Dental assistant: responsibilities, workplace requirements, job descriptions

In dentistry, the practice of working with four hands is the most popular and convenient format for interaction between a doctor and his assistant, therefore, in clinics engaged in this area, recruitment agencies try to recruit experienced and reliable employees not only for the position of doctors, but also for vacancies of junior medical staff. What are the responsibilities of a dental assistant, what does he do in the workplace, what rights does he have and what is the scope of his responsibility - comprehensive information in the article.

What kind of profession is a dental assistant?

A dental assistant is the right hand of any dentist. Without him, no clinic will be able to function normally, since he performs all the preparatory work in the doctor’s office, helps him at appointments, and maintains documentation. The remaining responsibilities of a dental assistant are determined by his immediate superiors - the doctor and the head of the clinic (department). Typically, these specialists provide paramedical care without interfering in the treatment process, but sometimes doctors delegate some of their own powers, instructing an assistant to perform an initial examination of the patient or carry out simple manipulations with him.

This profession is quite in demand in the labor market, because there are a lot of offices providing dental and oral cavity treatment services in our country. The responsibilities of a dental assistant in a private clinic may differ from those performed by a specialist in a budget organization. Firstly, because in each institution the doctor works with materials familiar to him and using a certain technology, and secondly, because doctors in private practice, as a rule, have more modern equipment, they modernize patient management protocols and respond faster to innovations in your field of activity.

Timely diagnosis greatly simplifies therapy! Stages of caries treatment

Caries is the destruction of hard tooth tissues, which without treatment can cause the development of more serious diseases.

Caries is caused by various pathogenic bacteria living in the oral cavity.

These bacteria convert sugars from food into acids , which gradually dissolve minerals in enamel and dentin. The longer a person delays visiting a doctor, the deeper the infection that destroys the tooth penetrates, and the more difficult and longer the treatment will be.

Dental Assistant Education

In order to work as a dental assistant, you must have a secondary specialized medical education. At the same time, for some clinics it is important that the candidate graduate from any medical college with a specialty in “Nursing,” while others fundamentally require a diploma in the specialty “Preventive Dentistry.”

In addition to a diploma confirming a level of knowledge sufficient for work, the assistant must promptly obtain a state specialist certificate. Let us remind you that according to the law, employers and regulatory authorities do not have the right to demand this document from graduates of educational institutions if they completed their studies less than five years ago. A specialist certificate is not just another piece of paper, but a serious certification document that guarantees that a candidate for a vacant position in a clinic will be able to perform the duties of a dental assistant. The certificate confirms that the health worker has sufficient theoretical and practical skills.

Stages of dental caries

Depending on the depth to which the destruction has penetrated, the following stages of caries development are distinguished:

1. Caries in the spot stage . White (chalky) or brown (pigmented) spots appear in places where plaque accumulates . The enamel itself remains smooth. More often, stains appear in the spaces between teeth, near the gums , and around old fillings . Usually they are painless , create only an aesthetic defect or go completely unnoticed.
2. Superficial caries. If the initial stain is not noticed in a timely manner, the destruction penetrates into the enamel layer . A noticeable defect or unevenness appears on the surface of the tooth . There is a slight soreness from cold, sour .
3. Average caries. The process progresses to the next layer of the tooth , located under the enamel - dentin. This fabric is softer than enamel and breaks down faster. Tooth hurts from sweets . If caries is located in the interdental spaces, then food gets stuck in them gum inflammation may occur .
4. Deep caries. Decay reaches the layer of dentin , which is adjacent to the pulp of the tooth. Usually such teeth are already severely damaged in appearance and are very painful . The process at this stage cannot always be cured without removing the nerve.

Photo 1. Stages of development of dental caries (from left to right): spot, superficial, medium, pulpitis, periodontitis.

4-hand operation

In advertisements for dental assistant searches, the authors tend to often indicate that the candidate must have sufficient skills and qualifications to work with a doctor four-handed. What does this mean? The doctor is forced to perform all dental procedures quite quickly: many filling materials, as well as medications, must be removed from the packaging as soon as possible and used for their intended purpose. At the same time, it is important to follow the stages of work, not to confuse anything. Sometimes the work requires illuminating the area of ​​dental reconstruction with a special lamp, which the doctor himself cannot do. Also, the doctor often needs a quick change of working tools, attachments on drills, mirrors, and forceps. It is to quickly perform all these tasks that a dental assistant is required. The assistant’s responsibilities are to always be within the doctor’s reach, quickly respond to his requests and know the sequence of his main actions in order to be able to predict the boss’s “order.”

