How is dental assisting regulated and certified across Canada if I plan to work there after my course?

Dental assisting is not regulated in exactly the same way across Canada, and requirements depend on the province and the duties you want to perform. Job Bank states that dental assistants generally need an 8-month to 1-year program, or secondary school followed by on-the-job training.

Certification Pathway

Regulation and Returning to India

• Registration with a regulatory body is required in most provinces, but not in Ontario and Quebec.
• NDAEB certification is required for intra-oral duties in provinces that regulate them, and Quebec is an exception because dental assistants do not perform intra-oral duties there.
• Job Bank lists Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan as provinces that regulate dental assisting.
• A Canadian dental assistant course is not a BDS degree or another qualification that permits practice as a dentist, so never present it as one.
• If you return to India, check whether employers accept the qualification and check the National Dental Commission for further dental education.

My Advice

Pick your province before you pick a program, because the rules change by province. Confirm the requirements with the provincial regulator and Job Bank, and be clear that this is an assisting qualification, not a dentist qualification.