RDA (Other exams) study plan
RDA · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Infection Control and Safety Practices & Chairside Assisting and Clinical Procedures
Sequence the chain of infection and match two dental clinical examples to each link.
Differentiate disinfection from sterilization, then classify 10 dental items into critical, semicritical, and noncritical categories.
Rehearse donning and doffing PPE in the correct order while verbalizing each step.
Identify five OSHA-required safety practices and state the documentation each requires.
Practice four-handed transfer of 10 basic instruments using correct ergonomic zones.
Your checkpoint
Write a 25-item infection-control and chairside-setup checklist and reproduce it from memory with 100% accuracy.
Infection Control and Safety Practices & Chairside Assisting and Clinical Procedures
Apply standard precautions to five clinical scenarios and state the immediate response for each.
Demonstrate correct sharps handling, recapping avoidance, and contaminated-waste disposal.
Set up and break down a treatment tray in correct order while maintaining an aseptic field.
Perform the CDC hand-hygiene sequence and state the indications for each handwash moment.
Map the instrument transfer sequence for a Class II restoration from start to finish.
Your checkpoint
Record a 10-minute simulated tray setup, teardown, and sharps disposal, then self-audit against a 20-point rubric and score at least 18/20.
Radiation Health and Safety & Chairside Assisting and Clinical Procedures
Explain ALARA and apply time, distance, and shielding to three exposure scenarios.
Identify the components of an intraoral X-ray unit and state the function of collimation, filtration, and the position-indicating device.
Describe sensor and film positioning for bitewing and periapical images.
Demonstrate correct operator position and barrier protection during a simulated exposure.
List quality-assurance checks for dental radiographic equipment and image processing.
Your checkpoint
Complete a 30-question radiation-safety quiz with at least 85% and log every missed concept with a correction.
Radiation Health and Safety & Infection Control and Safety Practices
Differentiate somatic from genetic radiation effects and acute from chronic exposure.
Explain the purpose of personnel dosimetry badges and how to interpret an exposure report.
Compare biological, chemical, and mechanical sterilization monitoring and state when each is used.
Describe infection-control barriers used for radiographic sensors and surfaces.
Review exposure-incident reporting steps and required follow-up documentation.
Your checkpoint
Create a comparison chart of radiation effects and sterilization monitoring methods with at least 15 accurate entries, then explain it aloud in five minutes.
Chairside Assisting and Clinical Procedures & Dental Materials and Instrument Management
Identify 20 dental instruments by name, function, and typical procedure.
Sequence instrument recirculation from chairside cleaning through packaging, sterilization, and storage.
Select appropriate materials for amalgam, composite, glass ionomer, and impression procedures.
Demonstrate dispensing and mixing of two materials with correct proportions and contamination control.
Explain handpiece lubrication, corrosion prevention, and proper storage.
Your checkpoint
Build a 20-item instrument-identification and material-selection flashcard set and score at least 90% on a self-test.
Dental Materials and Instrument Management & Patient Records, Ethics, and Administrative Duties
Describe indications and handling properties of cements, liners, and bonding agents.
Apply Safety Data Sheet use and waste segregation rules to three dental-material scenarios.
Identify required components of a patient record, including medical history, consent, and treatment notes.
Apply HIPAA privacy principles to three release-of-information scenarios.
Differentiate informed, implied, and parental consent in dental practice.
Your checkpoint
Draft a complete mock chart note for a composite restoration, including materials, consent, and postoperative instructions, and score at least 14/15 on a rubric.
Patient Records, Ethics, and Administrative Duties & Radiation Health and Safety
Describe scheduling, recall, and basic dental-insurance claim workflows.
Explain confidentiality, scope-of-practice, and mandatory-reporting duties.
Interpret common radiographic errors, including cone cut, elongation, and overlap, and state corrections.
Review exposure settings and image-quality factors that reduce patient dose.
Practice documenting an occupational exposure incident and the associated recordkeeping.
Your checkpoint
Complete a 40-question mixed Domain 2 and Domain 5 quiz with at least 85% and write a correction for every missed item.
Infection Control and Safety Practices & Radiation Health and Safety & Chairside Assisting and Clinical Procedures & Dental Materials and Instrument Management & Patient Records, Ethics, and Administrative Duties
Take a full-length timed mock examination under test conditions.
Group missed questions by domain and write a corrective action for each error.
Re-demonstrate PPE doffing, hand hygiene, tray setup, instrument transfer, and radiograph mounting.
Recite high-yield safety, regulatory, and materials facts from a personal summary sheet.
Build a final one-page review sheet limited to the five weakest concepts.
Your checkpoint
Score at least 80% on a 100-question timed mock examination and complete an error log with a corrective action for every missed question.
Milestones
Week 2: Demonstrate PPE doffing and hand hygiene without a critical error and score at least 18/20 on the tray-setup rubric.
Week 4: Score at least 80% on a 50-question cumulative quiz covering Domains 1 and 2.
Week 6: Score at least 85% on a 30-question mixed quiz covering Domains 3, 4, and 5.
Week 8: Score at least 80% on the 100-question timed mock examination and submit a complete error log.