Dental assistant: responsibilities, workplace requirements, job descriptions

In dentistry, the practice of working with four hands is the most popular and convenient format for interaction between a doctor and his assistant, therefore, in clinics engaged in this area, recruitment agencies try to recruit experienced and reliable employees not only for the position of doctors, but also for vacancies of junior medical staff. What are the responsibilities of a dental assistant, what does he do in the workplace, what rights does he have and what is the scope of his responsibility - comprehensive information in the article.

What kind of profession is a dental assistant?

A dental assistant is the right hand of any dentist. Without him, no clinic will be able to function normally, since he performs all the preparatory work in the doctor’s office, helps him at appointments, and maintains documentation. The remaining responsibilities of a dental assistant are determined by his immediate superiors - the doctor and the head of the clinic (department). Typically, these specialists provide paramedical care without interfering in the treatment process, but sometimes doctors delegate some of their own powers, instructing an assistant to perform an initial examination of the patient or carry out simple manipulations with him.

This profession is quite in demand in the labor market, because there are a lot of offices providing dental and oral cavity treatment services in our country. The responsibilities of a dental assistant in a private clinic may differ from those performed by a specialist in a budget organization. Firstly, because in each institution the doctor works with materials familiar to him and using a certain technology, and secondly, because doctors in private practice, as a rule, have more modern equipment, they modernize patient management protocols and respond faster to innovations in your field of activity.

Occupying the work area

Five reasons for the doctor and assistant to be in their work area:

both are comfortable working in the patient’s oral cavity;
convenient to transfer tools;
fatigue decreases;
the risk of occupational diseases caused by overstrain of the musculoskeletal system (diseases of the musculoskeletal system, peripheral nerves, blood vessels) is reduced;
the patient lies comfortably in a chair.

The doctor is located in the “8-12 o’clock” zone of the abstract dial (the conventional line from 12 to 6 o’clock runs from the head to the feet of the patient lying in the chair), which gives:

overview of the surgical field;
the ability to accept and give instruments to an assistant.

The assistant is located in the “2-5 o’clock” zone of the abstract dial, which gives:

the ability to take and give instruments to the doctor;
monitor the patient's condition.

The instrument transfer zone runs in the “5-8 o’clock” zone of the abstract dial, which allows you to:

ensure the safety of the patient and demonstrate to him the coherence of the actions of the doctor and the assistant.

The patient must be placed in a chair in such a way that it is convenient for the doctor and assistant to work and so that the patient himself is as comfortable as possible.

When finding a position in the dental chair that is comfortable for the patient, you need to:

check with the question “Are you comfortable?”;
ask if you want to put a pillow under your head;
suggest wearing sunglasses;
suggest treatment with a rubber band;
take into account data on the patient’s health (for example, the presence of somatic diseases with a chronic course - hypertension, vegetative-vascular dystonia, heart failure, bronchial asthma, etc., as well as pregnancy, old age, excess weight);
install the headrest taking into account the patient’s height and posture.

Typical shortcomings and errors in the aspect “Occupying the work area”

Assistant:

does not adjust the headrest of the chair for the patient’s comfort;
does not know how (does not consider it necessary) to place a headrest comfortably, taking into account the patient’s posture and height;
does not voice his actions in order to show a targeted attitude towards the patient: “Sergey Petrovich, allow me, I will adjust your headrest”;
does not ask the patient if he is comfortable.

Doctor:

he adjusts the headrest of the chair for the patient’s convenience (this is the assistant’s task);
does not ask the patient whether he is comfortable in the chair;
sets the chair tilt without taking into account the patient’s health data;
occupies the work area in the “10-14 o’clock” area of the abstract dial, thereby crowding out the assistant;
raises the chair high, without taking into account the convenience for the assistant, who has to work while standing.

Dental Assistant Education

In order to work as a dental assistant, you must have a secondary specialized medical education. At the same time, for some clinics it is important that the candidate graduate from any medical college with a specialty in “Nursing,” while others fundamentally require a diploma in the specialty “Preventive Dentistry.”

