Dental Assistant Job Description Template

Dental Assistant

[Intro paragraph] The best job descriptions provide a few sentences that will introduce the prospective employees to your dental practice, culture, and working environment. Keep in mind that an entry-level dental assistant job description should be less rigid than a description for a more senior-level role. This is where you can sell your practice or medical facility to job seekers and set yourself apart from competing listings.

Dental Assistant Duties Checklist:

• Supports dental care delivery by preparing treatment room, patient, instruments, and materials.
• Performs procedures in compliance with the Dental Practice Act.
• Prepares treatment room for patient by following prescribed procedures and protocols.
• Readies patient for dental treatment by welcoming, comforting, seating, and draping patient.
• Provides information to patients and employees by answering questions and requests.
• Assembles instrumentation by sterilizing and delivering instruments to treatment area, positioning instruments for dentist’s access, suctioning, and passing instruments.
• Provides materials by selecting, mixing, and placing materials on instruments and in the patient’s mouth.
• Provides diagnostic information by exposing and developing radiographic studies and pouring, trimming, and polishing study casts.
• Maintains patient appearance and ability to masticate by fabricating temporary restorations and cleaning and polishing removable appliances.
• Helps dentist manage dental and medical emergencies by maintaining CPR certification, emergency drug and oxygen supply, and emergency telephone directory.
• Educates patients by giving oral hygiene, plaque control, and postoperative instructions.
• Documents dental care services by charting in patient records.
• Maintains patient confidence and protects operations by keeping information confidential.
• Maintains safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations.
• Protects patients and employees by adhering to infection-control policies and protocols.
• Ensures operation of dental equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements, following manufacturer’s instructions, troubleshooting malfunctions, calling for repairs, maintaining equipment inventories, and evaluating new equipment and techniques.
• Maintains dental supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level, anticipating needed supplies, placing and expediting orders for supplies, and verifying receipt of supplies.
• Conserves dental resources by using equipment and supplies as needed to accomplish job results.
• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.

[Work Hours & Benefits] It’s always a good idea to highlight the working hours and benefits specific to your dental facility in your dental assistant job description. Potential assistants want to learn things like team size, dentist-to-patient ratios, and shift rotations. You can also highlight any of the benefits that set you apart, like childcare reimbursements, commuter benefits, and tuition or continuing education credits.

Dental Assistant Qualifications / Skills:

• Dental health maintenance
• Use of dental technology
• Infection control
• Patient services
• Creating a safe, effective environment
• Listening
• Teamwork
• Bedside manner
• Health promotion and maintenance
• Use of medical technologies
• Performing diagnostic procedures

Education, Experience, and Licensing Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• 1+ years in a dental office
• Experience with EMR (electronic medical records), medical terminology a plus

[Call to Action] The best job descriptions entice potential medical assistant applicants to apply and teach them how, by including a call to action. For instance, you can let prospective dental assistants know whether you’d like them to submit an application via “clicking on the apply button at the top of the job listing “or if you’d rather them email an application, resume, and supporting documents to a specific person at your facility.