Unlicensed dental assistants are allowed to perform certain duties as stipulated by Minnesota Legislature regulations. These duties include:
- Retracting a patient’s cheek, tongue, or other parts of tissue during a procedure
- Assist with placement or removal of devices as directed by the dentist or dental therapist
- Remove debris or water during treatment using suction devices
- Assisting in placing articles and topical medication in a patient’s oral cavity under supervision of a dentist or dental therapist
In January 2022, the Minnesota Board of Dentistry approved unlicensed dental assistants to perform radiological services after meeting certain requirements, including completing a board approved course in dental radiology.
Learn more about our Dental Radiology certificate program
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics 2023 / Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.