If the tandem is successful, and the doctor and his assistant understand each other perfectly, then their productivity increases significantly. That’s why clinics encourage working with 4 hands. The duties of a dental assistant do not require a person to show excessive initiative; on the contrary, it is important that the assistant maintain business and personal subordination with the doctor, be diligent, attentive and responsible.

According to hh.ru, in Russia there are an average of 3-4 resumes per dental assistant vacancy. The employer's requirements for applicants for this position are quite ordinary: secondary specialized medical education, friendliness, ability to communicate with clients. However, rather specific and serious requirements are hidden behind formal formulations, and the candidate’s ability to fulfill them is tested only by time.

DIFFICULTIES OF SELECTION

Experts note that there are few professional dental assistants with medical education who want to develop in this direction on the open market. And if it is possible to find an assistant in a private practice, it is already more difficult to meet the needs of a network of clinics. At the same time, entrusting the selection of an assistant to the HR department is quite a risky decision, since it is the personal selection of candidates that can answer the question of whether the assistant and the doctor can become a team.

Mikhail Voloshko, a dental therapist, says that, for example, he selects all his assistants himself. “The more work experience a doctor has, the more difficult, in my opinion, it is to find an assistant. This is due to the fact that adapting an assistant to suit yourself and a comfortable job is not a quick process. All doctors work differently, each has their own nuances in their work. The main resource for building smooth work with an assistant is time,” says the expert.

Mikhail Voloshko is convinced that it is impossible to predict at the selection stage whether a doctor and an assistant will work together or not. “The doctor must see the candidate in the process of work: quality, involvement, interest. This usually takes 1-2 months. After this period, it becomes clear whether the doctor and assistant can become a team,” adds Elizaveta Afanaskina, deputy medical director of the Unident Dentistry network of clinics.

Words about the team are not pathos at all. If there is no understanding in the “doctor-assistant” tandem, then the doctor has to control his work, the patient’s mood and ensure that the assistant does not make mistakes. This can naturally affect the quality of the doctor’s work.

Elizaveta Afanaskina notes that the aerobatics of an assistant’s work is when he is able to foresee what the doctor will need. If this level of understanding is achieved, then the doctor is interested in working as long as possible in this pair.

RESPONSIBLE WORK

A dental assistant is not just about holding a saliva ejector and bringing materials, but about responsible four-handed work with a dentist. In addition, the assistant prepares the office for patient reception, disinfects and sterilizes instruments, and maintains medical documentation.

“The quality of compliance with Sanitary Rules and Regulations of the cleanliness regime, the quality of treatment, and the speed of receiving the patient depend on the assistant. A neat appearance, competent speech, and complete understanding with the doctor are also important,” says Mikhail Voloshko. He himself went from assistant to chief physician, so he knows exactly how an assistant should work.

Elizaveta Afanaskina adds that in modern treatment conditions, the role of the assistant has increased significantly and without him the dentist cannot perform his work professionally and efficiently. Today, the assistant must prepare and install a large number of instruments before the appointment - apex locators, ultrasonic tips, removable lighting.

In particular, a therapist’s work under a microscope is impossible without an assistant; the doctor cannot be distracted by selecting instruments; the assistant literally puts into the doctor’s hand everything he needs to carry out the procedure.

“The role of the assistant thus affects the patient’s comfort: the appointment time is reduced, and both the doctor and the patient are less tired. In addition, the important task of the assistant is to meet the patient, escort him to the chair, calm him down, and get him ready for the appointment,” concludes Elizaveta Afanaskina.

MOTIVATION AND CAREER PROSPECTS

According to the portal hh.ru, capital employers are willing to pay a dental assistant from 30 to 75 thousand rubles, depending on the clinic, experience and requirements. The average salary of a dental assistant in Russia is 41 thousand rubles.

Elizaveta Afanaskina notes that one of the main problems when selecting an assistant is the difference between the desired salaries of applicants and the salaries that employers are willing to pay. But this issue can always be resolved individually.

But, besides money, there are other forms of motivation, experts say. We must not forget about career prospects - this is a very important point that may interest a candidate if he is really committed to development in the profession. He will definitely be interested in learning from an experienced doctor. But for this to become possible, a “doctor-assistant” tandem is again needed, and its formation, as mentioned above, takes time.

The story of expert Mikhail Voloshko proves that the position of a dental assistant can be an excellent starting point for a great career. Although some remain in this position and prefer to grow vertically, becoming a professional assistant to a specific dentist.