In addition to a diploma confirming a level of knowledge sufficient for work, the assistant must promptly obtain a state specialist certificate. Let us remind you that according to the law, employers and regulatory authorities do not have the right to demand this document from graduates of educational institutions if they completed their studies less than five years ago. A specialist certificate is not just another piece of paper, but a serious certification document that guarantees that a candidate for a vacant position in a clinic will be able to perform the duties of a dental assistant. The certificate confirms that the health worker has sufficient theoretical and practical skills.

Where to study to become a dentist

A higher education as a dentist can be obtained at a university. Suitable educational institutions:

Belgorod State National Research University;
Kazan State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation;
St. Petersburg State University;
Kuban State Medical University and others.

You can enter a university only after 11th grade. You need to take the Unified State Exam in the following subjects:

Russian language;
biology;
chemistry.

These are specialized subjects for any doctor, not just a dentist.

4-hand operation

In advertisements for dental assistant searches, the authors tend to often indicate that the candidate must have sufficient skills and qualifications to work with a doctor four-handed. What does this mean? The doctor is forced to perform all dental procedures quite quickly: many filling materials, as well as medications, must be removed from the packaging as soon as possible and used for their intended purpose. At the same time, it is important to follow the stages of work, not to confuse anything. Sometimes the work requires illuminating the area of dental reconstruction with a special lamp, which the doctor himself cannot do. Also, the doctor often needs a quick change of working tools, attachments on drills, mirrors, and forceps. It is to quickly perform all these tasks that a dental assistant is required. The assistant’s responsibilities are to always be within the doctor’s reach, quickly respond to his requests and know the sequence of his main actions in order to be able to predict the boss’s “order.”

If the tandem is successful, and the doctor and his assistant understand each other perfectly, then their productivity increases significantly. That’s why clinics encourage working with 4 hands. The duties of a dental assistant do not require a person to show excessive initiative; on the contrary, it is important that the assistant maintain business and personal subordination with the doctor, be diligent, attentive and responsible.

Actions of the dentist and assistant at the reception

What kind of profession is a dental assistant?

A dental assistant is the right hand of any dentist. Without him, no clinic can function normally, since he performs all the preparatory work in the doctor’s office, helps him at appointments, and maintains documentation.

The remaining responsibilities of a dental assistant are determined by his immediate superiors - the doctor and the head of the clinic (department).

Typically, these specialists provide paramedical care without interfering in the treatment process, but sometimes doctors delegate some of their own powers, instructing an assistant to perform an initial examination of the patient or carry out simple manipulations with him.

This profession is quite in demand in the labor market, because there are a lot of offices providing dental and oral cavity treatment services in our country. The responsibilities of a dental assistant in a private clinic may differ from those performed by a specialist in a budget organization.

Firstly, because in each institution the doctor works with materials familiar to him and using a certain technology, and secondly, because doctors in private practice, as a rule, have more modern equipment, they modernize patient management protocols and respond faster to innovations in your field of activity.

Dental Assistant Education

In addition to a diploma confirming a level of knowledge sufficient for work, the assistant must promptly obtain a state specialist certificate.

Let us remind you that according to the law, employers and regulatory authorities do not have the right to demand this document from graduates of educational institutions if they completed their studies less than five years ago.

A specialist certificate is not just another piece of paper, but a serious certification document that guarantees that a candidate for a vacant position in a clinic will be able to perform the duties of a dental assistant. The certificate confirms that the health worker has sufficient theoretical and practical skills.

General provisions

1.1. A dental assistant belongs to the nursing staff and is directly subordinate to [name of manager's position].

1.2. A dental assistant is appointed to the position and dismissed from it by order of [position name].

1.3. A person who has a secondary vocational education in the specialty “Nursing” and a specialist certificate in the specialty “Nursing” is accepted for the position of dental assistant, subject to advanced training in the “Nursing in Dentistry” program.

