RDA (Other exams) study guide
RDA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) credential is a state-level licensure or registration title for dental assistants who have completed an approved educational program and passed a written or clinical examination. Unlike national certifications that travel with the holder, RDA status is granted by a state dental board, so the requirements, permitted duties, and renewal rules differ from one jurisdiction to the next. The RDA study guide has 5 sections and about 1,636 words.
01Infection Control and Safety Practices
Every patient is potentially infectious, so standard precautions apply to all patients regardless of known status - not only to those with a reported bloodborne disease. Hand hygiene is the single most important step: soap and water for at least 20 seconds when hands are visibly soiled or after contact with spore-forming organisms such as C.
354 words, about 2 min02Radiation Health and Safety
Every exposure should follow ALARA - as low as reasonably achievable. Know the unit conversions: 1 rad = 0.01 Gy; 1 rem = 0.01 Sv; 1 roentgen = 2.58 × 10⁻⁴ C/kg.
325 words, about 2 min03Chairside Assisting and Clinical Procedures
Four-handed dentistry means operator and assistant work as a team from preset, sequenced trays, with no reaching across the patient. A right-handed operator sits at 7–12 o’clock and the assistant at 2–4 o’clock.
318 words, about 2 min04Dental Materials and Instrument Management
Plaster, stone, and die stone differ chiefly by water-to-powder ratio: less water yields a stronger, denser cast, but too little water makes the mix stiff and loses fine detail. Accelerate setting with heat, slurry water, or salts; retard it with borax or cold water.
307 words, about 2 min05Patient Records, Ethics, and Administrative Duties
The chart is a legal document and can be subpoenaed. Entries are made in ink, contemporaneously, and are dated and signed or initialed.
332 words, about 2 min