Peri-medical activities of a dental assistant

The range of responsibilities assigned to a dental assistant depends greatly on the doctor himself, as well as the services he provides. Thus, general practitioners who deal with surgical and therapeutic manipulations, prosthetics, orthodontics and orthopedics have more stringent requirements for assistants. The responsibilities of dental assistants also differ due to the fact that they may be involved in the treatment process to varying degrees. Paramedical care consists of performing the following types of work:

• compliance with sanitary standards in the office, timely disinfection, weekly general cleaning (washing floors, walls, ceilings, windows, furniture and equipment);
• preparing instruments for use, disinfecting them, sterilizing them;
• cleaning the doctor’s workplace at the end of the working day, including disinfection of handpieces, turning off equipment;
• keeping records of medications, consumables and dressings, issuing them to the doctor, monitoring expiration dates and leftovers;
• maintaining documentation, registering patients, filling out various reporting forms, making entries in journals on cleaning, serviceability of equipment, sterilization of instruments.

And, of course, the main responsibilities of a dental assistant are to quickly carry out the doctor’s orders during work, meet patients at the reception desk and escort them to their chair.

Sample document:

JOB DESCRIPTION for dental assistant _________________________________________ (name of employer's department)

Identifier of the electronic copy of the document.

PREAMBLE

This job description has been developed and approved in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and other regulations governing labor relations in the Russian Federation.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

1.1. A dental assistant (hereinafter referred to as the “Employee”) refers to the nursing staff.

1.2. This job description defines the functional responsibilities, rights, duties, responsibilities, working conditions, relationships (positional connections) of the Employee, criteria for assessing his business qualities and work results when performing work in his specialty and directly at the workplace in “_______________” (hereinafter referred to as “ Employer").

1.3. An employee is appointed to a position and dismissed from a position by order of the Employer in the manner prescribed by current labor legislation.

1.5. The employee must know:

— laws and other regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation in the field of healthcare related to the provision of dental care to the population;

— regulatory documents regulating the activities of healthcare institutions;

— the basics of organizing medical and preventive care in hospitals and outpatient clinics, ambulance and emergency medical care, disaster medicine services, sanitary and epidemiological services, drug provision for the population and medical institutions;

— the main symptoms of the most common dental diseases and the principles of their treatment;

— technical characteristics and rules for servicing dental equipment;

— medical preparations and dental materials;

— basics of health education;

— Internal labor regulations established by the Employer;

— rules and regulations of labor protection, safety precautions, industrial sanitation and fire protection established by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

1.6. A dental assistant may have a diploma and a specialist certificate in the specialty “Nursing”, subject to advanced training in the “Nursing in Dentistry” program.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN EMPLOYEE

2.1. Preparing dental equipment for work, monitoring the serviceability of the equipment and observing safety precautions when working with it.

2.2. Instrumental examination of teeth and pathological periodontal pockets, determination of the degree of tooth mobility, examination of soft and hard tissues of the maxillofacial area, determination of the intensity of inflammation of the oral mucosa.

2.3. Electroodontodiagnosis, collection and storage of biopsy material, preparation of filling and impression materials, oral hygiene, etc.

2.4. Teaching patients individual oral hygiene.

2.5. First aid for wounds and thermal damage to the maxillofacial area.

2.6. Conducting local and regional anesthesia.

2.7. Taking dental impressions.

2.8. Preparing patients for physiotherapeutic procedures, conducting simple physiotherapeutic procedures, monitoring the patient’s condition during the procedure.

2.9. Timely and high-quality maintenance of medical records.

2.10. Carrying out sanitary and educational work aimed at hygienic education of the population, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and preventing dental diseases.

2.11. If necessary, provide emergency first aid.

2.12. Assisting the doctor in the process of providing assistance.

2.13. Working with amalgam.

2.14. Maintaining medical records, calculating the main performance indicators of the dental office (medical institution).

