Dental assistants can receive their education and training through academic programs at community colleges or technical schools as well as on the job training by a dentist. The majority of the academic programs take from nine to eleven months to complete. Georgia has nine accredited dental assisting schools. These schools meet the standards for accreditation of the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. These are people who might be seeking a career change, are looking to reenter the job market, or are over 23 years of age.
Many programs meet the needs of the nontraditional student, such as part-time or evening hours.
Dental assistants are not required to be licensed or certified in Georgia. If they wish, dental assistants can become certified by passing an examination that evaluates their knowledge. Dental assistants are eligible to take the Certified Dental Assistant exam if they have completed a program from an accredited school. Those who had on the job training may take the examination after they have completed two years of full time work as a dental assistant.