Dental Assistant Requirements in Wyoming: Registration, X-Ray Rules & Allowed Duties
Wyoming does not create formal tiers or require state registration for the base ‘Dental Assistant’ title: a Wyoming-licensed dentist may employ and train assistants directly, or route them through an accredited or Board-approved program.
Chapter 7 sorts every delegated task into general, indirect, or direct supervision, covers a defined list of prohibited procedures, and offers two optional add-on permits — for exposing radiographs and for placing pit-and-fissure sealants — each with its own competency and biennial-renewal rules.
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At a glance
Entry-level assistant
Registration
Not required
In the state's rules
Credential levels
None defined
Verified September 2026
Regulated by
Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners
The Short Version
- Registration or licensure
- Chapter 7 sets out no application, exam, or state registration process for the base ‘Dental Assistant’ title; a Wyoming-licensed dentist may employ and train the assistant directly, or route them through an accredited or Board-approved program.
- Taking x-rays
- Any dental assistant may process radiographs and place and expose x-ray image receptors under general supervision with a dentist's order, and Chapter 7 separately creates an optional permit under Section 8 for exposing radiographic images, with its own competency and biennial-renewal rules.
Wyoming's single "Dental Assistant" role
Chapter 7 does not create formal tiers or titles for dental assistants.
A dentist holding a current Wyoming license may employ a person designated as a "Dental Assistant," trained either by the employer directly or through an accredited or Board-approved dental-assisting program.
The chapter names no expanded-function or other assistant title beyond the two optional permits covered below.
A dentist holding a current Wyoming license may employ persons designated as “Dental Assistants.” They may be trained by their employer or by an accredited or Board approved program for dental assistants.
Registration or licensing for dental assistants
Chapter 7 sets out no application, exam, or state registration process for the base "Dental Assistant" title; the dentist who employs the assistant is the one who holds a Wyoming license.
Training instead comes from the employer or from an accredited or Board-approved program.
Two narrower, optional permits exist for specific delegated tasks — exposing radiographs and placing pit-and-fissure sealants — each covered in its own section below.
General, indirect, and direct supervision, as used in Chapter 7
Section 7 sorts every dental-assistant duty under three headers — general supervision, indirect supervision, and direct supervision — with a separate duty list under each.
Chapter 7 uses these terms as category labels but does not itself define what general, indirect, or direct supervision require of the dentist's location or involvement; those definitions were not found in this chapter and may sit in the Board's Chapter 1 general provisions, which is outside this source.
(b) General Supervision. The following procedures require general supervision:
What a Wyoming dental assistant may do, by supervision level
Under general supervision, an assistant may take vital statistics and health histories, instruct patients, process radiographs, fabricate and cement temporary crowns, work with orthodontic wires, ties and separators, remove broken bands, brackets, wires and appliances in emergencies or for operative or prophylactic needs, and place and expose x-ray image receptors with a dentist's order.
Indirect supervision covers non-final impressions, applying topical medications other than sealants and silver diamine fluoride, mixing dental materials, and inserting dentist-adjusted arch wires.
Direct supervision covers suture removal, assisting in operative and surgical procedures, placing and removing rubber dams and matrices, removing excess cement, periodontal pack work, rubber-cup coronal polishing not for prophylaxis, whitening, orthodontic wire and appliance work, orthodontic impressions, removing bond attachments and bands, placing pit and fissure sealants, and treating diagnosed dry socket.
(d) Direct Supervision. The following procedures require direct supervision: (i) Remove sutures;
Taking x-rays, and the optional radiography permit
Any dental assistant may process radiographs and place and expose x-ray image receptors under general supervision with a dentist's order, as part of the base duty list.
Chapter 7 also creates a separate, optional permit to expose radiographic images: an applicant submits an application and fee and shows competency through a CODA-accredited course, a state-association course, an eight-hour curriculum covering nomenclature, machine operation, safety, and hands-on film-handling and documentation practice, or the DANB Radiation Health and Safety exam, completed within the year before applying, or through prior authorization to expose radiographs in another jurisdiction within the last five years.
