Dental Assistant Requirements in Mississippi: Registration, X-Ray Rules & Allowed Duties
Mississippi does not require a license or registration for a dental assistant performing chairside duties; Regulation 13 places assistants under a dentist's direct supervision at all times, with no general-supervision option the way it gives some dental hygienists.
The only credential the Board issues to a dental auxiliary is a Radiology Permit, required before exposing any x-rays, earned through a CODA-accredited transcript, current DANB certification, or an eight-hour Board-approved seminar.
Regulation 13 also identifies specific procedures the Board has decided a dentist may never delegate to auxiliary personnel.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Entry-level assistant
Registration
Some levels
In the state's rules
Credential levels
None defined
Verified September 2026
Regulated by
Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners
The Short Version
- Registration or licensure
- Neither regulation names a license or registration process for a dental assistant performing chairside duties under direct supervision; the only Board-issued credential the source describes for a dental auxiliary is the Radiology Permit required to expose x-rays.
- Taking x-rays
- A dental auxiliary who wants to expose radiographs must obtain a Radiology Permit from the Board by application, fee, and qualifying education — a CODA-accredited hygiene or dental-assisting transcript, current DANB certification, or an eight-hour Board-approved radiology seminar with didactic, clinical and written-exam components completed within 90 days of applying — and the permit renews every two years.
Registration and the Radiology Permit
Regulation 13, which governs dental assistants' supervision and duties, names no license, registration, or certification process for a dental assistant performing chairside duties.
The only Board-issued credential the source describes for a dental auxiliary is the Radiology Permit under Regulation 25, required only for those who will expose radiographs.
Licensed dentists and hygienists, and dental, dental-hygiene, or dental-assisting students enrolled in a CODA-accredited program who are administering radiographs only as a function of that program, do not need the permit.
The following individuals are not required to obtain a radiology permit.
Direct supervision for dental assistants
The work of a dental assistant must be under the dentist's direct supervision at all times; Mississippi gives dental hygienists, not assistants, a path to work under general supervision, and a hygienist working under general supervision may not delegate or supervise any dental hygiene duties for a dental assistant.
Direct supervision requires the dentist to be physically present in the office or treatment facility, personally diagnose the condition and authorize the procedure, remain present while the auxiliary performs it, and evaluate the auxiliary's performance.
Direct Supervision of dental auxiliaries requires that a dentist be physically present in the dental office or treatment facility, personally diagnose the condition to be treated, authorize the procedures to be performed, remain in the dental office or treatment facility while the procedures are being performed by the auxiliary, and evaluate the performance of the dental auxiliary.
What Mississippi explicitly allows a dental assistant to do
Regulation 13 is written as a list of procedures the Board has decided a dentist may not delegate, rather than a list of what an assistant may do.
Within that list, the Board carves out two tasks it has determined do not require a dentist's professional judgment and may be delegated to a competent dental auxiliary: taking impressions for study models and opposing models, and constructing, adjusting, and cementing temporary crowns (crowns placed only while a permanent restoration is being made).
Placing, exposing, and processing radiographs is also delegable once the auxiliary holds the Board's Radiology Permit.
The Board has further determined that impressions for study models and opposing models, and the construction, adjustment, and cementation of temporary crowns (temporary means crowns placed while permanent restoration is being fabricated) do not require the professional judgment and skill of a dentist and may be delegated to competent dental auxiliary personnel in accordance with § 73-9-3.
Getting a Radiology Permit to take x-rays
Any dental auxiliary who wants to use ionizing radiation must obtain a Radiology Permit from the Board.
Qualifying education for the permit is an official transcript from a CODA-accredited dental-hygiene or dental-assisting program, current DANB certification, or an eight-hour Board-approved radiology seminar covering didactic and clinical instruction, evaluation on a full-mouth series of x-rays, and a written exam, completed within 90 days of applying.
Permits renew every two years, and letting an auxiliary expose radiographs without a permit is grounds for disciplinary action against the dentist.
Dental auxiliaries who desire to use ionizing radiation procedures in dentistry must obtain a radiology permit from the Board.
Procedures the Board says may never be delegated
Regulation 13 lists procedures the Board has determined require a dentist's professional judgment and may not be delegated to a dental assistant or other unlicensed auxiliary: periodontal screening, probing, or subgingival exploration; use of ultrasonic or sonic instruments; removal of calcareous deposits; impressions used to make or repair a restoration or appliance (as opposed to study models); placing, cementing, or final-torquing permanent crowns, bridges, dentures, or implant abutments; adjusting occlusion; activating or adjusting orthodontic appliances; injecting drugs, medications, or anesthetics (a specially certified hygienist may give local anesthesia under a dentist's direct, on-premises supervision); pulp capping, pulpotomy, and other endodontic therapy; intraoral restorative procedures; and placing subgingival medicated cords.
Pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. § 73-9-3, the removal of calcareous deposits with an instrument by anyone other than a licensed Mississippi dental hygienist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register or get licensed to work as a dental assistant in Mississippi?
No. Regulation 13, which governs dental assistants' supervision and duties, names no license, registration, or certification process for chairside assistant work performed under a dentist's direct supervision.
The only credential the source describes for a dental auxiliary is the Radiology Permit, required only if you will expose x-rays.
Confirm current requirements with the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners.
Can a dental assistant take x-rays in Mississippi?
Only with a Radiology Permit from the Board.
You can qualify with an official transcript from a CODA-accredited dental-hygiene or dental-assisting program, current DANB certification, or an eight-hour Board-approved radiology seminar covering didactic and clinical instruction, a full-mouth-series evaluation, and a written exam, completed within 90 days of applying.
Exposing radiographs without the permit is grounds for disciplinary action against the supervising dentist.
Verify current seminar options and fees with the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners.
Does the dentist have to be in the office while an assistant works?
Yes.
Regulation 13 places dental assistants under direct supervision, which requires the dentist to be physically present in the office or treatment facility, personally diagnose the condition and authorize the procedure, remain present while the auxiliary performs it, and evaluate the auxiliary's performance.
Mississippi does not give dental assistants the general-supervision option it gives some dental hygienists.
Confirm the current definition with the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners.
What can a dental assistant never do in Mississippi?
Regulation 13 lists procedures the Board says require a dentist's professional judgment: periodontal probing, ultrasonic or sonic scaling, removing calcareous deposits, impressions used for a final restoration or appliance, placing or cementing permanent crowns, bridges, or dentures, adjusting occlusion, activating orthodontic appliances, injecting anesthetics, endodontic therapy, intraoral restorative procedures, and placing subgingival medicated cords.
Ask the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners before assuming an unlisted task is allowed.
Can a dental assistant take impressions or place temporary crowns?
Yes, for two specific tasks.
Regulation 13 says impressions for study models and opposing models, and the construction, adjustment, and cementation of temporary crowns, don't require a dentist's professional judgment, so a dentist may delegate them to a competent dental auxiliary with no separate exam or credential named in the rule.
Impressions used to make or repair a permanent restoration or appliance remain off-limits.
Confirm what training your employer expects with the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners.
Who regulates dental assistants in Mississippi?
Dental Assistants in Mississippi are regulated by the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners.
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 Mississippi & Dental Assistant Resources
Sourced from Rule 1.13 Board Regulation Number 13 -- Supervision and Delegation of Duties to Auxiliary Personnel (Amended June 13, 2025 (Emergency Rule effective July 1, 2025)); Rule 1.25 Board Regulation Number 25 -- Radiology Permits (Amended October 27, 2023). 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.