Dental Assistant Requirements in South Carolina: Registration, X-Ray Rules & Allowed Duties
South Carolina sets no license or registration requirement for a dental assistant; the Board of Dentistry instead approves specific procedures a dentist may delegate under direct, on-premises supervision.
Regulation 39-12 lists ten procedures for a dental assistant, including exposing radiographs after a Board-approved radiation safety course.
Regulation 39-13 defines an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant by education or two years of chairside experience and adds nine more procedures, including monitoring nitrous oxide anesthesia with a separate Board-approved course and certification.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Entry-level assistant
Registration
Not required
Dental assistant
Credential levels
2
Verified September 2026
Regulated by
South Carolina Board of Dentistry
The Short Version
- Registration or licensure
- The regulations set no license or registration requirement for a dental assistant or Expanded Duty Dental Assistant; Regulation 39-12 says no formal academic dental training is required for dental assistants, and the Expanded Duty Dental Assistant tier is defined by education or two years of chairside experience rather than a Board application or certificate.
- Taking x-rays
- A dental assistant may expose radiographs once they complete a Board-approved radiation safety course under Regulation 39-12(8), and Regulation 39-16 separately requires anyone who places and exposes radiographic film in a dental office to complete a structured radiation-safety training course that the employing dentist certifies to the Board.
- Credential titles the state uses
- Dental assistant · Expanded Duty Dental Assistant
The two dental assistant tiers South Carolina defines
The Board of Dentistry's regulations name two tiers: a dental assistant and an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant.
Regulation 39-12 says no formal academic dental training is required to work as a dental assistant.
Regulation 39-13 defines an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant as a graduate of an American Dental Association accredited dental assisting program, or someone who has completed two years of continuous full-time employment as a chairside dental assistant.
Both tiers work under a dentist's direct, on-premises supervision, and the Expanded Duty Dental Assistant list builds on the base dental assistant list.
An Expanded Duty Dental Assistant is a dental assistant who is a graduate of an American Dental Association accredited dental assisting program, or one who has completed two (2) years of continuous full-time employment as a chairside dental assistant.
What direct supervision means for a dental assistant
Both procedure lists must be performed under the direct supervision of a dentist present on the premises and licensed in South Carolina.
Regulation 39-12 says this for the dental assistant list and Regulation 39-13 repeats it for the Expanded Duty Dental Assistant list, but the chapter does not print a further definition of 'direct supervision' for chairside assistant work beyond requiring the dentist's on-premises presence and license.
These procedures must be performed under the direct supervision of a dentist present on the premises and licensed in South Carolina.
Procedures a dental assistant and Expanded Duty Dental Assistant may perform
Regulation 39-12 lists ten procedures a dental assistant may perform under a dentist's direct supervision: assisting in basic supportive chairside procedures, charting, applying topical drugs as prescribed, placing and removing rubber dam, matrix, and orthodontic ligatures, taking and recording vital signs, exposing radiographs after a Board-approved radiation safety course, placing and removing periodontal packs, and removing sutures.
Regulation 39-13 adds nine more procedures for an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant, including taking impressions for study models, placing and removing socket dressing, placing gingival retraction cord, placing temporary restorations, cementing temporary crowns or bridges, removing excess cement, polishing restorations and supra-gingival tooth structure, applying pit and fissure sealant, and monitoring nitrous oxide anesthesia after a Board-approved course and certification.
(1) Assist in basic supportive chairside procedures. (2) Chart existing restorations, clinically missing teeth, and appliances within the oral cavity. (3) Apply topical drugs as prescribed by the dentist. (4) Place and remove rubber dam. (5) Place and remove matrix. (6) Place and remove orthodontic ligatures. (7) Take and record vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, respiration, etc.). (8) Expose radiographs upon completion of a Board approved radiation safety course. (9) Place and remove periodontal packs. (10) Remove sutures.
