Dental Assistant Requirements in District of Columbia: Registration, X-Ray Rules & Allowed Duties
The District of Columbia requires anyone performing dental assistant duties to hold a Board of Dentistry registration and defines three tiers: Level I, Level II, and Level III Dental Assistant, each with its own education requirement.
Level II and Level III assistants become eligible to place or expose dental x-ray film after passing a national radiation safety exam or completing a Board-approved 24-hour radiology course.
Nearly every delegated function must be performed under a dentist's direct supervision, and the rules name procedures a dentist may never delegate.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Entry-level assistant
Registration
Required
Level I Dental Assistant
Credential levels
3
Verified September 2026
Regulated by
The DC Board of Dentistry
The Short Version
- Registration or licensure
- No one may perform dental assistant duties in the District of Columbia without a registration issued by the Board of Dentistry, and every applicant, at any of the three levels, must also pass the District of Columbia Dental Assistants Law Examination.
- Taking x-rays
- Only a Level II or Level III dental assistant is eligible to place or expose dental x-ray film, and only after passing DANB's Radiation Health and Safety or Certified Dental Assistant exam, or completing a Board-approved 24-hour radiology training course.
- Credential titles the state uses
- Level I Dental Assistant · Level II Dental Assistant · Level III Dental Assistant
The three dental assistant levels DC defines
DC registers dental assistants at three levels, each with its own education requirement.
Level I needs only a high school diploma or GED.
Level II adds a dental radiography training course and either a Board- or CODA-approved dental assisting program or a current DANB Certified Dental Assistant certification.
Level III adds a Board-approved hands-on course in the Level III functions and the DANB Certified Preventive Functions Dental Assistant certification on top of Level II's requirements.
An applicant for a Level I Dental Assistant registration shall submit proof satisfactory to the Board that the applicant has a high school diploma or has a general equivalency diploma.
Registering as a dental assistant
No person may perform or be permitted to perform dental assistant duties without a registration issued by the Board.
A registration expires at midnight on December 31 of each odd-numbered year unless the Director changes the renewal system.
Every applicant, at Level I, II, or III, must also pass the District of Columbia Dental Assistants Law Examination, a written test on the laws and rules governing the practice of dental assistants.
No person shall perform or be permitted to perform any duties as a dental assistant without a registration issued by the Board.
What direct supervision means here
Every delegable function in the chapter is performed under "direct supervision." The definitions section requires the supervising dentist to be in the dental office or treatment facility, personally diagnose the condition and authorize the procedure, remain in the office while the assistant performs it, and personally evaluate the assistant's work before the patient is dismissed.
the dentist is in the dental office or treatment facility, personally diagnoses the condition to be treated, personally authorizes the procedures, remains in the dental office or dental treatment facility while the procedures are being performed by the dental assistant, and personally evaluates the performance of the dental assistant before dismissal of the patient.
What each level may do under direct supervision
A dentist may delegate only procedures that fit the assistant's training and the dentist's practice, are reversible, and are performed under direct supervision.
Level I may perform tasks such as placing retraction cord and matrices, applying fluoride, removing sutures and temporary restorations without a rotary instrument, taking impressions for study models, intraoral photography, and recording vital signs.
Level II adds vitality tests, alginate impressions, etching, fabricating indirect restorations, placing or removing rubber dams and matrix bands, drying root canals, and preparing stainless steel and temporary crowns.
Level III adds applying pit and fissure sealants, coronal polishing to remove stain and biofilm, and glucose testing.
Assistants supervised by an orthodontist may also perform listed orthodontic functions such as fitting bands and placing arch wires.
Subject to the restrictions set forth in this section, a dentist may delegate to a registered dental assistant only those procedures which are: (a) Appropriate to the training and experience of the dental assistant and the practice of the supervising dentist; (b) Reversible; and (c) To be performed under the direct supervision of the dentist.
Taking x-rays
Only a Level II or Level III dental assistant is eligible to place or expose dental x-ray film, and only after passing DANB's Radiation Health and Safety exam or Certified Dental Assistant exam, or completing a Board-approved dental radiology training program of at least twenty-four hours covering radiology, radiation safety, biology, and physics, plus its own exam.
The chapter does not list Level I as eligible for radiography.
