Dental assistant, Kaiāwhina rata niho
Also known as
- Dental surgery assistant
Dental assistants help dentists with patient care and treatment. They also prepare and clean equipment, schedule appointments and give oral health care advice to patients.
Duration
4:09 mins
Your pay could be
$70K
Lower
$74K to $81K
Most common
$84K
Upper
How does this pay compare?
Pay is before tax
Dental assistants
- usually work regular business hours but may work nights and weekends
- usually work in dental surgeries, hospitals, private dental practices and community health centres
- may work in noisy conditions
- need to be organised, accurate and methodical
Tasks
- clean medical equipment
- prepare medical instruments or equipment for use
- assist practitioners to perform medical procedures
- maintain medical records
- inventory medical supplies or equipment
- operate medical equipment
- explain technical medical information to patients
- teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients
- interview patients to gather medical information
- record vital statistics or other health information
Organised
Practical
Social
Interests that fit this job
Interest quiz,
Kairoro Whakaritea
Do the Interest quiz to find out how well your interests fit with this job.
Do the quizYou usually learn on the job to become a dental assistant and a qualification may be useful.
You may need
- to complete a Certificate in Dental Assisting
- to pass a police check
Registration
You need to be registered to do this job. This means you meet your industry's professional standards.
Dental Council of New Zealand
Te Kaunihera Tiaki Niho
Phone Number,04 499 4820
inquiries@dcnz.org.nz
https://www.dcnz.org.nz/If you’re in school
You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job.
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