From dental technician to dental chairside assistant
15 of the 36 essential skills of a dental chairside assistant are already essential for a dental technician — about 42% of the job, before you learn anything new.
These numbers compare two occupations, not you and a job. What you personally already cover depends on what you have actually done.
- 15
- skills carry over
- 21
- would be new
- 42%
- of the target job covered
- 36
- essential skills of a dental chairside assistant
What a dental chairside assistant does
Dental chairside assistants support dental practitioners in clinical treatments, as preparation and helping in practical execution and follow-up, and administrative tasks under supervision and following the orders of the dental practitioner.
What carries over
15 skillsEssential in both jobs. This is the part of the move you have already made.
- accept own accountability
- apply organisational techniques
- communicate in healthcare
- comply with legislation related to health care
- contribute to continuity of health care
- ensure safety of healthcare users
- follow clinical guidelines
- follow dentists' instructions
- listen actively
- manage infection control in the facility
- promote inclusion
- respond to changing situations in health care
- use e-health and mobile health technologies
- work in a multicultural environment in health care
- work in multidisciplinary health teams
What would be new
21 skillsEssential for a dental chairside assistant and not for a dental technician. Note that the taxonomy describes activities rather than tools, so some of these may be things you already do under a different name.
- apply context specific clinical competences
- assist the dentist during the dental treatment procedure
- deal with emergency care situations
- deal with patients' anxiety
- develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship
- educate on oral healthcare and disease prevention
- educate on the prevention of illness
- empathise with the healthcare user
- fabricate mouth models
- interact with healthcare users
- maintain dental station and operatory
- observe patient throughout dental treatment
- pass dental instruments
- perform dental charting
- perform dental radiographs
- prepare dental instruments for sterilization
- prepare materials for dental procedures
- prepare patients for dental treatment
- promote health and safety policies in health services
- provide dental administrative post-treatment patient services
- provide health education
Other moves from dental technician
2 roles- dental practitioner15 skills in common
- dental hygienist15 skills in common
← dental techniciandental chairside assistant →The other way round
No account needed to start
How far are you from being a dental chairside assistant?
MyNodes reads your CV once, maps it to this same taxonomy, and shows you which roles you are already closest to and the few skills that would open the most doors. The file is deleted as soon as it has been read.