A Level II or Levell III dental assistant shall be eligible to place or expose dental x-ray film if he or she has: (a) Successfully passed the Dental Assistant National Board's (DANB) Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) examination or Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) examination; or (b) Successfully completed a Board-approved dental radiology training program consisting of at least twenty-four (24) hours of coursework in radiology, radiation safety, biology, and physics, and has successfully passed the examination(s) required for successful completion of the program.
Procedures a dentist may never delegate
The chapter lists procedures no dentist may delegate to a dental assistant at any level, including a preliminary examination, a complete prophylaxis, intraoral polishing, diagnostic screening for oral abnormalities, administering local anesthesia or nitrous oxide, taking final impressions, adjusting occlusion, cementing permanent crowns or restorations, applying silver diamine fluoride, glucose monitoring, oral cancer screenings and tissue biopsy, using a high-speed handpiece intraorally, and placing sutures, among other listed items.
(i) Administration of local anesthesia; (j) Administration of nitrous oxide;
Continuing education to renew a registration
Continuing education applies to renewal, reactivation, or reinstatement of a registration, but not to a first renewal.
Each credit must be at least sixty minutes of instruction in a Board-approved program.
Beginning with the licensure period ending December 31, 2021, renewal requires ten hours of credit within the prior two years, including two hours of BLS certification, two hours of infection control, one hour of ethics, two hours on cultural competency, and at least ten percent of the total hours in subjects the Director designates as public health priorities.
Beginning with the licensure period ending December 31, 2021, an applicant for renewal of a dental assistant registration shall: (a) Have completed ten (10) hours of credit within the two-year (2) period preceding the date the registration expires, which shall include at least:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register to work as a dental assistant in DC?
Yes.
No one may perform dental assistant duties in the District of Columbia without a registration issued by the Board of Dentistry, at Level I, II, or III.
Every applicant, regardless of level, must also pass the District of Columbia Dental Assistants Law Examination, a written test on the laws and rules governing dental assistant practice.
Confirm current application steps and fees with the DC Board of Dentistry.
Can a dental assistant take x-rays in DC?
Only a Level II or Level III dental assistant.
The rules make that assistant eligible to place or expose dental x-ray film after passing DANB's Radiation Health and Safety or Certified Dental Assistant exam, or completing a Board-approved 24-hour radiology training program.
Level I dental assistants are not listed as eligible for radiography.
Verify current course options with the DC Board of Dentistry.
Does the dentist have to be in the room while a dental assistant works?
The chapter's "direct supervision" standard, which governs nearly every delegated function, requires the supervising dentist to be in the dental office or treatment facility, personally diagnose the condition, personally authorize the procedure, remain in the office while it is performed, and personally evaluate the assistant's work before the patient is dismissed.
Confirm exactly what this requires in practice with the DC Board of Dentistry.
What can a dental assistant never do in DC?
The rules list procedures no dentist may delegate to a dental assistant at any level, including a preliminary examination, a complete prophylaxis, diagnostic screening for oral abnormalities, administering local anesthesia or nitrous oxide, taking final impressions, cementing permanent crowns or restorations, oral cancer screenings and tissue biopsy, and placing sutures, among other listed items.
Ask the DC Board of Dentistry before assuming an unlisted task is allowed.
How do I become a Level II or Level III dental assistant in DC?
Level II requires a high school diploma or GED, a dental radiography training course, and either a Board- or CODA-approved dental assisting program or a current DANB Certified Dental Assistant certification.
Level III adds a Board-approved hands-on course in the Level III functions and the DANB Certified Preventive Functions Dental Assistant certification.
Confirm current approved programs and courses with the DC Board of Dentistry.
Who regulates dental assistants in District of Columbia?
Dental Assistants in District of Columbia are regulated by the The DC Board of Dentistry.
The rules on this page come from the state's own statute and board rules as published on the dates shown; they change over time, so verify current requirements with the board before relying on them.
More District of Columbia & Dental Assistant Resources
Sourced from District of Columbia Municipal Regulations for Dental Assistants (Title 17, Chapter 90) (As of March 1, 2024). Verified September 2026. This page summarizes the state's own statute and board rules as published on the dates shown. It is general information, not legal advice, and rules change: confirm anything you intend to rely on with the state dental board before acting on it.