1.4. A dental assistant should know:

— laws and other regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation in the field of healthcare;

— theoretical foundations of nursing;

— the basics of organizing medical and preventive care in hospitals and outpatient clinics, ambulance and emergency medical care, disaster medicine services, sanitary and epidemiological services, the organizational and economic foundations of the activities of healthcare institutions and medical workers in the conditions of budgetary insurance medicine;

— basics of the diagnostic and treatment process, disease prevention, promotion of a healthy lifestyle;

— rules for the operation of medical instruments and equipment;

— regulatory documents regulating the activities of healthcare institutions;

— the main symptoms of the most common dental diseases and the principles of their treatment;

— medical preparations and dental materials;

— basics of disaster medicine;

— basics of health education;

— rules for maintaining accounting and reporting documentation of a structural unit, main types of medical documentation;

— medical ethics;

— psychology of professional communication;

— basics of labor legislation;

— internal labor regulations;

— rules of sanitary and personal hygiene;

— rules and regulations of labor protection, safety and fire protection.

4-hand operation

In advertisements for dental assistant searches, the authors tend to often indicate that the candidate must have sufficient skills and qualifications to work with a doctor four-handed.

What does this mean? The doctor is forced to perform all dental procedures quite quickly: many filling materials, as well as medications, must be removed from the packaging as soon as possible and used for their intended purpose. At the same time, it is important to follow the stages of work and not to confuse anything.

Sometimes the work requires illuminating the area of dental reconstruction with a special lamp, which the doctor himself cannot do. Also, the doctor often needs a quick change of working tools, attachments on drills, mirrors, and forceps. It is to quickly perform all these tasks that a dental assistant is required.

The assistant’s responsibilities are to always be within the doctor’s reach, quickly respond to his requests and know the sequence of his main actions in order to be able to predict the boss’s “order.”

If the tandem is successful, and the doctor and his assistant understand each other perfectly, then their productivity increases significantly. That’s why clinics encourage working with 4 hands.

The duties of a dental assistant do not require a person to show excessive initiative; on the contrary, it is important that the assistant maintain business and personal subordination with the doctor, be diligent, attentive and responsible.

The work of a nurse in dentistry - job responsibilities

Her duties are drawn up in careful accordance with the job description.

Responsibilities of a dental nurse in case of emergency

There should always be a first aid kit with emergency medications in the office. It is necessary for cuts, blood contact with the skin and mucous membranes. List of necessary drugs and materials:

Source: https://vita-dent.su/raznoe/dolzhnostnaya-instrukciya-assistenta-stomatologa-2.html

Dental Assistant Key Knowledge

The responsibilities of a dental assistant include knowledge of such important subjects as:

laws and regulatory documents of the Russian Federation related to and regulating the work of healthcare institutions;
principles according to which the provision of medical dental care is organized;
anatomical structure and functioning of the human dentofacial system, biomechanics of the masticatory apparatus;
theoretical training and practical skills in the treatment of basic dental diseases;
the basics of organizing dental care for adults and children for the purpose of disease prevention;
methods of preventing dental diseases and medications and other means by which preventive measures are carried out;
how professional and individual oral hygiene is maintained and performed;
methods of dental education of the population;
labor protection standards, sanitary rules, as well as industrial safety rules and fire safety rules;
Also, the assistant must comply with the internal labor regulations of the dental clinic or other dental medical institution in which he works.

Job Responsibilities of a Dental Assistant

The job description regulates the following responsibilities of a dental assistant:

preparation of the dental office and materials necessary for the work to receive patients;
mandatory compliance with sanitary and hygienic rules of the anti-epidemic regime, sterilization of equipment and instruments, rules for the storage and use of medications and equipment;
weekly thorough general cleaning of the office, including washing walls and all other surfaces with disinfectants. The day of general cleaning is appointed by management;
monitoring the cleanliness and order in the dental office;
carrying out disinfection, preliminary cleaning and sterilization of necessary instruments and dressings;
compliance with all doctor’s orders during patient visits;
assisting the doctor in the process of receiving patients, filling out medical documentation;
keeping records in the journals “Quality control of sterilizers” and “Quality control of preliminary pre-sterilization treatment”;
At the end of the working day, the assistant cleans up medications, processes instruments, and turns off dental equipment. After this, he records everything in special journals, turns off the lighting, and locks the office;
if any of the equipment does not work, makes an entry in the fault log located in the registry so that they can be corrected in a timely manner;
interaction with fellow employees of this medical institution;
meeting the patient near the reception desk, friendly greeting, accompanying the patient to the office;
monitoring the correctness of filling out medical documents (presence of signatures, patient filling out documents, etc.);
if necessary, providing first emergency aid to the patient;
control over the availability of consumables, registration of necessary requests;
Assisting administrators in calling patients with reminders about unfinished treatment and appointments.

