Behind the Dental Chair: Why Dental Assistants Deserve Greater Recognition

(This is the second of 3 installments of ICT’s interview with Sherrie Busby, EDDA, CDSO, CDIPC, dental assistant speaker and trainer, and a member of the Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®) editorial advisory board.)

Dental assistants play a central role in infection prevention and patient care, yet their work often goes unrecognized by both patients and other health care professionals. In the second installment of a series marking Dental Assistants Recognition Week, dental assistant, trainer, and speaker Sherrie Busby, EDDA, CDSO, CDIPC, says the profession carries far more responsibility than most people realize.

Busby, who also serves on the editorial advisory board of Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®), said many dental assistants handle clinical, administrative, and infection control duties during every patient visit.

“The amount of tasks that have to be done between every single patient is what people underestimate the most,” Busby said.

Those responsibilities extend far beyond cleaning instruments and preparing treatment rooms. In many dental practices, assistants also handle documentation, track laboratory cases, coordinate supplies, and support patient education.

“Most offices, the dental assistant is the one who makes the bulk of the documentation for the visit,” Busby said. “Then the doctor goes in, reviews it, and signs it.”

These duties occur alongside strict infection prevention requirements that govern nearly every aspect of dental care. Busby noted that dentistry operates under highly detailed infection control guidelines that assistants must follow consistently throughout the day.

“Dentistry has a lot of infection control guidelines, and they are very specific,” Busby said.

Compared with other health care environments, dental assistants often perform multiple roles that might otherwise be handled by separate staff members.

“In a hospital setting, you might have one person responsible for infection control, another responsible for cleaning, another responsible for documentation, and someone else making sure supplies are ready,” Busby explained. “But a dental assistant does all of those jobs.”

Despite the complexity of the role, the work can appear effortless to patients sitting in the dental chair.

“You come into the office, and the assistant is smiling and asking how your day was,” Busby said. “But in reality, they are doing way more jobs than people realize.”

Busby said that disconnect is one reason Dental Assistants Recognition Week is so important. The annual observance helps draw attention to the professionals responsible for maintaining many safety and infection-prevention processes in dental practices.

“I don’t think the general public understands or even recognizes that it’s not magic,” Busby said. “There are people behind the scenes trying to get all these things done.”

Another challenge facing the profession is compensation. Despite their wide range of responsibilities, dental assistants are often the lowest-paid employees within dental practices.

“The dental assistant, for the most part, is the lowest paid individual in the practice,” Busby said.

According to Busby, wages can vary significantly by region, but many assistants earn between $17 and $20 per hour. Even decades of experience may not significantly change that range.

Busby believes the profession also faces challenges related to education and credentialing. In some states, dental assistants can perform infection control duties without standardized training requirements.

“I’m in Florida, and I hold a radiology license from many years ago,” Busby said. “But there are no continuing education requirements for me to work in this state, not even for infection control.”

Organizations such as the Dental Assisting National Board are working to encourage standardized credentialing and education requirements across states. Busby hopes those efforts will strengthen both the profession and patient safety.

“These are things that absolutely need to be talked about,” Busby said.

As dental assistants continue to manage complex clinical and safety responsibilities, Busby believes recognition of their work is long overdue.