Dental Assistant
Dental assistants assist dentists, set up equipment, prepare patients for treatment and keep records.
License required by 9 states
71st most burdensome licensing requirements
81st most widely and onerously licensed occupation
Nine states license dental assistants. On average, these laws cost aspiring workers $138 in fees and 92 days in education and experience and require them to pass about one exam—the 71st most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. Because dental assistants are not very widely licensed, the occupation ranks as the 81st most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements vary across states. Minnesota’s license is the most burdensome, requiring $681 in fees, about 425 days lost to education and three exams. California’s, by contrast, requires only about two days (10 hours) of education and no fees or exams.
| Burden Rank | State | States Licensed | Fees | Estimated Calendar Days Lost | Education | Experience | Exams | Minimum Grade | Minimum Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | 9 | $681.00 | 425 | 303.33 Days | - | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | D C | 9 | $190.00 | 211 | 1 days and 900 clock hours | - | 0 | 12 | 18 |
| 3 | Iowa | 9 | $86.00 | 185 | 20 clock hours | 6 months | 3 | 12 | 17 |
| 4 | Tennessee | 9 | $78.00 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 12 | 18 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 9 | $60.00 | 1 | 4 clock hours | - | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 6 | Washington | 9 | $40.00 | 1 | 7 clock hours | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Vermont | 9 | $60.00 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 9 | $50.00 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | California | 9 | $0.00 | 2 | 10 clock hours | - | 0 | 0 | 0 |