EMPLOYEE RIGHTS

3.1. The employee has the right to:

— independent sanitary educational work among the population;

- providing him with work stipulated by the employment contract;

— a workplace that complies with state regulatory requirements for labor protection and the conditions provided for by the collective agreement;

— timely and full payment of wages in accordance with their qualifications, complexity of work, quantity and quality of work performed;

— rest provided by the establishment of normal working hours, reduced working hours for certain professions and categories of workers, the provision of weekly days off, non-working holidays, paid annual leave;

— complete reliable information about working conditions and labor protection requirements in the workplace;

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— professional training, retraining and advanced training in the manner established by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and other federal laws;

— association, including the right to create trade unions and join them to protect their labor rights, freedoms and legitimate interests;

— participation in the management of the organization in the forms provided for by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, other federal laws and the collective agreement;

— conducting collective negotiations and concluding collective agreements and agreements through their representatives, as well as information on the implementation of the collective agreement and agreements;

— protection of one’s labor rights, freedoms and legitimate interests by all means not prohibited by law;

— resolution of individual and collective labor disputes, including the right to strike, in the manner established by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and other federal laws;

— compensation for harm caused to him in connection with the performance of his job duties, and compensation for moral damage in the manner established by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and other federal laws;

— compulsory social insurance in cases provided for by federal laws;

— obtaining materials and documents related to their activities;

— interaction with other departments of the Employer to resolve operational issues of their professional activities.

EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES

4.1. The employee is obliged:

- conscientiously fulfill his labor duties assigned to him by the employment contract and this job description;

— comply with the internal labor regulations established by the Employer;

— maintain labor discipline;

— comply with established labor standards;

— comply with labor protection and occupational safety requirements;

— take care of the property of the Employer (including the property of third parties held by the Employer, if the Employer is responsible for the safety of this property) and other employees;

— immediately inform the Employer or immediate supervisor about the occurrence of a situation that poses a threat to the life and health of people, the safety of the Employer’s property (including the property of third parties held by the Employer, if the Employer is responsible for the safety of this property).

EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITY

5.1. The employee is responsible for:

— failure to fulfill one’s duties;

— inaccurate information about the status of the work;

— failure to comply with orders, instructions and instructions of the Employer;

— violation of safety regulations and labor protection instructions, failure to take measures to suppress identified violations of safety regulations, fire safety and other rules that pose a threat to the activities of the Employer and its employees;

— failure to comply with labor discipline.

WORKING CONDITIONS

6.1. The Employee’s work schedule is determined in accordance with the internal labor regulations established by the Employer.

6.2. Due to production needs, the Employee is required to go on business trips (including local ones).

6.3. Characteristics of working conditions in the workplace: _________________________.

Assistant with partial physician responsibilities

In many clinics, assistants are also responsible for conducting diagnostic procedures, which means they must be able to work with a visiograph and x-ray machine, using them to take targeted, intraoral and panoramic photographs.

If the assistant has a fairly good theoretical and practical knowledge base, the doctor can trust him to perform more complex tasks. In addition to all of the above, the following responsibilities will be assigned to his shoulders:

• initial examination of the patient;
• partial implementation of preventive, therapeutic and diagnostic procedures;
• assistance in selecting filling material;
• maintaining cleanliness in the patient’s mouth while the doctor is working (removing saliva, blood, rinsing the mouth).

Filling out the patient chart is also the responsibility of the dental assistant. What should he indicate there? The name of the patient, his address, date of birth and age, the amount of work the doctor did, his instructions.

Responsibility

The dental assistant is responsible for:

4.1. For non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of the duties provided for in these instructions - within the limits determined by the labor legislation of the Russian Federation.

4.2. For offenses committed in the course of carrying out their activities - within the limits determined by the current administrative, criminal and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

4.3. For causing material damage to the employer - within the limits determined by the current labor and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

The job description has been developed in accordance with [name, number and date of document].

Job Description for Dental Assistant

Each clinic develops its own job description for employees. According to this document, the nuances of the employees’ work are determined: rights, areas of responsibility, duties and requirements. A dental assistant is a serious position, so the instructions for him must include the following mandatory points:

1. General provisions (education, work experience, additional skills and abilities; clarification of the service hierarchy; legislative standards required in the work; the acting assistant is indicated in the event of his absence).
2. Job responsibilities - a list of tasks that the assistant will need to perform.
3. Employee rights.
4. The responsibility he bears to the clinic and patients.

The job description must be signed by both the head of the clinic and the subordinate. The document is marked with the date of its creation. In this case, one copy remains in the clinic, and the other is given to the dental assistant.

Rights

A dental assistant has the right:

3.1. For all social guarantees provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

3.2. To provide free special clothing, special shoes and other personal protective equipment.

3.3. Receive information about the activities of the organization necessary to perform functional duties from all departments directly or through the immediate superior.

3.4. Require the management of the organization to provide assistance in the performance of their professional duties and the exercise of rights.