Taking x-rays as a dental assistant
Exposing radiographs is the eighth item on the Regulation 39-12 procedure list, available once the assistant completes a Board-approved radiation safety course.
Regulation 39-16 separately requires that, as of July 1, 1985, all personnel in a dental office who place and expose radiographic films complete a structured course of training in radiation safety, and requires the employing dentist to certify to the Board that any such employee has completed that training.
On or after July 1, 1985, all personnel in a dental office who place and expose radiographic films shall have successfully completed a structured course of training in radiation safety.
Monitoring nitrous oxide
Monitoring nitrous oxide anesthesia is the ninth item on the Expanded Duty Dental Assistant procedure list, available once the assistant completes a Board-approved course and receives certification by the Board.
The base dental assistant procedure list in Regulation 39-12 does not include nitrous oxide monitoring; it appears only under the Expanded Duty Dental Assistant tier.
Monitor nitrous oxide anesthesia upon completion of a Board approved course and certification by the Board.
Infection-control training for auxiliary staff
The chapter's continuing education schedule for relicensure targets dentists, dental hygienists and dental technicians, not dental assistants.
It does, however, place a training duty on the dentist: dentists must require and provide auxiliary staff who may be exposed to blood and other body fluids with one hour of continuing education on sterilization and infection control every two years, and keep records of that training.
It is the responsibility of all dentists to ensure that their auxiliary staff who may be exposed to blood and other body fluids require and provide one (1) hour biennially of continuing education on sterilization and infection control and maintain records of such training.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register or get a license to work as a dental assistant in South Carolina?
No. Regulation 39-12 says no formal academic dental training is required for a dental assistant, and neither the base tier nor the Expanded Duty Dental Assistant tier defined in Regulation 39-13 involves an application, exam, or credential issued by the Board of Dentistry.
An Expanded Duty Dental Assistant qualifies through graduation from an ADA-accredited dental assisting program or two years of continuous full-time chairside employment.
Confirm current expectations with the Board of Dentistry.
Can a dental assistant take x-rays in South Carolina?
Yes.
Exposing radiographs is the eighth item on the Regulation 39-12 procedure list, available once the assistant completes a Board-approved radiation safety course.
Regulation 39-16 separately requires anyone in a dental office who places and exposes radiographic film to complete a structured radiation safety training course, and requires the employing dentist to certify to the Board that the training was completed.
Verify current course options with the Board of Dentistry.
Does the dentist have to be in the building while a dental assistant works?
Yes.
Both the dental assistant procedure list in Regulation 39-12 and the Expanded Duty Dental Assistant list in Regulation 39-13 must be performed under the direct supervision of a dentist present on the premises and licensed in South Carolina.
The regulations do not spell out further detail about what 'on the premises' requires beyond that language.
Ask the Board of Dentistry how it applies on-premises supervision in a specific practice setting.
What can't a dental assistant do in South Carolina?
The regulations do not print a separate list of prohibited acts for dental assistants.
Instead, Regulation 39-12 and Regulation 39-13 approve specific procedures a dentist may delegate to each tier, and a task outside those two lists is not a Board-approved delegation.
Ask the Board of Dentistry before assuming a duty not named in either list can be assigned to a dental assistant.
How does an assistant become an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant in South Carolina?
Regulation 39-13 defines an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant as a dental assistant who has graduated from an American Dental Association accredited dental assisting program, or who has completed two years of continuous full-time employment as a chairside dental assistant.
That status adds nine procedures to the base dental assistant list, including monitoring nitrous oxide anesthesia after a Board-approved course and certification by the Board.
Confirm current documentation expectations with the Board of Dentistry.
Who regulates dental assistants in South Carolina?
Dental Assistants in South Carolina are regulated by the South Carolina 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 South Carolina & Dental Assistant Resources
Sourced from South Carolina Code of Regulations, Chapter 39 - Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, State Board of Dentistry (Base regulations effective December 29 1976; individual sections carry their own later effective dates, for example Regulation 39-13 amended effective June 27 1997). 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.