How to Become a Dental Assistant in Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, those hired in a dental office as dental assistants must get a Dental Assistant Permit within 30 days of being hired.

These permits are issued by the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry.

According to the state’s laws, a dental assistant can perform tasks given to them as long as they have appropriate training for the given tasks.

The Expanded Duty Permit is a special type of permit issued to assistants and it covers 4 areas:

• Radiation safety and protection
• Coronal polishing and topical fluoride
• Placement of pit and fissure sealants
• Assisting in the administration of nitrous oxide

The employers can specify which skills they’re searching for, but it’s common for the Expanded Duty Permit to be among the requirements, along with the CPR certification.

Salaries depend greatly upon these skills and certifications.

Regional Salary in Oklahoma

Obtaining a Dental Assistant Permit in Oklahoma

Individuals need to fill out an application in order to obtain their permits.

The following information will be mandatory:

• Current address and legal name, along with proof of legal status related to employment in the United States
• All locations where the candidate practiced as a dental assistant in the previous year
• Any education, training, and certifications that relate to dental assisting, along with official proof
• Any cases of professional disciplinary action or criminal offenses
• Colored copy of their ID – the driver’s license is accepted
• The Permit fee – $50

Candidates can also request a Dental Assistant ID Card, but it costs an additional $25.

The permits must be renewed every year, and the application forms also change every year.

The forms can be found on the Board’s website.

The following procedures belong to a dental hygienist or dentist:

• Diagnosis
• Planning the treatment or prescribing medication
• Removal of hardened cement
• Placement or adjustment of a fixed prosthesis
• Surgery or cutting of bodily tissues
• Anesthetic injections
• Administration of nitrous oxide or using a laser
• Anything that contributes to a permanent alteration of human oral anatomy

Qualifying for Expanded Duty Permits

Future dental assistants need to have completed a training program that was approved by both the Board and the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.

The institution needs to issue an official transcript needed for the application, and it needs to include:

• Academic course outlines
• Pretests
• Tasks on which candidates have been evaluated
• Academic and training schedule, including clear documentation of clinical and didactic time
• Proof of official clinical experience from an employing dentist
• Proof of current CPR certification
• Current dental assistant registration obtained in a different state, if applicable

All these documents have to be included in a single envelope.

Only candidates who send a complete application will be issued the requested Permit.

The applications can’t be submitted later than a year from the time the training was completed.

Radiation Safety and Protection Expanded Duty Permit

Those holding this Permit can perform dental X-rays on patients.

The main requirement is to complete a course of minimum 7 hours, covering:

• Radiation, biology, and physics
• Radiation health, protection, and safety
• Principles of radiographic techniques
• Darkroom processing and film mounting
• Score at least 70% on the radiology exam.

Part of the coursework must include taking at least 200 X-rays.

Coronal Polishing and Topical Fluoride Expanded Duty Permit

There are 3 tasks holders of this Permit can perform:

• Polish the coronal surfaces of teeth
• Prepare teeth for the bonding of brackets or band cementation
• Apply desensitizing agents and topical fluoride

Candidates need a minimum of 1-year work experience before obtaining this Permit.

Additionally, they must complete an approved training course of a minimum of 14 hours, covering:

• Stain and plaque formation
• Identification and understanding of plaque, intrinsic and extrinsic stains, and calculus
• Clinical experience of polishing and cleaning teeth
• Anatomy of the oral cavity and tooth morphology
• Principles of polishing, aseptic technique, of applying and selecting disclosing agents
• Principles fluoride administration preparation
• Minimum of 2 hours of clinical experience

They’re also required to learn about some jurisprudence aspects, such as:

• Legal limitation of dental assistants and penalties for the violation of these
• How these violations must be reported
• In the end, they must score at least 70% on the exam.

Placement of Pit and Fissure Sealants Expanded Duty Permit

For this permit, candidates first need t to accumulate 1 year of work experience.

They then need to finish a training program lasting at least 12 hours, covering the following:

• Preparing and isolating the teeth for sealants
• Dental materials
• Infection management
• Tooth anatomy and armamentarium
• 5 hours of clinical study
• Verifying the placement of sealants on a minimum of 8 patients, while supervised
• Sitting through a test and scoring a minimum 70%.

Administration of Nitrous Oxide Expanded Duty Permit

By law, dental assistants in Oklahoma cannot perform this task themselves.

However, they can assist qualified professionals when applying the gas, if they hold this special permit.

They first need to gain a minimum of 1 year of work experience, then complete the specific training program.

The program must cover:

• Classes detailing the sedation with nitrous oxide-oxygen
• History, philosophy, and psychology of nitrous oxide sedation
• Physiological and psychological aspects of pain and anxiety
• Stages of drug-induced central nervous system depression
• Anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system
• Assessing the status of the patient
• Advantages and disadvantages of nitrous oxide sedation
• Recognizing and preventing life-threatening situations related to the use of nitrous oxide
• At least two hours of a clinical portion of the study

Candidates must also have a CPR certification and score over 70% on the related exam.

This certification is issued by one of these institutions:

• American Heart Association – Health Care Provider
• American Red Cross – Professional Rescuer

Schools Offering Dental Assisting Programs in Oklahoma

Renewal of the Dental Assistant Regular and Expanded Duty Permits

All Permits expire on December 31st of every year, with the exception of the Radiation Safety and Protection Expanded Permit which doesn’t have an expiration date.

Renewals must be performed before this date and the fee associated with the process is $50.

Dental assistants who have the Expanded Duty Permit must also maintain their CPR certification.

Dental Assisting by City

Dental Assisting by State