Procedures for International Applicants

National Dental Assisting Examining Board Revised May 2019 - 4 - Information to be aware of when submitting documents: ➢ Candidates are permitted to submit their required documents to the NDAEB office BEFORE the credential assessment is completed by the selected agency. Please advise the NDAEB office in writing as to the date your application and documents were sent to the agency. Documents received by the NDAEB will be held on file in pending until such time as the credential assessment report is received. ➢ Upon receipt of all required documents, the NDAEB will then consider your eligibility to write the national exam. o If in the opinion of the NDAEB, your education in dental assisting or allied dental profession is considered substantially equivalent to the Canadian standard, exam eligibility may then be granted. o If in the NDAEB’s opinion, your academic education is not considered to be substantially equivalent to the standard for dental assisting in Canada, you will be directed to a Canadian dental assisting education program for the required upgrading should you wish to attain the NDAEB certificate. NDAEB Written Examination The NDAEB written examination consists of 200 multiple choice questions. Details are available in the Written Exam section of this web site. Also refer to the Candidate Handbook for the Written Exam. Note : Please be aware internationally trained applicants are required to successfully complete the Written Exam followed by the Clinical Practice Evaluation (CPE) before being awarded the NDAEB Certificate. Successful completion of the Written Exam does not certify internationally trained candidates as a Level I / Chairside Dental Assistants. Candidates wishing to obtain information on how to work as a Level I/Chairside Dental Assistant are encouraged to contact the Canadian Dental Assisting Regulatory Authority (CDARA) in your province. For a list of regulators, please see the Registration/Licensure section of our website. In Ontario, please contact the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO) or the Ontario Dental Assistants’ Association (ODAA). NDAEB Clinical Practice Evaluation (CPE) After attaining a passing score on the NDAEB Written Exam, you will be required to successfully complete the NDAEB Clinical Practice Evaluation (CPE) before the NDAEB certificate is issued. The CPE consists of a half-day clinical evaluation of nine (9) intra-oral skills performed on a mannequin. Details are available in the CPE section of this web site. Also refer to the CPE Candidate Handbook and the candidate orientation video on this site. Educational Upgrading In the event your dental assisting education does not meet the standard required for exam eligibility, you may wish to attend an educational upgrading program in Canada. International applicants considered eligible for the NDAEB examination may wish to attend upgrading in the clinical component (9 intra-oral skills) rather than sit the Clinical Practice Evaluation (CPE). Applicants successfully completing intra-oral upgrading at a Canadian accredited school will not be required to complete the CPE by the NDAEB but will be considered graduates of a Canadian accredited program. Should you decide to attend upgrading in Canada, be aware many Dental Assisting Regulatory Authorities require graduates of Canadian non-accredited programs to undergo the CPE prior to being considered for licensure/registration/certification. Please refer to the list of dental assisting schools available on this web site. Please Note: The entry requirements to Canadian dental assisting educational programs are set by the educational institution and not the NDAEB.