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Dental assistants are a crucial cog in the dental health fraternity. A typical dental assistant prepares and comforts patients for treatment, assists the dentist by handing materials and instruments, sterilizes and disinfects dental equipment, removes excessive fillings, sutures, handles radiography, analyzes dental x-rays, or takes mouth impressions and makes teeth casts and temporary crowns. Certain dental office management tasks like scheduling appointments, maintaining treatment records, keeping track of all paperwork etc. are also performed by dental assistants. In order to become a dental assistant you are required to pass the dental assistant exam conducted by a government regulatory body or any of the state approved dental assistant exams.

Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. commonly referred to as DANB is a regulatory body that conducts a certified dental assistant exam. Established in 1948, the DANB is a nonprofit organization responsible for credentialing dental assistants. The dental assistant exam administered by DANB is authorized by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. The dental assistant exam programs run by DANB have also been judged satisfactory by the National Organization for Competency Assurance. Supported and authenticated by all these prestigious Agencies, the DANB assures objective, valid and reliable dental assistant exam testing procedures.

About thirty American States recognize DANB as the regulatory body for conducting certified dental assistant exams. The institute offers certified courses for being qualified as Certified Dental Assistant CDA, Certified Orthodontic Assistant COA and Certified Dental Practice Management Administrator CDPMA. Apart from these courses and exams the DANB also administers courses and exams in Radiation Health and Safety RHS and Infection Control ICE. These courses and tests can be administered either on line all the year round in a computerized form or they can be taken three times a year in selective places in the written form. The course material and reference study guides are available on the official website of DANB. All the exams follow a multiple choice objective pattern.

In order to pass the dental assistant exam with flying colors, certain pointers are recommended whilst preparing for the exam. Good preparation with a properly phased out study plan will help in clarifying all technical issues and concepts. Pacing yourself so that you answer all the questions is very important. The speed allocated to the exam questions must not be so fast that you miss out on important clues and points, neither too slow that you are unable to finish the paper. Passing the dental assistant exam is a crucial step on your way to becoming a professional dental assistant.