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Qualified Dental Assistant Registration

 Qualified Dental Assistant (QDA) - Registration and Requirements

The Board may grant registration as a QDA to an applicant meeting one of the requirements:

 OPTION 1. The applicant passed the National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA) exam administerec bythe Dental Assitaing National Board (DANB), and completed three hundred hours of on the job training within one year of application.  The NELDA exam consists of three parts:

• Radiation Health and Safety (RHS exam);
• Infection Control Exam (ICE); and 
• Anatomy, Morphology and Physiology (AMP)

OPTION 2. The applicant passed the National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA contains RHS, ICE, and AMP exams) certification administered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB), three hundred hours of on-the-job clinical training, and completed, within two years before application, sixteen hours of continuing education in accordance with section 20-03-01-06; or,

Option 3. The applicant successfully completed the National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA contains RHS, ICE, and AMP exams) certification administered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB), and successfully completed the North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education dental assisting education program association; or

              **** AND the applicant must complete all of the following requirements:

• The applicant must pass a written examination on the laws and rules (Jurisprudence Exam) governing the practice of dentistry in North Dakota within one year of application.
• The applicant must successfully complete a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course within two years of application.
• Grounds for denial of the application under North Dakota Century Code section 43-20-05 do not exist.

Remember: A Qualified Dental Assistant applicant must submit the application and fee to the Board before taking the Jurisprudence Exam. The Board must have your information before you can login to take the exam. Two continuing education credits will be awarded for successfully completing the exam.

A QDA under the direct supervision of a dentist may perform the following duties under direct supervision:

1. Take and record pulse, blood pressure, and temperature.
2. Take and record preliminary dental and medical history for the interpretation by the dentist.
3. Apply topical medications and drugs to oral tissues, including topical anesthetic.
4. Receive removable dental prosthesis for cleaning or repair.
5. Take impressions for study casts.
6. Hold impression trays in the mouth (e.g., reversible hydrocolloids, rubber base).
7. Retract patient's cheek, tongue, or other tissue parts during a dental procedure.
8. Remove such debris as is normally created in the course of treatment during or after dental procedures by vacuum devices, compressed air, mouthwashes, and water.
9. Isolate the operative field, not to include rubber dams.
10. Hold a curing light for any dental procedure. Curing lights may not include a laser capable of cutting, burning, or damaging hard or soft tissue or for electrosurgery for tissue retraction.
11. Take dental radiographs.

Frequently Asked Questions About DANB Exams and Certifications

APPLICATION STATUS: You may check your application status and take the online Jurisprudence exam on the application status page. This will help you find out what documents the Board has received and what documents are missing before your license/registration will be issued. The Board office updates the status as documents are received in the Board office. The Jurisprudence exam is required for all applicants. 

You MUST submit your application and fee to the Board before you can take the Jurisprudence Exam! We must have your information before you can login.

QDA Registration - Application