Dental assistants
Help dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists during the examination and treatment of patients. They may also perform clerical functions.
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Note: The data presented in this profile does not take into account the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and labour market. Consequently, the accuracy of some of the estimates that appear in this profile may be affected.
Full NOC Description
Dental assistants assist dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists during the examination and treatment of patients and perform clerical functions. Dental assistants work in dentists' offices, community health centres, clinics and in educational institutions.
Main Duties
Dental assistants perform some or all of the following duties:
- Prepare patients for dental examination and assist the dentist during examinations and dental treatments
- Sterilize and maintain instruments and equipment
- Prepare dental instruments and filling materials
- Take and develop X-rays
- Polish teeth and clinical crowns and apply fluoride and sealant
- Take preliminary impressions for diagnostic casts
- Fabricate and place temporary crowns and restorations
- Educate patients concerning oral hygiene
- Invoice patients for dental services
- Schedule patient appointments and record dental procedures performed
- 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, coronal whitening and apply and remove rubber dams.
Also Known As
- certified dental assistant
- certified intra-oral dental assistant
- dental assistant
- registered dental assistant
Employment Requirements
- 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 is required.
- 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.
Provincial Regulation
- Provincially Regulated: Yes
- Compulsory: Yes
- Red Seal: No
- Certified Interprovincial Mobility: 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 median 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.
This following represents the median salary of all persons employed in this occupation compared to the median salary of workers employed in this occupation that work full-time year-round.
This following represents the median salary of persons employed 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).