Dental Assisting National Board (DANB)

National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA)

Credential: National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA)
Credentialing Agency: Dental Assisting National Board (DANB)

Renewal Period: 1 year

The Dental Assisting National Board (DANB), National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA) certification is for individuals who do not yet qualify for DANB’s Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) certification. To earn the NELDA certification, candidates must meet one of the eligibility requirement pathways, possess current Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS) or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) from a DANB-accepted provider, and pass a three-part written exam.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA)

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

 

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

  • Credential Prerequisite
  • Experience: 300 hours
  • Education: High School Diploma/GED
  • Training
  • Membership
  • Other
  • Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for becoming eligible. Listed are the minimum requirements based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

  • Exam
  • Written Exam
  • Oral Exam
  • Practical Exam
  • Performance Assessment

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 1 year

  • Continuing Education
  • Exam
  • Continuing Education OR Exam
  • Fee
  • Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

Dental Assisting National Board (DANB)

444 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite 900
Chicago, IL  60611

Phone: (800) 367-3262

Fax: (312) 642-8507
Contact Page

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Pathway 1:

  • Candidates must be a graduate from a dental assisting program located within a post-secondary institution that is accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education but is not Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)-accredited.
  • Candidates must be a high school graduate or equivalent.

Pathway 2:

  • Candidates must have graduated from a U.S. Department of Labor Job Corps dental assisting program.

Pathway 3:

  • Candidates must have successfully completed a dental assisting program located within a high school that is recognized in the U.S. education system.

Pathway 4:

  • Candidates must be a high school graduate or equivalent.
  • Candidates must have a minimum of 300 and up to a maximum of 3,000 hours work experience as a dental assistant, accrued over a period of at least two months and no more than three years; employment must be verified by a licensed dentist.

The National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA) credential has the following other requirements:

  • Candidates must possess current Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS) or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) from a DANB-accepted provider; must be current at the date of application and exam.
Show Written Exam Requirements / Hide Written Exam Requirements

  • Head, Neck and Oral Cavity (40%)
    • Anatomy and pathology of hard and soft tissue
    • Circulatory and lymphatic system
    • Landmarks (e.g., radiographic, bony, soft tissue)
    • Muscular/skeletal system
    • Nervous System
    • Oral cavity anatomy
    • Salivary glands
    • Sinuses
  • Tooth Anatomy, Morphology and Physiology (60%)
    • Classification of occlusion
    • Hard and soft tissue anomalies
    • Permanent tooth anatomy and morphology
    • Primary tooth anatomy and morphology
    • Tooth anomalies
    • Tooth numbering systems, including Universal and Palmer systems

  • Standard Precautions and the Prevention of Disease Transmission (20%)
  • Prevention of Cross-contamination during Procedures (34%)
  • Instrument/Device Processing (26%)
  • Occupational Safety/Administrative Protocols (20%)

  • Expose and Evaluate (26%)
  • Quality Assurance and Radiology Regulations (21%)
  • Radiation Safety for Patients and Operators (31%)
  • Infection Control (22%)

Exam Preparation Resources

There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA) examination:

RECERTIFICATION

National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA)

Renewal Period: 1 year

The National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA) credential has the following recertification information:

  • The NELDA certification is renewed every year by earning Continuing Dental Education (CDE) credits, possessing current Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS) or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) from a DANB-accepted provider, and paying a renewal fee. The NELDA certification can be renewed for up to four years.

    Additional information can be found on the DANB website.

Additional considerations for the National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA) include:

  • Dental assisting requirements, job titles and allowable functions vary from state to state. Comprehensive information on each state’s requirements for dental assistants is available on the DANB website.

In Demand

This certification is considered in demand

COOL Bucks

See your installation Education Service Officer for credential exam information and coordinating instructions.

COOL Summary

Click to go to the COOL Summary page for this MOC.

Some

Credential is related to some tasks associated with the duties of the military occupation (at least one critical task but less than 80%)

Most

Credential is directly related to most of the major duties associated with the military occupation (at least 80%)

Other

Credential is related to this military occupation, but is more advanced or specialized and therefore will likely require additional education, training, or experience

Promotion Points

This certification has been approved for promotion points.

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Star

Star credentials are MOS enhancing, as designated by the Proponent. MOS enhancing credentials are directly related to an MOS or ASI, are taught either partially or completely as part of a Program of Instruction (POI), and improves the MOS technical proficiency.

Skill Level

The Skill Level reflects the level, based on MOS training and/or experience, the Soldier should be the most prepared to successfully earn the credential. See the Table Legend for details about each level.

Proponent Funded

Indicates the credential may have funding through the MOS proponent. Some proponents offer credentialing opportunities in conjunction with military training and/or as part of MOS development beyond the training base.

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Navy Bucks

Credential voucher or reimbursement for credential exam, re-certification, or maintenance fee has been approved for payment through the Navy's Credential Program Office. To get a voucher request form, click 'Complete Voucher and Apply' at the top of any page.

CG Bucks

Coming Soon - Coast Guard policy regarding service member eligibility requirements to participate in the Voluntary Credentialing Program is under review with a projected release date of first quarter FY20.

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted E1 through E4

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E5 through E6

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E7 and Above

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted “A” School through E5

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E6 through E7

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E8 and Above

LaDR

This credential is recommended on the rating Learning and Development Roadmap (LaDR) for Sailors currently in the pay grade indicated on the icon, BUT MAY BE TAKEN BY SAILORS IN OTHER PAY GRADES.

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GI Bill®

Reimbursement for exam fees has been approved for payment through the GI Bill. Click for external link to GI Bill licensing and certification information.

Note: GI Bill approval data is updated quarterly. For the latest information, visit the WEAMS Licenses/Certifications Search page. Make sure to select "Both" in the LAC Category Type drop-down before searching.

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ANSI

This credential has been accredited by ANSI. Click for external link to the ANSI web site.

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ICAC

This credential has been accredited by ICAC. Click for external link to the ICAC web site.

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ABSNC

This credential has been accredited by ABSNC. Click for external link to the ABSNC web site.

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NCCA

This credentialing program has been accredited by NCCA. Click for external link to the NCCA web site.

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IAS

This credential has been accredited by IAS. Click for external link to the IAS web site.

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Low

May be difficult to attain: minimum education requirement is a Bachelor's degree, and/or minimum experience is 10 or more years.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

Medium

Moderate ease of attainment: minimum education requirement = Associate's and/or prerequisite and/or minimum experience = more than 2 years and less than 10 years of experience.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

High

Highly attainable: mimum education requirement = HS or less and/or minimum experience = 2 years or less experience and no additional requirements.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

MOS is Military Occupational Specialty
ASI is Additional Skill Identifier
WOMOS is Warrant Officer Military Occupational Specialty

Army e-learning

State-of-the art Computer Based Training available for free to the Army Workforce. Click for more information.

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NKO e-learning

Credential preparation courses are provided at no cost through Navy e-Learning. Click for external link to the Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) web site, then select the “Navy e-Learning” link within the “Learning” tab to proceed to Navy e-Learning.

Bright Outlook – new job opportunities are very likely in the future for this job
Registered Apprenticeship
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Dental Assistants
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Dental Assistants
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Dental Hygienists
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Dental Hygienists
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Dental Laboratory Technicians
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Dental Laboratory Technicians
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Medical Assistants
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Medical Assistants
This is an official U.S. Navy website
Updated: October 16, 2019
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