Dental Assistant

Position Title:                           Dental Assistant 

Department:                              Dental

Supervisor:                               Dental Director

Status/Hours Per Week:          Non-exempt / 35 hours

Primary Function: 

Under the direct supervision of a Dentist, assist during the examination and treatment of patients.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Prepare patient for dental treatment and help patient feel comfortable before, during and after treatment.


• Educate patient on oral care/maintenance.


• Take patient medical history, blood pressure and pulse, record findings or existing treatment.


• Arrange dental instruments, materials and medications in the order they are to be used according to the scheduled treatment.


• Keep oral operating areas clear during dental procedures.


• Sterilize instruments using autoclaves or chemical disinfectants and keep updated and informed with current infection control and sterilization compliance standards.


• Manage compliance standards and logs.


• Keep an inventory of materials used and order supplies as needed.


• Perform routine maintenance such as lubricate equipment, sharpen dental hand instruments, replace expendable parts, and clean as necessary.


• Take diagnostic quality X-Rays in a timely fashion.


• Prepare work in accordance with Patient Care Assessment (PCA) training, universal precautions and Massachusetts state laws and federal laws of patient confidentiality.


• Communicate with patients and suppliers (scheduling appointments, answering calls, ordering supplies and scheduling maintenance of equipment).


• Perform other duties as assigned.

Schedule hours: Weekday hours with up to 2 evenings a week and 2 Saturdays a month. 

Minimum Basic Knowledge:    

• High school diploma or G.E.D.


• Dental Assistant license.


• Radiology Certification is required (within a certain amount of time after starting the job).   


• Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification.


• Good communication and interpersonal skills.


• Ability to self-start and be comfortable inputting information into computer-based software.


• Bilingual language skills in English and Spanish or Portuguese is highly preferred. 

Experience & Qualifications:  

• Trained in a dental assistant program or have an interest in Dentistry.


• Knowledge of dental terminology and procedures.

Independent Action:

• Duties are generally proceduralized, allowing individual in this role to perform independently, with periodic supervision to meet established schedules and predetermined priorities.


• Problems not clearly defined by written directives or instructions are reviewed with dentist to determine course of action.

Supervisory Responsibility:

    None

Define Access Level to PHI:    Level 2 [Authorized to access patient demographic data with only minimal reference to treatment or diagnostic information as needed to function.  Staff in this category level should confine the use of PHI to the minimum necessary required and should not access or read parts of the medical record not needed to perform assigned duties].