Knowledge to Work makes it easy to learn the competencies (work performed including knowledge, skills, and abilities) within Dental Assistants using a personalized learning plan with a dashboard to track your progress.
To start, sign up free here and make sure to select Dental Assistants as your Occupation. Doing this allows us to automatically load the competencies for this occupation for you, into your learning plan and dashboard.
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About This Occupation
Assist dentist, set up equipment, prepare patient for treatment, and keep records.
Click on a competency to search for related learning resources then choose from the results. The number of available resources are displayed in parentheses. You may not need to learn every resource associated with a competency to achieve the competency.
Click on a section below to view associated competencies.
You may find open job opportunities using one or more of these common job titles, relating to this occupation.
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)
Certified Registered Dental Assistant
Dental Aide
Dental Assistant (DA)
Dental Nurse
Dental Office Manager
Dentist Attendant
Expanded Duty Dental Assistant (EDDA)
Expanded Function Dental Assistant
Oral Surgery Assistant
Orthodontic Assistant (Ortho Assistant)
Orthodontic Technician
Orthodontist Assistant
Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)
Surgical Dental Assistant
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Software, Tools, or Technology
You may encounter the software, tools, or technology items listed here. They are related to this occupation. Indicates a hot item.
Air abrasion units
Air compressors
Air/water syringes
Amalgam carriers
Amalgamators
Apex locators
Articulators
Aspirating syringes
Autoclaves
Band seating pliers
Bench lathes
Bite blocks
Bitewing film holders
Burs
Caries detection aids
Cartridge syringes
Chemiclaves
Collar scissors
Computerized pressure/vacuum casting systems
Contouring orthodontic pliers
Cotton forceps
Crown scissors
Dental chairs
Dental crimping pliers
Dental cutting instruments
Dental explorers
Dental furniture units
Dental handpieces
Dental laser systems
Dental pliers
Dental retainers
Dental scalers
Dental spatulas
Dental tweezers
Dental wedges
Dental x ray film processors
Dental x ray machines
Denture model presses
Denture, acrylic and porcelain polishing kits
Double-ended probes
Electric endodontic handpieces
Electric general dentistry handpieces
Electric surgical handpieces
Electronic blood pressure devices
Electronic calculus detectors
Electrosurgery units
Email software
Evacuator systems
Extracting forceps
Filling instruments
Gingival retraction cords
Gracey curettes
Headgear
Hemostatic forceps
Henry Schein Dentrix
High-intensity lights
High-speed handpieces
High-velocity evacuators
Impression trays
Instrument sharpening devices
Intraoral detailing pliers
Intraoral x ray equipment
Intuit Quicken
Kodak Dental Systems Kodak SOFTDENT Practice management software PMS
Lead aprons
Light curing units
Manual blood pressure cuffs
Matrix bands
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office
Model trimmers
Molar clamps
Needle holders
Needles
Offset utility pliers
Orthodontic band pushers
Orthodontic band slitters
Orthodontic brackets
Orthodontic pliers
Orthodontic separators
Oxygen tanks
Panoramic x ray equipment
Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft
Personal computers
Posterior matrices
Power vacuum mixers
Prophylaxis angles
Protective shielding equipment
Pulp testers
Pulse oximeters
Radiation dosimeters
Root elevators
Rotary handpieces
Rubber dam clamp forceps
Rubber dam punches
Rubber dams
Saliva ejectors
Single-ended periodontal probes
Slow-speed dental handpieces
Splinter forceps
Steam cleaning equipment
Steam sterilizers
Sterilizers
Straight utility pliers
The Systems Workplace TDOCS
Thermal disinfectors
Thyroid collars
Tongue forceps
Torqueing pliers
Ultrasonic sterilization units
Universal curettes
Vacuum formers
Web browser software
Word processing software
X ray machine cones
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Related Educational Goals
Knowledge to Work supports other educational goals related to Dental Assistants. You may also be interested in something below. Each have multiple competencies mapped to learning resources.
Clean teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. May educate patients on oral hygiene, take and develop x rays, or apply fluoride or sealants.
You can learn more about this occupation by visiting the U.S. Department of Labor's MyNextMove.org website using the button below. They provide helpful information about technology skills, knowledge, skill statements, abilities, work activities, and resources for finding certifications, licenses, and apprenticeships.
Even though we encourage you to sign up free here to track your progress, that's okay if you decide not to at this time.
You may begin learning and searching for resources tied to competencies now. To do this, click on the Competencies (Work Performed) panel above then click on a competency you would like to learn. It launches a new search for resources to help you learn.