3.5. Get acquainted with draft orders of management relating to its activities.

3.6. Take part in meetings where issues related to his work are discussed.

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3.7. Require the creation of conditions for the performance of professional duties, including the provision of the necessary equipment, inventory, a workplace that complies with sanitary and hygienic rules and regulations, etc.

3.8. Improve your professional qualifications.

3.9. [Other rights provided for by the labor legislation of the Russian Federation].

Work schedule

The job responsibilities of a dental assistant can be roughly divided into two components. The first is precisely the workflow and its interaction with the doctor. In addition, the dental assistant must have time to put the office in order, order medications, instruments, consumables on time, disinfect and sterilize instruments. Fulfilling these duties cannot be at the expense of providing assistance to the physician when required.

An assistant, as a rule, comes to work before the doctor and leaves later than him - in order to have time to prepare the workplace before seeing patients and to always be in the doctor's support. Dentists usually work in shifts - before or after lunch. Assistants are also not in the clinic from dawn to dusk; their working day depends on the doctor’s schedule, but it is longer than that of their immediate superior.

Additional Responsibilities

However, the job description does not end there. The assistant also has secondary responsibilities.

They include:

1. General cleaning of the office once a week - including washing the walls and ceiling.
2. Window cleaning according to schedule.
3. Meeting the patient at the reception desk and accompanying him to the office.
4. Attendance at meetings, conferences, and official events.
5. Providing emergency medical care to the patient if required.

The dental assistant, like other clinic employees, participates in the discussion of work issues, makes suggestions for improving the activities of the institution and the provision of services, and makes comments.

The doctor and assistant actively cooperate, jointly conduct the process of medical care, and consult. The doctor and assistant act together harmoniously - like a single organism.

Assistant training process on video:

Records management

The second component of the responsibilities of a dental assistant is maintaining reporting and current documentation. The assistant fills out patient charts (in paper or electronic form) and keeps various logs:

• on safety precautions;
• medication accounting;
• cleaning;
• disinfection and sterilization;
• equipment serviceability.

Entries in these documents must be made in a timely manner; patient cards are filled out immediately - at the appointment.

Rights and responsibilities of a dental assistant

The rights of a dental assistant are not limited solely to the provisions of the labor legislation of the country in which he works - official employment, compliance with the work and rest regime, the availability of a social package, etc. They also relate to the purely professional employment of a specialist. The assistant must fully receive the information necessary for him to perform his duties, and he also has the right to demand management support to perform the functions assigned to him.

A dental assistant is a financially responsible person. Moreover, the medical assistant is responsible not only for the equipment, instruments and medications entrusted to him, but also for his own actions. If, due to his negligence, inattention or unprofessional actions, the health or life of the patient was harmed, he will be held accountable for this in court. In case of serious mistakes, the physician assistant may be fined, disqualified from working in his position, or imprisoned in a correctional facility.

Job responsibilities

The dental assistant is assigned the following job responsibilities:

2.1. Preparing dental equipment for work, monitoring the serviceability of the equipment and observing safety precautions when working with it.

2.2. Instrumental examination of teeth and pathological periodontal pockets, determination of the degree of tooth mobility, examination of soft and hard tissues of the maxillofacial area, determination of the intensity of inflammation of the oral mucosa.

2.3. Electroodontodiagnostics, collection and storage of biopsy material, preparation of filling and impression materials, oral hygiene, etc.

2.4. Teaching patients individual oral hygiene.

2.5. First aid for wounds and thermal damage to the maxillofacial area.

2.6. Conducting local and regional anesthesia.

2.7. Taking dental impressions.

2.8. Preparing patients for physiotherapeutic procedures, conducting simple physiotherapeutic procedures, monitoring the patient’s condition during the procedure.

2.9. Timely and high-quality maintenance of medical records.

2.10. Carrying out sanitary and educational work aimed at hygienic education of the population, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and preventing dental diseases.

2.11. If necessary, provide emergency first aid.

2.12. Assisting the doctor in the process of providing assistance.

2.13. Timely and high-quality maintenance of medical records.

2.14. [Other job responsibilities].

Wage

The work of a dental assistant is assessed quite well. The highest salaries in this industry are, of course, noted in Moscow. In large dental clinics, assistants are paid from 60-75 thousand rubles per month, while those who work in smaller offices have to be content with 25-30 thousand rubles. There are a lot of open vacancies on labor exchanges, so a dental assistant can find a good job quite quickly. In the regions, things are not so rosy - there are much fewer places there, and salaries are an order of magnitude lower. The average level is 20-25 thousand, while some clinic assistants are willing to pay no more than 15 thousand rubles per month.