Medical or vacation leaves can be difficult to schedule if an office does not rely on outside temporary services. Leave time must often parallel the dentists schedule. A great number of dental practices are essentially small businesses, which limit the employee benefits more frequently offered by large businesses or corporations. Preparation Individual states vary regarding the requirements and credentials needed for dental assisting. Throughout the country there are numerous community or technical schools, and junior colleges that offer accredited educational programs for dental assisting.
Most accredited programs are nine to eleven months in length.
A number of the programs are affiliated with schools that offer an Associate's Degree. A few dental schools also offer an accredited dental assisting education program. The examinee must pass all three components before being awarded the CDA credential. The American Dental Association recognizes DANB to be the certification board for dental assistants. Many states have additional certification and licensing credentials.