Additional Responsibilities of a Dental Assistant

As you can see, the responsibilities of a dental assistant are quite varied and numerous. At the same time, the assistant bears part of the dentist’s responsibility for the patient’s health.

Also, he is responsible for the timely and correct performance of his job duties, which are usually listed in the job description. Such instructions are required in every medical institution.

The assistant must clearly organize his work, carry out orders and instructions efficiently.

In order to work as a dental assistant, you must graduate from a specialized college with a degree in Nursing. Such faculties are available in all Moscow medical colleges.

Source: https://medcollege5.ru/professii/obyazannosti-assistenta-stomatologa.html

General provisions

1.1. A dental assistant belongs to the nursing staff and is directly subordinate to [name of manager's position].

1.2. A dental assistant is appointed to the position and dismissed from it by order of [position name].

1.4. A dental assistant should know:

– laws and other regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation in the field of healthcare;

– theoretical foundations of nursing;

– the basics of organizing medical and preventive care in hospitals and outpatient clinics, ambulance and emergency medical care, disaster medicine services, sanitary and epidemiological services, the organizational and economic foundations of the activities of healthcare institutions and medical workers in the conditions of budgetary insurance medicine;

– basics of the diagnostic and treatment process, disease prevention, promotion of a healthy lifestyle;

– rules for the operation of medical instruments and equipment;

– regulatory documents regulating the activities of healthcare institutions;

– the main symptoms of the most common dental diseases and the principles of their treatment;

– medical preparations and dental materials;

– basics of disaster medicine;

– basics of health education;

– rules for maintaining accounting and reporting documentation of a structural unit, main types of medical documentation;

– medical ethics;

– psychology of professional communication;

– basics of labor legislation;

– internal labor regulations;

– rules of sanitary and personal hygiene;

– rules and regulations of labor protection, safety and fire protection.

Job responsibilities

The dental assistant is assigned the following job responsibilities:

2.1. Preparing dental equipment for work, monitoring the serviceability of the equipment and observing safety precautions when working with it.

2.2. Instrumental examination of teeth and pathological periodontal pockets, determination of the degree of tooth mobility, examination of soft and hard tissues of the maxillofacial area, determination of the intensity of inflammation of the oral mucosa.

2.3. Electroodontodiagnostics, collection and storage of biopsy material, preparation of filling and impression materials, oral hygiene, etc.

2.4. Teaching patients individual oral hygiene.

2.5. First aid for wounds and thermal damage to the maxillofacial area.

2.6. Conducting local and regional anesthesia.

2.7. Taking dental impressions.

2.8. Preparing patients for physiotherapeutic procedures, conducting simple physiotherapeutic procedures, monitoring the patient’s condition during the procedure.

2.9. Timely and high-quality maintenance of medical records.

2.10. Carrying out sanitary and educational work aimed at hygienic education of the population, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and preventing dental diseases.

2.11. If necessary, provide emergency first aid.

2.12. Assisting the doctor in the process of providing assistance.

2.13. Timely and high-quality maintenance of medical records.

2.14. [Other job responsibilities].

Rights

A dental assistant has the right:

3.1. For all social guarantees provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

3.2. To provide free special clothing, special shoes and other personal protective equipment.

3.3. Receive information about the activities of the organization necessary to perform functional duties from all departments directly or through the immediate superior.

3.4. Require the management of the organization to provide assistance in the performance of their professional duties and the exercise of rights.

3.5. Get acquainted with draft orders of management relating to its activities.

3.6. Take part in meetings where issues related to his work are discussed.

3.7. Require the creation of conditions for the performance of professional duties, including the provision of the necessary equipment, inventory, a workplace that complies with sanitary and hygienic rules and regulations, etc.

3.8. Improve your professional qualifications.

3.9. [Other rights provided for by the labor legislation of the Russian Federation].

