Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
Dental assistants perform clerical functions and assist dentists and dental hygienists examine and treat patients. Dental laboratory assistants assist dental technologists and technicians in preparing dental devices.
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Full NOC Description
Dental assistants assist dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists during the examination and treatment of patients and perform clerical functions. Dental laboratory assistants assist dental technologists and technicians in preparing and fabricating dentures and other dental devices. Dental assistants work in dentists' offices, community health centres, clinics and in educational institutions. Dental laboratory assistants are employed in dental laboratories.
Main Duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
Dental assistants
- Prepare patients for dental examination and assist the dentist during examinations and dental treatments
- Sterilize and maintain instruments and equipment
- Prepare dental instruments, fillings compound and various dental materials
- Take and develop X-rays
- Polish teeth and clinical crowns and apply fluoride and sealant
- Take preliminary impressions for diagnostic casts
- Educate patients concerning oral hygiene
- Perform clerical duties such as prepare invoices, process payments, schedule patient appointments, record dental procedures performed and order dental and office supplies
- May perform intra-oral duties such as remove sutures, take and record vital signs, apply desensitizing agents, topical anaesthetic, anticariogenic agents and coronal whitening, fabricate, place, and remove temporary crowns and restorations, and apply and remove rubber dams
- May also perform pulp vitality testing as well as periodontal screening and recording.
Dental laboratory assistants
- Prepare plaster models and moulds from dental impressions
- Prepare wax bite-blocks and impression trays
- Cast gold or metal alloys for bridges and denture bases
- Pack plastic material in moulds to form full or partial dentures
- Mould wax over denture set-up to form full contours of artificial gums
- Make orthodontic bands from gold, silver, stainless steel or other metals
- Finish metal framework of dentures and polish and buff dentures to obtain natural finish.
Also Known As
- ceramic denture moulder
- certified dental assistant
- certified intra-oral dental assistant
- dental assistant
- dental laboratory assistant
Employment Requirements
- Dental assistants require completion of an eight-month to one-year college or other program in dental assistance or completion of secondary school with on-the-job training
- Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces except Quebec and Ontario.
- Certification by the National Dental Assisting Examination Board is required to perform intra-oral duties in all provinces except in Quebec, where intra-oral duties are not performed by dental assistants.
- Dental laboratory assistants usually require secondary school and up to two years of on-the-job training.
Provincial Regulation
- Provincially Regulated: Yes
Regulation Body
The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.
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The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.
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The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.
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The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.
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The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.
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Economic Regions
The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.
The following graph shows the average salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.
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Economic Regions
The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.
The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.
The following shows the average salary of everyone who worked full-time and year-round in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.
The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).
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