It’s part of your professional responsibilities to keep your knowledge and skills current. This helps you practise ethically and provide safe, competent care. Staying up to date with the College’s Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, and any required learning or practice expectations supports patient safety, the dental team, and public trust in the profession.
Entry-level and advanced practices
Dental assisting practice in Alberta includes entry-level practices and advanced practices. What you’re authorized to perform depends on your education, training, and the type of permit you hold.
- Entry-level practices are the core duties you may perform once you’re registered and authorized to practise.
- Advanced practices require additional education and approval from the College before you can perform them.
You may provide the entry practices and advanced practices listed below if:
- we have authorized you to provide the service,
- you are competent after proper education, training, and experience, and
- the service is prescribed and directed by a dentist, dental hygienist or denturist
If we have not authorized you for a specific practice, you must apply to us for authorization.
Learn more about Advanced Practice Authorization
Entry practices
If you’re not authorized for a specific entry practice, it will show as a condition on your practice permit and our Dental Assistant Registry.
Entry-level practices include:
- dental radiographs*
- impressions
- dental dam
- selective coronal polishing and anticariogenic agents
- pit and fissure sealants
- desensitizing agents
- matrices and wedges
- topical anesthetic
- suture removal
- bases and liners
Advanced practices
If you’re authorized for a specific advanced practice, it will show as an authorization on your practice permit and our Dental Assistant Registry.
Orthodontic
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Includes these competencies:
- place and remove orthodontic separators
- select, fit and cement orthodontic bands*
- insert orthodontic appliances*
- place and bond orthodontic brackets and bondable attachments*
- insert, ligate and remove orthodontic archwires, which were formed by a dentist, using individual elastomeric ligatures, chain elastomeric ligatures, wire ligature ties (separate and continuous) and self-ligation mechanisms*
- trim and or bend distal ends of orthodontic archwires
- place and remove orthodontic accessories*
- remove orthodontic bands, brackets and bondable attachments
Note: The dentist must perform the final fitting, adjustment and or activation of any appliance and a final check of brackets, bands and attachments.
Preventive
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Includes these competencies:
- perform scaling using hand-held instruments and ultrasonic instruments*
Note: Scaling performed by an authorized dental assistant is limited to areas with a pocket depth of 4 mm or less, as directed by a dentist or dental hygienist provided that the prescribing dentist or dental hygienist assessed the patient, within the six months preceding the date of service, to determine the patient has healthy gingival and periodontal tissues, and no overt or radiographic signs of alveolar bone loss. If at the time of scheduled service there has been any change to the condition in the oral cavity since the assessment such as evidence of any major dental restorations, for example, crown(s), bridge(s) and/or implant(s) or the initiation of orthodontic treatment, the patient should be reassessed by a dentist or dental hygienist prior to the dental assistant performing scaling.
Probing
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Includes these competencies:
- full mouth periodontal probing*
- periodontal screening and recording assessment*
Prosthodontic
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Includes these competencies:
- place intermediate restorative materials for temporary restoration of a tooth, and remove excess material from occlusion or contour with hand instruments and slow speed rotary handpiece
- select or fabricate and fit provisional acrylic crowns, inlays, onlays and bridges intra-orally using self-curing or light-curing materials, or prefabricated or custom-fabricated acrylic shells, and remove excess material from occlusion or contour extra-orally with slow speed rotary handpiece
- cement provisional crowns, inlays, onlays and bridges using temporary cement, and remove excess temporary cement with hand instruments
- remove provisional crowns, inlays, onlays or bridges and cement with hand instruments
- place and remove gingival retraction cord with or without hemostatic agents (no epinephrine) in sulcus
*These services are restricted activities. Restricted activities are health services that pose significant risk and require a high level of professional competence. If you’re authorized, you may perform restricted activities under the direction and supervision of a dentist, dental hygienist or denturist who is authorized to order and provide the service.
Registration is mandatory when you meet the requirements for registration and intend to provide dental assisting services directly to the public.
Learn more about applying to be authorized for advanced practices
Practising with a provisional permit
Some dental assistants practise under a provisional permit while they complete specific registration requirements to work toward full registration. They must have completed an accredited dental assisting program or the National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) clinical practice evaluation, and be scheduled to sit the NDAEB theory exam.
Learn about applying for provisional registration
Provisional dental assistants must practice under the supervision of a Registered Dental Assistant (RDA), dentist, dental hygienist, denturist or another person approved by the Registrar & CEO. Supervision means on-site and able to assist.
After completing their registration requirements, provisional dental assistants must apply to transfer to the general register to obtain a registered dental assistant permit.
Learn how to transfer from provisional to registered status
Dental Assisting Competency Profile
The Dental Assisting Competency Profile describes the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours expected of dental assistants at different stages of practice. It supports safe practice, education standards, and regulatory decisions.
Related resources
Access the Portal
Access your profile, view and print your practice permit, update your information and submit requests to the College.
Apply for advanced practice authorization
Review the requirements and how to apply to be authorized for advanced practices.
