To legally operate dental x-ray equipment and perform dental radiographic procedures in Florida, a dental assistant must meet the requirements shown below.

A dental assistant must have either of these qualifications:

1. Graduate from a Florida Board of Dentistry-approved dental assisting school or program, (Academy for Dental Assistants)

OR

2. Be state-certified as a dental radiographer by the Florida Department of Health (FDOH).

To obtain this certification as a dental assistant, one must achieve the following qualifications:

(a) Successfully complete at least three months of continuous on-the-job training in the exposing of radiographs under the direct supervision of a Florida-licensed dentist, AND

(b) Successfully complete a Florida Board-approved radiology course within 12 months of completing on-the-job training, (Academy for Dental Assistants)

AND

(c) Apply to the FDOH for certification.

* Dental Radiography Certification Application 

Dental assistants in the state of Florida must have formal training to perform the expanded functions listed in the Practice Act. To earn status to perform expanded functions, one must:

(1) Complete a course or program administered by or developed as part of the regular curriculum at a dental, dental hygiene, or dental assisting educational program accredited by CODA that provided training in the expanded function
OR
(2) Successfully complete a Florida Board-approved expanded duties training program (Academy for Dental Assistants)

Note: The DANB Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) certification was removed as a pathway to the Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) in Florida effective May 2009. Dental Assistants who were employed in Florida and had earned the CDA prior to the effective date of this rule change are “grandfathered in” and qualify as EFDAs in Florida. Contact the Florida Board of Dentistry for specific information about this rule change.

To monitor nitrous oxide inhalation analgesia, a dental assistant must:
(1) Complete a course of training of no less than two days as described in the American Dental Association’s “Guidelines for Teaching and Comprehensive Control of Pain and Anxiety in Dentistry” or equivalent,
AND
(2) Be certified in an American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or equivalent agency sponsored CPR course at the basic life support level, to include one man CPR, two man CPR, infant resuscitation, obstructed airway, and use of either an Automated External Defibrillator or a defibrillator and electrocardiograph, with a periodic update not to exceed two years.

Florida Board of Dentistry

Dental Radiographer Requirements

Florida Statutes

Section 466.024: Delegation of duties; expanded functions

Florida Administrative Code

Rule 64B5-9: Prescriptions for Dental Hygiene Services and Certification of Dental Radiographers

Rule 64B5-16: Remediable Tasks Delegable to Dental Hygienists and Dental Assistants

Florida Department of Health Board of Dentistry

Dental Radiography Certification Application