Responsibility

The dental assistant is responsible for:

4.1. For non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of the duties provided for in these instructions - within the limits determined by the labor legislation of the Russian Federation.

4.2. For offenses committed in the course of carrying out their activities - within the limits determined by the current administrative, criminal and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

4.3. For causing material damage to the employer - within the limits determined by the current labor and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

The job description has been developed in accordance with [name, number and date of document].

Head of HR department

[initials, surname] [signature] [day, month, year]

Agreed:

[position] [initials, surname] [signature] [day, month, year]

I have read the instructions:

[initials, surname] [signature] [day, month, year]

Source: https://prom-nadzor.ru/content/dolzhnostnaya-instrukciya-assistenta-vracha-stomatologa

Peri-medical activities of a dental assistant

The range of responsibilities assigned to a dental assistant depends greatly on the doctor himself, as well as the services he provides. Thus, general practitioners who deal with surgical and therapeutic manipulations, prosthetics, orthodontics and orthopedics have more stringent requirements for assistants. The responsibilities of dental assistants also differ due to the fact that they may be involved in the treatment process to varying degrees. Paramedical care consists of performing the following types of work:

compliance with sanitary standards in the office, timely disinfection, weekly general cleaning (washing floors, walls, ceilings, windows, furniture and equipment);
preparing instruments for use, disinfecting them, sterilizing them;
cleaning the doctor’s workplace at the end of the working day, including disinfection of handpieces, turning off equipment;
keeping records of medications, consumables and dressings, issuing them to the doctor, monitoring expiration dates and leftovers;
maintaining documentation, registering patients, filling out various reporting forms, making entries in journals on cleaning, serviceability of equipment, sterilization of instruments.

And, of course, the main responsibilities of a dental assistant are to quickly carry out the doctor’s orders during work, meet patients at the reception desk and escort them to their chair.

Assistant with partial physician responsibilities

In many clinics, assistants are also responsible for conducting diagnostic procedures, which means they must be able to work with a visiograph and x-ray machine, using them to take targeted, intraoral and panoramic photographs.

If the assistant has a fairly good theoretical and practical knowledge base, the doctor can trust him to perform more complex tasks. In addition to all of the above, the following responsibilities will be assigned to his shoulders:

initial examination of the patient;
partial implementation of preventive, therapeutic and diagnostic procedures;
assistance in selecting filling material;
maintaining cleanliness in the patient’s mouth while the doctor is working (removing saliva, blood, rinsing the mouth).

Filling out the patient chart is also the responsibility of the dental assistant. What should he indicate there? The name of the patient, his address, date of birth and age, the amount of work the doctor did, his instructions.

Job Description for Dental Assistant

Each clinic develops its own job description for employees. According to this document, the nuances of the employees’ work are determined: rights, areas of responsibility, duties and requirements. A dental assistant is a serious position, so the instructions for him must include the following mandatory points:

General provisions (education, work experience, additional skills and abilities; clarification of the service hierarchy; legislative standards required in the work; the acting assistant is indicated in the event of his absence).
Job responsibilities - a list of tasks that the assistant will need to perform.
Employee rights.
The responsibility he bears to the clinic and patients.

The job description must be signed by both the head of the clinic and the subordinate. The document is marked with the date of its creation. In this case, one copy remains in the clinic, and the other is given to the dental assistant.

Features of the work of a nurse in various areas of dentistry

The job description defines the main responsibilities of a nurse in dentistry. However, specific functions are indicated by the management of the health care facility and immediate supervisors. The final list of tasks depends on which doctor’s appointment the staff is present at.

Features of the work of a nurse in dentistry with different specialists:

Therapy. Assists the doctor during endodontic treatment, prepares filling material under his supervision.
Surgery. The nurse provides care to patients with maxillofacial injuries after surgery and during the rehabilitation period. Prepares suture material, threads the needle when sutures need to be placed.
Orthopedics. Helps mix impression material and create dental impressions. Completes referrals to the dental laboratory and interacts with its staff to ensure timely receipt of prosthetic restorations.
Orthodontics. The nurse participates in diagnostic activities, prepares impression material, and issues referrals to the laboratory. Most of the responsibilities are similar to those in orthopedics.
Children's dentistry. Interacts with patients and their parents. Provides comfortable conditions for the child to stay and teaches oral hygiene.

