A Dental Assistant works under the supervision of a dentist, and usually has a wide variety of duties, including office and administration and patient care. Some Dental Assistants may also have laboratory duties.

One of the Dental Assistant’s main duties is to prepare dental equipment for use. This involves sterilization and disinfection of equipment and work areas, and preparing materials used in dental procedures. The patient care side of the work involves preparing patients for dental treatment, providing advice on dental care, and assisting a dentist during dental procedures. They may also take and process X-rays and carry out other similar tasks. Administrative duties may include:

• scheduling appointments
• billing
• keeping patient records

Dental Assistants should have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and be able to work well with both patients and other members of staff. They should be conscientious and reliable, and be able to understand and follow protocols for dental-related tasks. A certain degree of manual dexterity is also a must.