Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants

NOC

33100

Dental assistants perform clerical functions and assist dentists and dental hygienists examine and treat patients. Dental laboratory assistants assist dental technologists and technicians in preparing dental devices.

Compare

View Snapshot

Full NOC Description

Dental assistants assist dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists during the examination and treatment of patients and perform clerical functions. Dental laboratory assistants assist dental technologists and technicians in preparing and fabricating dentures and other dental devices. Dental assistants work in dentists' offices, community health centres, clinics and in educational institutions. Dental laboratory assistants are employed in dental laboratories.

Main Duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Dental assistants

Prepare patients for dental examination and assist the dentist during examinations and dental treatments

Sterilize and maintain instruments and equipment

Prepare dental instruments, fillings compound and various dental materials

Take and develop X-rays

Polish teeth and clinical crowns and apply fluoride and sealant

Take preliminary impressions for diagnostic casts

Educate patients concerning oral hygiene

Perform clerical duties such as prepare invoices, process payments, schedule patient appointments, record dental procedures performed and order dental and office supplies

May perform intra-oral duties such as remove sutures, take and record vital signs, apply desensitizing agents, topical anaesthetic, anticariogenic agents and coronal whitening, fabricate, place, and remove temporary crowns and restorations, and apply and remove rubber dams

May also perform pulp vitality testing as well as periodontal screening and recording.

Dental laboratory assistants

Prepare plaster models and moulds from dental impressions

Prepare wax bite-blocks and impression trays

Cast gold or metal alloys for bridges and denture bases

Pack plastic material in moulds to form full or partial dentures

Mould wax over denture set-up to form full contours of artificial gums

Make orthodontic bands from gold, silver, stainless steel or other metals

Finish metal framework of dentures and polish and buff dentures to obtain natural finish.

Also Known As

ceramic denture moulder
certified dental assistant
certified intra-oral dental assistant
dental assistant
dental laboratory assistant

denture finisher

denture wax pattern former

orthodontic band maker

registered dental assistant

Requirements

Employment Requirements

Dental assistants require completion of an eight-month to one-year college or other program in dental assistance or completion of secondary school with on-the-job training

Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces except Quebec and Ontario.

Certification by the National Dental Assisting Examination Board is required to perform intra-oral duties in all provinces except in Quebec, where intra-oral duties are not performed by dental assistants.

Dental laboratory assistants usually require secondary school and up to two years of on-the-job training.

Provincial Regulation

Provincially Regulated: Yes

Regulation Body

New Brunswick Dental Assistants Association (NBDAA)

Employment by Sex

The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.

Data legend

96.5%

Female

3.5%

Male

Employment by age

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.

Data legend

20.7%

15-24

19.8%

25-34

20.7%

35-44

26.1%

45-54

9.0%

55-64

3.6%

65+

Employment by highest level of education

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.

Data legend

0.0%

No Certificate, Diploma or Degree

8.0%

High School, Diploma or Equivalent

6.3%

Apprenticeship or Trades Certificate or Diploma

80.4%

College or University Below Bachelor Level

5.4%

University - Bachelor Level or Above

Employment by Industry

The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.

Data legend

92.9%

Health care and social assistance

N/A

7.1%

All Other Industries

Employment by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.

Data legend

19.60%

Northeast

32.10%

Southeast

20.50%

Southwest

17.90%

Central

9.80%

Northwest

Economic Regions

The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.

Annual Average Salary by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the average salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Data legend

N/A

Northeast

$36,000

Southeast

$40,000

Southwest

$42,000

Central

N/A

Northwest

Economic Regions

Hourly Median Wages by Economic Regions

The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Salary

The following shows the average salary of everyone who worked full-time and year-round in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.

Employment Outlook

The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).

Occupational Profiles