Dental Assistants
Dental Assistant Lists
Applications
Community College Testing Sites
Continuing Education
Expanded Functions Training
Community College Program List
Frequently Asked Questions
dental assistant lists
The following files contain a list of all dental assistants who are registered to engage in the practice of dental assisting during the 2007 - 2009 biennium. If your name does not appear on this list, then you are not registered with the Iowa Dental Board, or your registration was issued after the list was last updated. If you are uncertain, please check with the board office.
Being DANB (Dental Assisting National Board) certified, does not authorize you to engage in the practice of dental assisting in Iowa. You must make application and pay fees to become registered. Simply passing the exams does not allow you to legally work in Iowa.
To legally engage in the practice of dental assisting in Iowa, you must either be registered or be placed on dental assistant trainee status by the Iowa Dental Board.
Dental assistant trainees are individuals who are engaging in on-the-job training to meet the requirements for registration and who are learning the necessary skills under the personal supervision of a licensed dentist. If you are working on trainee status you will have verification from the Board office reflecting this.
Dental assistant trainee status is valid for practice for a maximum of twelve months. If trainee status has expired, the trainee must meet the requirements for registration and receive a certificate of registration in order to practice as a dental assistant. Otherwise, you must cease and desist from the practice of dental assisting, which includes performing any infection control duties.
Dental assistants should possess proof from the board office that they are either registered, or that they are working on trainee status. This information should be available at all practice locations.
Please note, recent changes in Iowa Administrative Code 650 have extended the expiration date of all licenses, permits, and registrations to August 31 of the year in which they expire.
This list is current as of: 5/01/2008
This listing of dental assistants only includes those dental assistants who have completed the renewal process as of the date listed above. Names of individuals whose renewals were processed after this date are not included on the list. If you need to verify the registration of a dental assistant not listed, please contact the board office for verbal verification.
Please keep in mind that these lists are only accurate up to the time the lists were updated. If you submitted an application for registration or reinstatement to the Board office and your name does not appear on the list, it may have been processed after the list was last updated. If this is the case, please check with the Board office to verify that the Board has issued registration or reinstatement.
The lists do not include the names of registrants who renewed on inactive status. These individuals, while currently registered, are ineligible to work as dental assistants until they reinstate to active status. For more information, please contact the Board office.
*these lists are in .pdf, and requires Adobe Reader to view.
applications
You can find all of the applications for dental assistants here.
community college testing sites
You can find a list of the community college testing sites here.
continuing education
The registration of all dental assistants expires on August 31 of each odd-numbered year. Renewal applications are mailed to all current dental assistants approximately 60 days prior to expiration. To successfully renew registration, all dental assistants must complete the following:
- Submit a timely and complete application for renewal (prior to the August 31 expiration date);
- Pay the required renewal fee;
- Provide proof of current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR);
- Provide evidence of obtaining training in the identification and reporting of child (if your practice treats children) and/or dependent adult abuse (if your practice treats adults) within the last five years; and
- Obtain 20 credit hours of continuing education, unless you successfully completed the examinations for registration in the current biennium. Two hours need to cover the subject area of infection control. You also need to complete a minimum of two hours in the area of dental radiography if you wish to renew your qualification in dental radiography. Please note that jurisprudence continuing education is no longer required.
At renewal, all dental assistants must submit proof of current certification in CPR by a nationally recognized provider (i.e. American Heart Association, Red Cross). The Board only requires certification in basic CPR; the Board does not require dental assistants to complete “health care provider” certification. However, the Board has prohibited CPR certification from online or other homestudy courses. The Board suggests that you schedule CPR recertification classes well in advance of the expiration date of your dental assistant registration. This may prevent possible delays when you renew your registration. If you do not have a copy of your CPR card at the time of renewal, the Board will accept a letter from the sponsor stating that you have successfully completed the training. Registrants may claim up to three hours of continuing education per renewal period for CPR training.
Training in the identification and reporting of child and/or dependent adult abuse is also mandatory for all dental assistants who practice in the state of Iowa. The Department of Human Services requires all health care professionals to complete training prior to the first renewal, and a minimum of once every five years thereafter. Be aware, however, the training must specifically address how to report incidents of abuse to Iowa authorities. If you treat children and adults in your practice, you must complete training for both children and adults. This may require you to take two courses. However, some sponsors do offer combined training; if you have questions, please check with the sponsor to verify what the course will cover. You may claim continuing education credit for these classes; however, you can only claim credit for these courses once in a given two-year renewal period.
Continuing education courses taken between July 1, 2007, and August 31, 2009, are eligible for credit at the time of renewal in 2009. You cannot count credit for any courses completed before or after these dates. The Board requires 20 credit hours of continuing education at the time of renewal, unless you qualify for exemption. A minimum of two hours must cover the subject area of infection control. If you have a qualification in dental radiography, you must also complete a minimum of two hours continuing education in the area of dental radiography. You can also count up to three hours of continuing education for courses taken to maintain certification in CPR. Mandatory abuse identification and reporting training can also be counted for continuing education credit. You can count up to 12 hours for all home study courses completed as long as those courses meet requirements for credit as described in IAC 650 – Chapter 25. Any hours beyond the 20-hour renewal requirement cannot be carried over to succeeding renewals.
