Dental Assistant Requirements in New York: Registration, X-Ray Rules & Allowed Duties
New York requires certification to work as a registered dental assistant, the only assistant credential the law defines.
Certification under Education Law §6608-B takes an application, a fee, an age of at least eighteen, a high school diploma, and an approved course of study or a work-experience alternative, plus a passing exam.
Registered dental assistants may take x-rays, one of twenty listed supportive services performed under a licensed dentist's direct personal supervision, which requires the dentist to remain in the office and personally diagnose, authorize and evaluate the work.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Entry-level assistant
Registration
Required
Registered dental assistant
Credential levels
1
Verified September 2026
Regulated by
New York State Board for Dentistry
The Short Version
- Registration or licensure
- Only a person certified under Education Law §6608-B, or exempt, may practice registered dental assisting or use the title "registered dental assistant."
- Taking x-rays
- 8 NYCRR §61.13(b)(19) lists taking x-rays, in accordance with the requirements of section 3515(4)(c) of the Public Health Law, among the supportive services a registered dental assistant may perform, but neither source file quoted here reprints what Public Health Law §3515(4)(c) itself requires.
- Credential titles the state uses
- Registered dental assistant
The one dental assistant credential New York defines
Education Law §6608-A makes registered dental assisting and the title "registered dental assistant" both restricted: only a person certified under §6608-B, or exempt under §6608-C, may practice, and only a certified person may use the title.
Neither source file names any additional or expanded-function dental assistant tier.
Only a person certified under section sixty-six hundred eight-b of this article or exempt pursuant to section sixty-six hundred ten of this article shall practice registered dental assisting. Only a person certified pursuant to section sixty-six hundred eight-b of this article shall use the title "registered dental assistant".
Certifying as a registered dental assistant
To qualify for certification, Education Law §6608-B requires a filed application, a fee of $45 for initial certification and $50 per triennial registration period, an age of at least eighteen, and good moral character.
The education requirement is a high school diploma plus, per §61.11, an approved one-year dental-assisting course with at least 200 clinical hours, or an alternate department-approved course with at least 1,000 hours of relevant work experience. §61.12 requires passing a department-determined examination. §6608-D lets the department issue a one-year limited permit, renewable once at a $40 fee, to an applicant who meets all requirements for admission to that exam; practice under a limited permit must be under a licensed dentist's direct personal supervision.
Education and experience: (A) have received a high school diploma, or its equivalent, and (B) have successfully completed, in accordance with the commissioner's regulations, (i) an approved one-year course of study in dental assisting in a degree-granting institution or a board of cooperative educational services program which includes at least two hundred hours of clinical experience, or an equivalent approved course of study in dental assisting in a non-degree granting institution which shall not be a professional association or professional organization or (ii) an alternate course of study in dental assisting acceptable to the department which shall be provided by a degree-granting institution or a board of cooperative educational services program which includes at least one thousand hours of relevant work experience;
What "direct personal supervision" means
The practice of registered dental assisting must be performed under the direct personal supervision of a licensed dentist.
Both the statute and the Part 61 regulation define that term the same way: the supervising dentist gives the instructions, remains in the dental office where the supportive services are performed, personally diagnoses the condition and personally authorizes the procedures, and, before the patient is dismissed, evaluates the services the assistant performed and remains responsible for them.
Direct personal supervision, for purposes of this section, means supervision of dental procedures based on instructions given by a licensed dentist in the course of a procedure who remains in the dental office where the supportive services are being performed, personally diagnoses the condition to be treated, personally authorizes the procedures, and before dismissal of the patient, who remains the responsibility of the licensed dentist, evaluates the services performed by the registered dental assistant.
Supportive services a registered dental assistant may perform
Under a licensed dentist's direct personal supervision, 8 NYCRR §61.13(b) lists twenty supportive services a registered dental assistant may perform: patient education; taking preliminary medical histories and vital signs for the dentist to review; placing and removing rubber dams; selecting and prefitting provisional crowns and orthodontic bands; removing orthodontic arch wires and ligature ties; placing and removing matrix bands; taking impressions for study or diagnostic casts, space maintainers, orthodontic appliances and occlusal guards; removing periodontal dressings, sutures placed by a dentist, and temporary cement; applying topical anticariogenic agents, desensitizing agents and topical fluoride varnish; placing and removing temporary separating devices and temporary restorations; placing orthodontic ligatures; taking x-rays; and other supportive services the dentist authorizes that are not excluded under §61.13(c).
