How to Become a Dental Assistant in New Brunswick

The short answer

In New Brunswick, Level II dental assistants are regulated professionals, and registration with the New Brunswick Dental Society is required. The route is: complete a Level II dental assisting program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC), pass the National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) theory examination, then apply to the Society and pay the applicable annual dues. The NDAEB certificate is the national exam credential; the Society is the regulator that licenses you to practise in the province.

This is New Brunswick's own arrangement. Other provinces register dental assistants through their own bodies — the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board, the College of Alberta Dental Assistants, and others — so do not carry another province's registration steps or fees into a New Brunswick application.

The regulator, stated plainly

The New Brunswick Dental Society is the regulatory authority for dental assistants in the province, under An Act Respecting The New Brunswick Dental Society. The NDAEB is not a regulatory body: it administers the national examination and issues the NDAEB certificate, which all Canadian dental assisting regulatory authorities except Quebec require new registrants to hold. The NDAEB's own registration page lists the New Brunswick Dental Society at 570 Queen Street, Suite 504, Fredericton, as the province's regulatory authority.

The Society classifies dental assistants by training level. A Chairside Assistant is a traditional chairside assistant with no formal training. A Certified Level II Assistant holds an NDAEB certificate (Level II) and is a member in good standing of the New Brunswick Dental Assistants Association. Only a Certified Level II assistant may perform intra-oral duties, and only under the direct supervision and control of a dentist. Non-registered persons employed in dental offices are not permitted to perform any intra-oral duties.

Step 1: Complete an accredited program

The minimum educational requirement to practise in New Brunswick is completion of a Level II dental assistant program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada. In the province, two programs hold CDAC accreditation as of March 2026:

• Oulton College, Moncton — 44 weeks, accredited without reporting requirements.
• Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, Campbellton — 37 weeks, accredited with reporting requirements.

Oulton College describes its own program as a 10-month program and requires a high school diploma or equivalent, plus Grade 11 or 12 English and Chemistry or Biology at a minimum of 65%. Check the current entry requirements with the school before applying, since the NDAEB sets no entry requirements for programs — each institution sets its own.

Graduates of non-accredited programs must demonstrate equivalency through the NDAEB: apply to the NDAEB, submit the required documentation including a credential verification report from a recognized agency such as World Education Services, and pay the credential assessment fee of $320. Eligible applicants receive an NDAEB Eligibility Letter. Graduates of non-accredited programs must pass the Clinical Practice Evaluation before they can sit the written examination.

Step 2: Pass the NDAEB theory examination

The NDAEB theory examination costs $730 in total: a $630 examination fee plus a $100 non-refundable application fee. Rewrites cost the same $730. The Clinical Practice Evaluation, for graduates of non-accredited programs, costs $1,685 plus a $100 application fee; individual skill retakes cost $365 per skill for four skills or fewer. Candidates apply for each examination through the NDAEB website once registration opens, and those who complete both assessments receive an NDAEB Certificate.

Step 3: Register with the New Brunswick Dental Society

After obtaining NDAEB certification, apply to the Society by completing the online application, submitting the required documentation, and paying the applicable annual dues. A Certified Level II assistant licence is issued annually to those entered in the register who have paid all required fees.

Two details worth knowing before you apply:

• Working while you wait. A person who meets the criteria may be entered in the educational register and receive a licence to practise temporarily as a Level II dental assistant, on proof of registration for the NDAEB written or Clinical Practice Evaluation exam. The licence is valid until the exam results arrive and can be renewed with proof of registration for the next exam.
• Coming from another province. A certified Level II dental assistant licensed in another Canadian jurisdiction must satisfy the Registrar of proof of 900 hours of clinical practice in the preceding three years, or the pro-rated portion if licensed for less than three years, and be in good standing in the previously licensed jurisdiction.

Staying licensed

Dental assistants must obtain a minimum of 24 continuing education credits during a cycle of two years. From 2025, each cycle runs from January 1 to December 31 of the next year. Continuing education is reported through the Society's member portal. Failure to provide the Society with evidence of the two-year cycle requirement leads to non-renewal of the licence until all requirements are met.

What the opened pages do not state

The opened pages do not publish the Society's domestic registration or annual licence fee for New Brunswick-trained applicants, so this guide states no registration fee. The total fee figure of approximately $3,340 published in the province's internationally educated professionals pathway document covers that route only and is not repeated here as a domestic figure. The opened pages do not publish a current tuition figure for either New Brunswick program, so this guide states no tuition. They do not publish a wage figure for dental assistants in New Brunswick, so this guide states no pay rate.

Related guides:

• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Newfoundland and Labrador — the neighbouring Atlantic province, where the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board is the regulator.
• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Nova Scotia — Nova Scotia's registration route for comparison.
• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Ontario — Ontario, where dental assisting is not a regulated profession and there is no licensing college.
• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Manitoba — Manitoba's registration route for comparison.
• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Saskatchewan — Saskatchewan's registration route for comparison.

NDAEB Theory Exam dates and deadlines for 2027

Registration for all 2027 Theory Exam sittings opens on January 4, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and places are processed on a first come, first served basis, so apply as early as you can. The four sittings are March 23 to 25, 2027 (apply by February 1), June 23 to 25, 2027 (apply by May 3), September 22 to 24, 2027 (apply by July 30), and December 8 to 10, 2027 (apply by October 18). Every application deadline closes at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Exam dates can change, and the NDAEB contacts registered candidates if a date moves.

Sources

• Government of New Brunswick, Dental Assistants — Pathway to Registration for Internationally Educated Professionals — the New Brunswick Dental Society as regulatory authority, the CDAC-accredited program requirement, the NDAEB credential assessment and examination steps, and the online application with annual dues.
• National Dental Assisting Examining Board, Registration and Licensure — the NDAEB is not a regulatory body, the NDAEB certificate requirement, and the New Brunswick Dental Society as the province's regulatory authority.
• National Dental Assisting Examining Board, Fees — the $630 examination fee, $100 application fee, $1,685 Clinical Practice Evaluation fee, $365 per-skill retake fee, and $320 credential assessment fee.
• New Brunswick Dental Society, Rules — the educational register and temporary licence for dental assisting students awaiting NDAEB results.
• New Brunswick Dental Society, By-Law No. 17 — Dental Assistants — the Chairside and Certified Level II classifications, the New Brunswick Dental Assistants Association membership requirement, the intra-oral duties rule, and the 900-hour requirement for applicants from other jurisdictions.
• New Brunswick Dental Society, Continuing Education Requirements — the 24-credit minimum per two-year cycle and the non-renewal consequence.
• Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada, CDAC Accredited Dental Assisting Programs, as of March 2026 — Oulton College at 44 weeks and Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, Campbellton, at 37 weeks.
• Oulton College, Become a Certified Dental Assistant Level II in Moncton, NB — the 10-month program, CDAC accreditation, and preparation for the NDAEB exam.
• National Dental Assisting Examining Board, Theory Exam Schedule: the January 4, 2027 registration opening, the March, June, September and December 2027 sittings, and the application deadlines.