• An active email account you regularly check is required
• Each required course for graduation must be completed with a 2.0 grade or better before proceeding to the next quarter.
• Students may repeat an advanced EFDA course once, but it must be repeated within two years
• Students following pathway II who have not completed their DANB Certified Dental Assistant exam will be required to do so by the end of the first quarter, or they will be dropped from the program. This will be at the expense of the student.

This program is accredited by the Washington State Dental Quality Assurance Commission.

Students who successfully complete the EFDA program are eligible to take the Washington State Restorative Exam (WARE) and the Western Regional Restorative Examination Board (WREB) for licensure to become an Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary.

Enrollment in the EFDA program is limited to 12 students in the Fall and the Spring. The admissions process is a waitlist. It’s first come first served for candidates who qualify to enter the EFDA program. Email: kammi.whitmire@scc.spokane.edu to have your name placed on the waitlist after completing this online application.

Students having their DANB-CDA exam completed is not necessary to have their name added to the EFDA waitlist. Students can complete the DANB-CDA exam during the first quarter of the EFDA program, although students with a credential from a CODA accredited dental assisting program with current work experience or students with their completed DANB Certified Dental Assistant will be prioritized for entry into the program.

Please note: It is strongly recommended that students seek academic consulting from EFDA Program Director prior to having name placed on waitlist.

Admission Requirements/Recommendations

Students are only admitted from a waitlist of qualified students who have completed at least 2 years of full-time dental assisting work experience in general or pediatric dentistry and sit for the DANB-CDA (Dental Assisting National Board-Certified Dental Assistant) exam which requires a minimum of 3500 hours of verifiable current work experience accrued over at least two years but no more than four. OR those who have a Dental Assisting certificate or degree from an ADA (American Dental Association), CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation) program.

All prospective students are required to complete our online program form and submit all their materials before they are added to the waitlist and admitted to the program. Students with a credential from a CODA accredited Dental Assisting program with current work experience or students with their completed DANB Certified Dental Assistant will be prioritized. Once admitted, there are additional program requirements students must meet to continue the program

It is strongly recommended that students seek academic consulting from the EFDA program director prior to being placed on the waitlist.

Students must be on one of two pathways:

• Pathway I
  • You are a graduate of a CODA accredited dental assisting program and have a current Washington state dental assisting registration working full time under a dentist in a general dentistry or pediatric dentistry practice. You will not be required to pass the DANB Certified Dental exam but instead provide proof of CODA accredited dental assisting program completion.
  • You can check to see if your program was accredited by checking on the American Dental Association’s search page for CODA accredited programs here:
    CODA Accredited Dental Programs
• Pathway II:
  • You have not completed a CODA accredited dental assistant program, but you have been working full time (36 hours per week or more) as a dental assistant in general or pediatric dentistry practice for at least two years. Your dentist will be required to submit verification of 3,500 hours of full-time current experience accrued over at least two years but no more than four. You will instead need to successfully pass a DANB Certified Dental Assistant exam.

I have been working as a dental assistant, and I’m interested in applying to the Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary program. I haven’t completed a dental assisting program, and all my training has been “on the job”. Am I still eligible?

Yes! Our state accreditor will allow dental assistants with at least two years, or 3500 hours of current experience accrued over at least two years but no more than four years in pediatric or general dentistry, to sit for the DANB (Dental Assisting National Board) Certified Dental Assistant exam.

I attended a formal dental assisting program and received a certificate. Can I use that to establish my eligibility to be added to the waitlist?

Yes, but only if the program you attended was accredited by CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation). We can also admit students fresh out of CODA accredited dental assistant programs as well but students with experience working as dental assistants are more successful in this program.

If you’ve already graduated, we will verify your completion with your program. If you are currently enrolled, you can provide an expected graduation date for placement on the list, but you will not be admitted until you’ve completed your program.

You can use this website to check to see if your program was CODA accredited:

How are students added to the waitlist?

The waitlist is more flexible than admission to the program. We can add students on pathway I to the waitlist who have not yet completed their CODA accredited dental assistant program if we have a graduation date. The same is true for students on pathway II who have not yet completed their DANB Dental Assistant exam if we have a date students expect to take the exam. If there is space in the program, students on pathway II may be admitted to the first quarter but they are expected to complete the DANB Dental Assistant exam by the end of the quarter to progress. Complete the Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary Application to be added to the waitlist. Please reach out to the program director if you have any questions.

How are students added to the program from the waitlist?

Students on pathway I with a credential from a CODA accredited dental assistant program and current work experience or students on pathway II with their completed DANB certified dental assistant exam will be prioritized.

However, students on pathway II may enter the first quarter of the program but they will be required to successfully pass the DANB Certified Dental Assistant exam before they can advance. Students who need the DANB Certified Dental Assistant exam are dropped from the program if they do not pass the exam by the end of the first quarter.

I have two years of experience, but it includes specialty dentistry. Will those hours count toward the 3500 hours of current work experience?

Unfortunately, our accreditation stipulates that the only work experience we can count toward the 3500-hour requirement is from general and/or pediatric dentistry.

I am a dental hygienist, can I apply to this program?

Unfortunately, this program is not currently accredited to teach restorative techniques to dental hygienists.

How much more will I make as an EFDA compared to a dental assistant?

On average, EFDA’s make about 30% more than dental assistants. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that a dental assistant’s hourly median wage to be $22.17 per hour. A comparable EFDA wage would be $28.72 per hour.