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Lead dental assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Aaron Benitez CDA, RDA, RDHAP, MSDH
Lead dental assistant example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical lead dental assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for lead dental assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 25.5% of lead dental assistant resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a lead dental assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 lead dental assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how lead dental assistants use patients:
  • Provided exceptional oral hygiene care under supervision to a variety of patients in addition to assigned clerical duties.
  • Provided customer service to patients, assisted the Dentist, performed documentation and sterilization.

2. Infection Control

Infection control describes the principles and practices used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities to control and minimize the spread of infections with the aim of lowering rates of infection. Infection control refers to the process of detecting and controlling pathogens in order to reduce their spread.

Here's how lead dental assistants use infection control:
  • Adhered to infection control policy and procedures and maintained patient confidentiality.
  • Sterilized instruments and adhere to infection control policy and procedures.

3. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how lead dental assistants use patient care:
  • Provided direct patient care in pediatric and general dentistry, periodontics and oral surgery
  • Created and implemented office organization plan to increase productivity and streamline patient care.

4. OSHA

Here's how lead dental assistants use osha:
  • Sterilize dental instruments following OSHA guidelines and Universal precautions.
  • Sterilized dental equipment following OSHA Regulations.

5. Dental Procedures

Dental procedures is a term used to refer to the medical procedures and processes which occur within or otherwise related to a patient's teeth or other connected and nearby elements. Such procedures are medical in nature and thus must be done, specifically, by medical experts and professionals who also must be in possession of the appropriate medical licenses. These procedures can include but are not limited to: dental fillings, crowns, extraction of teeth, and braces.

Here's how lead dental assistants use dental procedures:
  • Sterilized and disinfected all instruments and equipment used during dental procedures.
  • Schedule and coordinate dental procedures/appointments.

6. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how lead dental assistants use cpr:
  • Certified as an instructor for CPR.
  • Maintain current and accurate documentation in CPR Documents patient related activities/information in the patient's electronic medical record.

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7. Chair Side

In most cases, chairside refers to the activities that take place beside a dentist's chair. Chairside assisting stands for any operation performed by a dental assistant to assist the dentist during a procedure or dental examination.

Here's how lead dental assistants use chair side:
  • Assisted chair side during general dentistry procedures
  • Chair side assist dentist with procedures; fillings, root canals, extractions, implants, oral surgery, crowns.

8. Patient Flow

Here's how lead dental assistants use patient flow:
  • Worked in this dental specialty coordinating assistant schedules and maintaining efficient patient flow.
  • Monitor patient flow by effectively reviewing sign-in sheet and appointment book and making necessary adjustments to the schedule.

9. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

Here's how lead dental assistants use scheduling appointments:
  • Acquired great skill in front office work as well as expertise with insurance benefits, scheduling appointments and treatment plan presentation.
  • Front office duties include verifying insurance, answering phones, checking patients in and out as well as scheduling appointments.

10. Front Desk

Here's how lead dental assistants use front desk:
  • Perform front desk responsibilities when needed
  • Front Desk duties: making appointments, organizing and filing patient records, sending out letters for upcoming and missed appointments.

11. Oral Surgery

Here's how lead dental assistants use oral surgery:
  • Cross-trained in other dental support positions as necessary, i.e., reception, orthodontics, oral surgery.
  • Assist in all aspects of crown and bridge, oral surgery, restorative and implant dentistry.

12. Treatment Rooms

Here's how lead dental assistants use treatment rooms:
  • Ensured that supplies in treatment rooms were fully stocked and followed all procedures for sterilization and sanitation.
  • Worked in multiple locations; prepared treatment rooms and examination rooms.

13. Medical History

Here's how lead dental assistants use medical history:
  • Obtain & record information related to medical history of patient, routes patients for medical tests and services.
  • Assess patients by performing preliminary teeth /mouth inspection, review medical history and communicate findings to the dentist.

14. Lab Cases

Here's how lead dental assistants use lab cases:
  • Maintained supplies, protocols, procedures and production including lab cases.
  • Ordered lab cases, supplies, and maintained equipment.

15. HIPAA

Here's how lead dental assistants use hipaa:
  • Created affidavits and managed confidential medical records for the Family Justice Division in accordance with HIPAA protocol.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of HIPAA Privacy and Security Regulations by appropriately handling patient information.
top-skills

What skills help Lead Dental Assistants find jobs?

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Aaron Benitez CDA, RDA, RDHAP, MSDHAaron Benitez CDA, RDA, RDHAP, MSDH LinkedIn profile

Dental Assisting Faculty, Articulation Officer, Website

In the Dental Assisting program at West Los Angeles College, the advice that we give our students includes several topics. The main recommendation is to take the California's Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) exam. Other advice includes, creating a professional resume (cloud based and on paper), always be respectful of other's time and having a professional mindset. These are qualities that are timeless.

List of lead dental assistant skills to add to your resume

Lead dental assistant skills

The most important skills for a lead dental assistant resume and required skills for a lead dental assistant to have include:

  • Patients
  • Infection Control
  • Patient Care
  • OSHA
  • Dental Procedures
  • CPR
  • Chair Side
  • Patient Flow
  • Scheduling Appointments
  • Front Desk
  • Oral Surgery
  • Treatment Rooms
  • Medical History
  • Lab Cases
  • HIPAA
  • Vital Signs
  • Dentures
  • Dental Care
  • Dental Equipment
  • Alginate Impressions
  • Coronal
  • ENDO
  • Oral Hygiene
  • Digital X-Rays
  • Instrument Trays
  • Insurance Verification
  • Oral Care
  • MSDS
  • Hippa
  • Patient Appointments
  • X-Ray Machines
  • Root Canals
  • Dentrix
  • Examination Rooms
  • Treatment Procedures
  • Digital Radiographs
  • Surgical Procedures
  • Dental Treatment
  • Eaglesoft
  • Patient Scheduling
  • Sterilize Instruments
  • Dental Materials
  • Insurance Claims
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Dental Instruments
  • Study Casts
  • Surgical Extractions
  • Disinfect Instruments
  • Digital X Ray

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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