Work schedule

The job responsibilities of a dental assistant can be roughly divided into two components. The first is precisely the workflow and its interaction with the doctor. In addition, the dental assistant must have time to put the office in order, order medications, instruments, consumables on time, disinfect and sterilize instruments. Fulfilling these duties cannot be at the expense of providing assistance to the physician when required.

An assistant, as a rule, comes to work before the doctor and leaves later than him - in order to have time to prepare the workplace before seeing patients and to always be in the doctor's support. Dentists usually work in shifts - before or after lunch. Assistants are also not in the clinic from dawn to dusk; their working day depends on the doctor’s schedule, but it is longer than that of their immediate superior.

Records management

The second component of the responsibilities of a dental assistant is maintaining reporting and current documentation. The assistant fills out patient charts (in paper or electronic form) and keeps various logs:

on safety precautions;
medication accounting;
cleaning;
disinfection and sterilization;
equipment serviceability.

Entries in these documents must be made in a timely manner; patient cards are filled out immediately - at the appointment.

Rights and responsibilities of a dental assistant

The rights of a dental assistant are not limited solely to the provisions of the labor legislation of the country in which he works - official employment, compliance with the work and rest regime, the availability of a social package, etc. They also relate to the purely professional employment of a specialist. The assistant must fully receive the information necessary for him to perform his duties, and he also has the right to demand management support to perform the functions assigned to him.

A dental assistant is a financially responsible person. Moreover, the medical assistant is responsible not only for the equipment, instruments and medications entrusted to him, but also for his own actions. If, due to his negligence, inattention or unprofessional actions, the health or life of the patient was harmed, he will be held accountable for this in court. In case of serious mistakes, the physician assistant may be fined, disqualified from working in his position, or imprisoned in a correctional facility.

Supply of tools and materials

The assistant gives the doctor: a carpule syringe with anesthetic, instruments, materials that are needed at this stage of treatment, a machine tip with a bur.

Rules for administering anesthetic:

the assistant hands over the carpule syringe, clearly naming the anesthetic,
the doctor intercepts the syringe,
the assistant removes the protective cap from the needle,
both partners verbally and non-verbally relax the patient.

Ten rules for filing instruments

Never pass instruments over the patient's head or face.
The assistant passes the instrument over the patient's chest so that he does not experience discomfort.
In the case of transferring a surgical instrument (for example, forceps for tooth extraction), it is allowed to transfer it behind the patient's head.
Always hand the instrument to the doctor with the working end towards the tooth being prepared so that the handle of the instrument is in the closest and most convenient position for gripping to the doctor’s leading hand.
Handle sharp instruments or instruments with two handles (forceps, scissors) carefully to avoid injury to the patient or doctor.
Avoid collision of the assistant's hands with the doctor's hands.
The required instrument must be placed in the hands of the doctor in such a way as to ensure interception and prevent the instrument from falling.
The instrument must be given and received in such a way that the doctor’s hand makes as little movement as possible.
Do not pick up the instrument if it has fallen to the floor.
If the instrument falls on the floor, then you should note to the patient that you will replace the instrument with a sterile one. Otherwise, the patient may view the instrument falling as a situation that prevents treatment from continuing properly.

Note. When the assistant puts the protective cap on the carpule needle after injecting the anesthetic, he needs to be as careful as possible and not rush, so as not to injure himself - a needle prick. Please remember that the needle can become infected.

Wage

The work of a dental assistant is assessed quite well. The highest salaries in this industry are, of course, noted in Moscow. In large dental clinics, assistants are paid from 60-75 thousand rubles per month, while those who work in smaller offices have to be content with 25-30 thousand rubles. There are a lot of open vacancies on labor exchanges, so a dental assistant can find a good job quite quickly. In the regions, things are not so rosy - there are much fewer places there, and salaries are an order of magnitude lower. The average level is 20-25 thousand, while some clinic assistants are willing to pay no more than 15 thousand rubles per month.