How to Become a Dental Assistant in Prince Edward Island
Become a dental assistant in Prince Edward Island: an accredited program, the NDAEB exam, and registration with the PEI Dental College.
How to Become a Dental Assistant in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador dental assistants license with the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board after an accredited program and the NDAEB certificate.
Applies in: Newfoundland and Labrador
The short answer
In Newfoundland and Labrador, dental assistants license with the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board. The route is: complete an accredited dental assisting program, hold the National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) certificate, then apply to the Board with the supporting documents and the fees. The Board licenses Registered Dental Assistants. The NDAEB certificate is the national exam credential; the Board is the regulator that licenses you to practise in the province.
This is Newfoundland and Labrador's own arrangement. Other provinces register dental assistants through their own bodies — the New Brunswick Dental Society, the College of Alberta Dental Assistants, and others — so do not carry another province's registration steps or fees into a Newfoundland and Labrador application.
The regulator, stated plainly
The Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board is the province's dental assisting regulatory authority, at Suite 204, 55 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's. The NDAEB's own registration page lists the Board as the province's regulatory authority and states that all Canadian dental assisting regulatory authorities except Quebec require new registrants to hold the NDAEB certificate. The NDAEB is not a regulator: it administers the national examination and issues the certificate the Board requires.
Step 1: Complete an accredited program
Dental assistants usually require completion of an eight-month to one-year college or other program in dental assistance. In the province, Keyin College in St. John's runs a 62-week program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada, with accreditation approved with reporting requirements. Choose a CDAC-accredited program: graduates of non-accredited programs face an extra step at licensure, set out below.
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 and for some returning applicants, costs $1,685 plus a $100 application fee; individual skill retakes cost $365 per skill for four skills or fewer. Graduates of non-registered programs must also pay a $320 credential assessment fee before they can sit the examination.
Step 3: Apply to the Board
Registered Dental Assistants are eligible for licensure with the Board if they meet one of the following:
- Accredited program, within three years. You graduated from an accredited program, apply for licensure within three years of graduation, and hold an NDAEB Certificate.
- Accredited program, more than three years. You graduated from an accredited program, hold the NDAEB Certificate, and apply more than three years after graduation, or have not practised for the same period. You must show successful completion of a professional re-entry program, including clinical and didactic content as prescribed by the Board, or successful completion of a Clinical Practice Evaluation.
- Non-accredited program. You graduated from a non-accredited program and hold the NDAEB Certificate. You must complete a Clinical Practice Evaluation.
- Already licensed elsewhere. The Board will consider, under the Mutual Recognition Agreement for Dental Assistants, a Registered Dental Assistant who is currently licensed or certified and in good standing in another Canadian jurisdiction.
With the application, you must provide a copy of the certificate from the school you graduated from, a completed application form properly notarized by a Commissioner of Oaths, Justice of the Peace, Notary Public, or lawyer, a copy of the NDAEB Certificate and the Clinical Practice Evaluation Certificate if necessary, proof of CPR Level C with AED valid for two years from the date of issuance, a letter of good standing from each licensing board where you have ever held a licence, proof of current membership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Assistant's Association, and verification of malpractice insurance through a provider approved by the Board.
Two requirements deserve attention before you apply. First, the CPR course must be in-person training: online training is not accepted. Second, the association membership is a licensure requirement, not an optional extra — the Board asks for proof of current membership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Assistant's Association as part of the application.
What licensure costs
The registration fee is $35 and the licensing fee is $130, with the licensing fee prorated per month and any part of a month considered a full month. Fees must accompany the application. The NDAEB examination fees are separate from the Board's fees, and tuition is separate again: the Board's page publishes no tuition figure, and neither does this guide.
What the opened pages do not state
The Board's page does not publish a renewal period or a continuing education requirement for Registered Dental Assistants, so this guide states neither. It does not publish the cost of the professional re-entry program or of malpractice insurance, so this guide states no figure for either. It does not publish a processing time for licensure applications, so this guide gives none. It does not publish a wage figure for dental assistants in Newfoundland and Labrador, so this guide states no pay rate.
Related guides:
- How to Become a Dental Assistant in New Brunswick — the neighbouring Atlantic province, where the New Brunswick Dental Society 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.
Becoming a licensed dental assistant in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Complete an accredited dental assisting programKeyin College in St. John's runs a 62-week CDAC-accredited program. Job Bank puts the usual program length at eight months to one year.
- Pass the NDAEB theory examinationThe theory examination costs $730 in total: a $630 examination fee plus a $100 non-refundable application fee.
- Apply to the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental BoardThe registration fee is $35 and the licensing fee is $130, prorated per month. Fees must accompany the application.
- Submit the supporting documentsYour school certificate, NDAEB certificate, in-person CPR Level C with AED, proof of association membership, and proof of malpractice insurance.
- Hold a licence to practiseLicensed dental assistants in the province are called Registered Dental Assistants, and the licence must be renewed with the Board.
Questions people ask
Do dental assistants need to be licensed in Newfoundland and Labrador?
Yes. Dental assistants are regulated in Newfoundland and Labrador, and registration with a regulatory body is required. The regulator is the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board, and licensed dental assistants in the province are called Registered Dental Assistants.
Who regulates dental assistants in Newfoundland and Labrador?
The Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board, at Suite 204, 55 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's. The NDAEB, the National Dental Assisting Examining Board, is not a regulator: it administers the national examination and issues the NDAEB certificate, which the Board requires for licensure.
What do I need to be licensed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board?
If you graduated from an accredited program, apply for licensure within three years of graduation, and hold an NDAEB Certificate, you are eligible. If you apply more than three years after graduation, or have not practised for the same period, you must complete a professional re-entry program or pass the Clinical Practice Evaluation. Graduates of non-accredited programs who hold the NDAEB Certificate must complete the Clinical Practice Evaluation. The Board also considers, under the Mutual Recognition Agreement, a Registered Dental Assistant currently licensed and in good standing in another Canadian jurisdiction.
What documents does the Board require with the application?
A copy of the certificate from the school you graduated from, a completed application form properly notarized by a Commissioner of Oaths, Justice of the Peace, Notary Public, or lawyer, a copy of the NDAEB Certificate and the Clinical Practice Evaluation Certificate if necessary, proof of CPR Level C with AED valid for two years from the date of issuance, a letter of good standing from each licensing board where you have ever held a licence, proof of current membership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Assistant's Association, and verification of malpractice insurance through a provider approved by the Board.
What does licensure cost in Newfoundland and Labrador?
The registration fee is $35 and the licensing fee is $130, with the licensing fee prorated per month and any part of a month considered a full month. Fees must accompany the application. The NDAEB theory examination is separate: $730 in total, made up of a $630 examination fee plus a $100 non-refundable application fee.
Does the CPR requirement allow online courses?
No. The Board requires proof of CPR Level C with AED, valid for two years from the date of issuance, or higher. All courses must be in-person training, and online training is not accepted.
Sources
- Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board, Requirements for Licensure — Dental Assistants — the four licensure routes, the required documents, the CPR Level C with AED in-person rule, the association membership and malpractice insurance requirements, and the $35 registration and $130 licensing fees.
- National Dental Assisting Examining Board, Registration and Licensure — the NDAEB is not a regulatory body, the NDAEB certificate requirement, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Board 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.
- Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada, CDAC Accredited Dental Assisting Programs, as of March 2026 — Keyin College, St. John's, at 62 weeks, accredited with reporting requirements.
- Job Bank, Dental Assistant in Newfoundland and Labrador — Job requirements — the eight-month to one-year program length and the registration and NDAEB certification requirements.
- 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.