All courses must meet continuing education guidelines as defined in IAC 650 – Chapter 25 of the board rules. A general guideline is that courses should pertain to clinical practice. If you would like more detailed information about continuing education requirements, you can find it here: http://www.dentalboard.iowa.gov/con_ed.html.
Those dental assistants who successfully completed the infection control and jurisprudence examinations and were issued a registration by the Board between September 1, 2007, and August 31, 2009, are exempt from the continuing education requirements for their first renewal in 2009. Although these assistants are not required to obtain the full 20 hours of continuing education, they will still be required to submit a timely renewal, pay the required fees, show proof of current certification in CPR and provide information that they completed the child/dependent adult abuse training to renew their registration. These dental assistants will also be required to obtain 20 full hours of continuing education between September 1, 2009, and August 31, 2011, to renew in 2011. If you are unsure about a possible exemption for continuing education requirements, please contact the Board as soon as possible.
If you are having difficulty locating classes for continuing education, there is a list of pre-approved sponsors on the board web site; the list can be found here: http://www.dentalboard.iowa.gov/Approved.htm. This list includes both local and national sponsors. Remember, all classes taken, even those offered by approved sponsors, must meet the criteria set forth in Chapter 25 of Board rules. If you have a question about a whether or not a course is approved for credit, you should contact the course sponsor.
The board strongly recommends that every dental assistant keep a file of continuing education courses attended. This file should contain any certificates of attendance or other evidence of completing a continuing education course. Certificates of attendance should be retained for four years after completion of a course. Please note, the Board office, does not keep records for individuals. Board staff cannot tell you when you took a course, or how many hours of credit you received for completing a course. Contact the course sponsor for this information. It is important that you maintain your continuing education proof of attendance because the board randomly selects registrants for audit. If the Board selects you for audit, you will need to submit proof of attendance for all continuing education courses taken during the current biennium.
Finally, all dental assistants should remember to notify the Board office of any changes of address or name. You should submit all changes right away to avoid any delays at the time of renewal. You must make all changes in writing. Name changes require a notarized copy of a marriage license, marriage certificate, or divorce decree noting name change. You can make these changes via mail to the Board office, fax at (515) 281-7969, or the web at http://www.dentalboard.iowa.gov/address_change.html.
expanded functions training
Under IAC 650-20.3(3), “a dentist may delegate an expanded function duty to a registered dental assistant if the assistant has completed board-approved training pursuant to rule 20.16(153) in the specific expanded function that will be delegated.” Certain other restrictions and limitations apply.
You can find additional information on expanded functions training here. The expanded functions documentation form is located here*.
*this form is in .pdf, and requires Adobe Reader to view.
community college program list
Des Moines Area Community College
Deborah Bell, Chairperson
2006 S Ankeny Blvd.
Ankeny, IA 50021
Phone: 515-964-6308
No fax number is available
dpbell@dmacc.edu
(or) Terri Heintz
Phone: 515-964-6312
tlheintz@dmacc.edu
Hawkeye
Community College
Sue VanSyoc, Program Chair
1501 East Orange Rd.
Box 8015
Waterloo, IA 50704
Phone: 319-296-2320, X-1355
Fax: 319-296-2874
Email: svansyoc@hawkeyecollege.edu
Iowa
Valley Community College
Elaine Peterson, Program Chair
3700 South Center St.
Marshalltown, IA 50158
Phone: 641-752-7106, X-294
Fax: 641-752-8149
Email: elainep@iavalley.edu
or
Elaine.Peterson@iavalley.edu
Iowa
Western Community College
Susan Norman, Program Chair
2700 College Rd.
Box 4-C
Council Bluffs, IA 51502
Phone: 712-325-3351
Toll-free: 800-432-5852, X-3469
Fax: 712-325-3736
Email: snorman@iwcc.edu
Or Sarah Kleffman, con. ed
Email: skleffman@iwcc.edu
Phone: 712-325-3259
Fax: 712-325-3729
Kirkwood
Community College
Pam Hanson, Program Chair
6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW
Box 2068
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406
Phone: 319-398-5560
Fax: 319-398-1293
Email: phanson@kirkwood.cc.ia.us
Northeast
Iowa Community College
Peosta Campus
Gloria Kluesner, Program Chair
10250
Sundown Rd.
Peosta, IA 52068
Phone: 563-556-5110, X-227
Fax: 563-556-5058
Email: kluesneg@nicc.edu
Scott
Community College
Tina Ball, Program Chair
500 Belmont Rd.
Bettendorf, IA 52722
Phone: 563-441-4260
Fax: 563-441-4204
Email: tball@eicc.edu
Western
Iowa Tech Community College
Jackie Krueger, Contact
4647 Stone Ave
Box 5199
Sioux City, IA 51102-5199
Phone: 712-274-8733, X-1267
Fax:
712-274-6412
Email: kruegerj@witcc.com
frequently
asked questions