue 2, eff. October 24, 2024.