Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants in the Community

Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants in the Community

To expose radiographs, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) requires dental assistants to be licensed.  Licensure requires passing the Radiation Health and Safety component of the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB).

Passing the exam qualifies dental assistants for licensure by the state. A law passed in 1983 requires that all individuals who operate dental x-ray equipment must be licensed.  As of July 2007, dental assistants must complete an ISDH approved educational program and obtain a clinical competency certification.  Before enrolling in this course the dental assistant must apply for a provisional, limited dental radiography permit. This permit expires six months from the date of issue. There is no fee for the permit.

To sit for the exam, all applicants must comply with one of the following regulations for operating diagnostic x-ray equipment:

• Satisfactory completion of a formal education program from a school whose radiography program is approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
• A formal education program approved by ISDH

Course Description

This course is designed to help prepare on-the-job trained office personnel on the basic principles and techniques of dental radiography.This course will cover radiation history, radiation biology and safety, dental x-ray equipment, film types, processing, darkroom errors, common technique errors, anatomical landmarks, and intraoral and panoramic radiographic techniques. This course is approved by the Indiana State Department of Health.

Course Format

The course meets on four (4) Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The morning session is devoted to textbook information and theory. In the afternoon session, Dexter manikins are used to simulate patient positioning, film placement and exposure. Attendees will also learn manual and automatic processing procedures.

The required textbook is included in the course fee.

Course Instructor

Donna S. Krause, CDA, LDH, MPA, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Dental Education. She has taught principles and techniques of radiography for over twenty years and has extensive knowledge and experience in the field

Course Dates and Times