Dental Assistants are required to perform a wide variety of laboratory and office duties, and patient´s care. They sterilize instruments for dentists in order to treat different patients. These professionals create reports about patient´s treatments and update entries with new information every time it is necessary. They help dentists during dental procedures by providing them required materials and instruments for each case. These assistants also teach patients topics related to postoperative and general oral healthcare.

Dental Assistants usually perform many of the following tasks:
• Assisting dentist in different procedures.
• Sterilizing instruments.
• Making patients comfortable.
• Obtaining patient´s record.
• Collecting payments.

• Having organizational skills.
• Being an effective communicator.
• Having good communication and people skills.
• Being reliable.
• Having interpersonal abilities.
• Being able to work with others.
• Being physically fit.
• Having good manual dexterity.
• Being able to stay calm under stressful circumstances.
• Having high attention to details.

Persons who want to be Dental Assistants need to take Dental-Assisting programs offered by trade schools, junior colleges, technical institutes, or the Armed Forces. These programs take mainly one year for completion. Some States require candidates having a certification or license in order to demonstrate abilities related to radiological procedures. High School students that want to work in this area are encouraged to take courses in chemistry, office practices, health, and biology in order to obtain suitable knowledge for future studies and jobs. There are Dental-Assisting training programs approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation that include laboratory, classroom, and preclinical instruction related to this industry.

Training programs are offered on-the-job and include dental terminology, dealing with patients, instrument´s names, and other necessary topics for this area. Candidates that completed a Dental-Assisting program must also have this on-the-job training period.