Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.

08/21/2026

Dental assistants: 100% essential ✅

08/19/2026

👀 Have dental assisting requirements changed in your state?

To keep you in the loop, DANB closely monitors dental assisting regulations in all 50 states throughout the year. Our Fall 2026 State of the States report walks you through changes in 17 different states from April-June of this year:

📍 ALABAMA: Allows dental assistants to perform coronal polishing and place sealants
📍 CONNECTICUT: Dentists no longer need to be on-site while dental assistants take x-rays
📍 FLORIDA: Dental assistants can now polish clinical crowns with a rotary instrument if a hygienist is in the office, as well as remove implant hybrid prosthetic dentures and other tasks related to implant restorations
📍 IOWA: Removed the requirement for dental assistants to be registered
📍 KENTUCKY: Allows dental assistants to use a cordless polisher and rubber cap on a slow-speed handpiece
📍 MAINE: Classified dental assistants as “health care practitioners” who are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect
📍 MARYLAND: Requires criminal history checks for dental assistants seeking or renewing licenses or certificates
📍 MICHIGAN: Dental therapists can delegate functions to dental assistants; unlicensed assistants need an additional hour of infection control training; dental assistants can now measure blood glucose
📍 NEVADA: Approved changes to its EFDA requirements and scope of practice
📍 NEW MEXICO: Expanded the pathways to earn radiography certification, including passing DANB’s RHS exam or an approved course
📍 NORTH DAKOTA: RDAs can now take final impressions, hold a curing light, and use an air polisher; unregistered dental assistants enrolled in a qualified dental assistant program can perform the duties of a qualified dental assistant under the direct supervision of a dentist
📍 OKLAHOMA: Allows dental assistants to assist hygienists with certain procedures under general supervision
📍 SOUTH CAROLINA: Dental assistants can perform oral screenings in school and public health settings
📍 UTAH: Creates expanded function certifications for placing direct restorations and removing coronal dental adhesive
📍 VIRGINIA: Allows dental assistants who meet requirements to perform supragingival scaling and coronal polishing
📍 WASHINGTON: Allows dental assistants to apply silver diamine fluoride to children in school programs
📍 WEST VIRGINIA: Permits the use of dental retraction materials other than a packing cord for crown impressions

Click the link in the comments to view the full report! 🌎

08/19/2026

🚨 We are excited to announce the recipients of this year's DANB/DALE Foundation Scholarship!

🦷 Kassidy Hunt
🦷 Maria Cordova
🦷 Alexandra Maynard
🦷 Morgan Heavisides
🦷 Henry Johnson
🦷 Alyssa Cain
🦷 Maria Lounder
🦷 Brittany Doud
🦷 Chelsea Martin
🦷 Alexis Dwyer
🦷 Karly Elledge
🦷 Randi Moss
🦷 Ashley Philbrick
🦷 Triana Snyder

The scholarship supports aspiring and early-career dental assistants, providing funds that enable them to enter into and grow within the dental assisting profession.

Please join us in congratulating all the recipients! 👏🥳

08/14/2026

Dental assistants make the difficult look effortless. 😎

08/13/2026

🔮 What does the future hold for dental assisting?

Stephanie shares what has her excited as she looks ahead. Share your answer in the comments! 👇

08/13/2026

08/12/2026

📈 60% of dental practices that using AI are using it for radiography.

We talked to dental assistants who are using AI every day to learn how they've implemented it, how it's helped them interpret dental x-rays, and how it's changing their work.

Read the full conversation at the link in the comments. 👇

08/07/2026

🔎 Dental assistants notice the little details — and it's what makes them so important to their practice and patients.

What are some little details you look for to determine how a patient is feeling? Tell us in the comments! 👇

08/07/2026

Some aspects of dental assisting are easier than others. What skill took you the longest to master?

Add your answer in the comments!

08/05/2026

🌟 What's the secret to helping dental assistants thrive?

States with clearly defined career ladder can make all the difference in dental assistants' careers — giving them opportunities for advancement, higher pay, better job satisfaction, and more. 🪜

We talked with dental assistants in three states to learn more about the difference a strong career ladder has made in their careers.

Click the link in the comments to read the story.