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Alberta Supports Contact Centre

Toll Free 1-877-644-9992

Health and Social Services

Dental Assistant

Dental assistants provide supportive dental care services to maintain and promote oral health.

Contact

College of Alberta Dental Assistants
Suite 166
14315 - 118 Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta  T5L 4S6
Canada

Call: 780-486-2526
Toll-free: 1-800-355-8940

Website: abrda.ca

Legislation

Under Alberta’s Health Professions Act [pdf], Health Professions Restricted Activity Regulation [pdf] and Dental Assistants Profession Regulation [pdf], registration with the College of Alberta Dental Assistants (CADA) is mandatory. Only registered members may provide restricted activities specified in the Regulations. This includes those who:

  • Meet identified competency requirements and provide professional services directly to the public
  • Teach the practice of the profession to members or students of the profession
  • Supervise registered members
  • Are students who provide services to the public
  • Call themselves dental assistants or registered dental assistants
  • Use the initials DA or RDA

Other dental office staff who are not registered may perform basic chairside dental assisting tasks.

What You Need

To register as a dental assistant in Alberta, you must have successfully completed:

  • An approved dental assistant program
  • The National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) written examination
  • The NDAEB Clinical Practice Evaluation, if you completed a program not accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada

Applicants who have been out of practice for a period also may have to demonstrate that they are currently competent to practice.

For details about all registration requirements, contact CADA or visit the CADA website.

Working in Alberta

Dental assistants who are registered and in good standing with a regulatory body elsewhere in Canada may be eligible for registration in Alberta if their scope of practice and competencies are similar.

For more information, see What if I am already certified in another province or territory in Canada? and the CADA website.

The certification information in this profile may change at any time and without notice. Before making any career decisions, we advise you to contact the regulatory organization or visit their website for the most updated information.

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