The practice of registered dental assisting shall include the following supportive services to a licensed dentist while under the direct personal supervision of the licensed dentist:
Taking x-rays
X-rays sit on the §61.13(b) list as a single delegable service: taking x-rays in accordance with the requirements of Public Health Law §3515(4)(c).
It is one of the twenty supportive services performed under direct personal supervision, and neither source file names a separate radiography permit, course or exam for a registered dental assistant beyond that cross-reference.
taking x-rays in accordance with the requirements of section 3515(4)(c) of the Public Health Law;
Services excluded from registered dental assisting
8 NYCRR §61.13(c) excludes diagnosing, performing surgical procedures, performing irreversible procedures, and performing procedures that would alter the hard or soft tissue of the oral and maxillofacial area.
It also excludes any dental supportive service reserved to dental hygienists under §61.9 unless expressly permitted in the §61.13(b) list, and any service a registered dental assistant would not reasonably be qualified to perform based on the §6608-B certification requirements or additional legally authorized experience.
Separately, Education Law §6608 excludes diagnosing, surgical procedures, irreversible procedures, or procedures altering hard or soft tissue of the oral and maxillofacial area from the practice of registered dental assisting.
The practice of registered dental assisting shall not include the following dental supportive services: 1 diagnosing; 2 performing surgical procedures; 3 performing irreversible procedures; 4 performing procedures that would alter the hard or soft tissue of the oral and maxillofacial area;
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register or get certified to work as a dental assistant in New York?
Yes.
Education Law §6608-A restricts both the practice of registered dental assisting and the title "registered dental assistant" to a person certified under §6608-B, or exempt under §6608-C.
Certification requires a filed application, a $45 initial fee, an age of at least eighteen, a high school diploma plus an approved dental-assisting course of study or work-experience alternative, a passing exam, and good moral character.
Confirm current forms and fees with the New York State Board for Dentistry.
Can a registered dental assistant take x-rays in New York?
Yes. 8 NYCRR §61.13(b)(19) lists taking x-rays, in accordance with the requirements of Public Health Law §3515(4)(c), among the supportive services a registered dental assistant may perform under a licensed dentist's direct personal supervision.
Neither source document quoted here reprints what Public Health Law §3515(4)(c) itself requires, so confirm any additional radiography training with the New York State Board for Dentistry.
Does the dentist have to be in the room while a registered dental assistant works?
The dentist has to remain in the dental office. "Direct personal supervision," the standard that governs registered dental assisting, requires the supervising dentist to remain in the dental office where the supportive services are performed, personally diagnose the condition and authorize the procedures, and evaluate the assistant's work before the patient is dismissed.
Verify the current definition with the New York State Board for Dentistry.
What can a registered dental assistant never do in New York?
8 NYCRR §61.13(c) excludes diagnosing, performing surgical or irreversible procedures, and performing procedures that alter the hard or soft tissue of the oral and maxillofacial area, along with services reserved to dental hygienists and anything the assistant is not reasonably qualified to perform based on their certification.
Education Law §6608 excludes the same diagnosing, surgical, irreversible and hard/soft-tissue procedures.
Ask the New York State Board for Dentistry before assuming an unlisted task is allowed.
Is there an expanded-function or advanced dental assistant credential in New York?
Not in these source documents.
Education Law §6608-A and 8 NYCRR §§61.11-61.14 define only one dental assistant credential, the registered dental assistant, with one certification path and one set of supportive services.
Neither file names an expanded-function tier, a separate radiography-only permit, or a sedation-monitoring credential for dental assistants.
Ask the New York State Board for Dentistry whether any additional authorization exists.
Who regulates dental assistants in New York?
Dental Assistants in New York are regulated by the New York State Board for 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 New York & Dental Assistant Resources
Sourced from Article 133, Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, and Registered Dental Assisting (Education Law) (unknown (current as posted with no effective date printed on the page)); Part 61, Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, and Registered Dental Assisting (Regulations of the Commissioner of Education) (unknown (current as posted with no effective date printed on the page)). 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.