The permit expires every second December 31, and a lapsed permit can be renewed for five years before the assistant must repeat a qualifying course.
An applicant may seek a permit to expose dental radiographs under the general supervision of a dentist, if the applicant demonstrates competency.
Procedures a Wyoming dental assistant may never perform
Chapter 7 bars a dental assistant from removing tooth structure, diagnosing for treatment, taking any final impression or delivering a permanent prosthesis, billing any procedure as a dental prophylaxis, and using a high-speed handpiece intraorally at all or a low-speed handpiece intraorally except for coronal polishing.
(iv) Any procedure billed as a dental prophylaxis; (v) Use high speed handpiece intraorally; or (vi) Use low speed handpiece intraorally, except for coronal polishing.
The optional pit-and-fissure-sealant permit
Placing pit and fissure sealants under direct supervision is itself a delegable duty, but Chapter 7 also creates a separate, optional sealant permit: an applicant completes a Board-approved course covering infection control, microbiology, chemistry, dental anatomy, sealant-related ethics and jurisprudence, plus supervised clinical instruction, then submits an application, fee, and a completed competency checklist within a year of finishing the course.
Like the radiography permit, it expires every second December 31 and can be late-renewed for up to five years before the assistant must repeat the course.
An applicant may apply for a pit and fissure sealant permit if the applicant has successfully completed a Board approved course which may include:
Continuing education
Chapter 7's Code of Ethics for dental hygienists and dental assistants lists maintaining professional competence through continuing education as one of eleven ethical duties.
The chapter states this as an ethical obligation and sets no specific number of CE hours or a renewal cycle for dental assistants.
Maintain professional competence through continuing education;
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register or get licensed to work as a dental assistant in Wyoming?
No. Chapter 7 creates no state registration, license, exam, or application process for the base "Dental Assistant" title.
A Wyoming-licensed dentist may simply employ and train an assistant directly, or route them through an accredited or Board-approved program.
Two narrower, optional permits exist for exposing radiographs and placing pit-and-fissure sealants, each with its own application.
Confirm current expectations with the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners.
Can a dental assistant take x-rays in Wyoming?
Yes.
Under general supervision, any dental assistant may process radiographs and place and expose x-ray image receptors with a dentist's order.
Wyoming also offers a separate, optional permit to expose radiographic images, earned through a CODA-accredited course, a state-association course, an eight-hour curriculum, or prior out-of-state authorization, and renewed every second year.
Confirm current course options with the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners.
Does the dentist have to be in the room while an assistant works in Wyoming?
It depends on the task.
Chapter 7 sorts duties into general, indirect, and direct supervision, but the chapter itself does not define what those three levels require of the dentist's location.
Ask the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners which tasks need the dentist present and what "general," "indirect," and "direct" supervision mean in practice before assuming a task can be delegated.
What can a dental assistant never do in Wyoming?
Chapter 7, Section 7(e) bars an assistant from removing tooth structure, diagnosing for treatment, taking any final impression or delivering a permanent prosthesis, billing a procedure as a dental prophylaxis, using a high-speed handpiece intraorally at all, or using a low-speed handpiece intraorally except for coronal polishing.
Confirm with the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners before assuming any other task is allowed.
How does an assistant get the pit-and-fissure-sealant permit in Wyoming?
Chapter 7, Section 9 lets an assistant apply for the permit after completing a Board-approved course covering infection control, microbiology, chemistry, dental anatomy, sealant-related ethics and jurisprudence, and supervised clinical instruction.
The application needs the fee and a completed competency checklist within a year of finishing the course.
The permit expires every second December 31.
Confirm current course providers with the Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners.
Who regulates dental assistants in Wyoming?
Dental Assistants in Wyoming are regulated by the Wyoming 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 Wyoming & Dental Assistant Resources
Sourced from Wyoming Administrative Rules — Dental Examiners, Board of — Chapter 7: Dental Auxiliaries (Effective Date: 05/29/2024 to Current (Reference Number: 034.0001.7.05292024)). 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.