How to Become a Dental Assistant in Prince Edward Island

The short answer

To work as a dental assistant in Prince Edward Island you must be registered and licensed by the Prince Edward Island Dental College (PEIDC). The route, in order, is: graduate from an accredited dental assisting program, pass the National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) Theory Exam, gather your documents and complete CPR/BLS training, and apply through the College online system. If you have not yet received your NDAEB certificate, you can start on a conditional licence and you have one year to complete the exam.

The College was formerly known as the Dental Council of Prince Edward Island. Older pages that still name the Dental Council refer to the same regulator under its former name. The NDAEB lists the Prince Edward Island Dental College as the Prince Edward Island regulatory authority, at 184 Belvedere Avenue, Charlottetown, PEI C1A 2Z1, phone (902) 628-8156.

Step 1 — Graduate from an accredited dental assisting program

Complete a dental assisting program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Holland College offers a Dental Assisting program in Charlottetown, with two practicums and a clinical placement, and students run a public low-cost dental clinic under the supervision of a dentist. Admission needs Grade 12 with academic English at 65 percent and Grade 11 or 12 academic biology at 65 percent, plus in-person Standard First Aid and CPR, a WHMIS certificate, and an immunization form completed before the program starts. Job Bank states that dental assistants in Prince Edward Island generally need an eight-month to one-year college program in dental assistance.

Step 2 — Pass the NDAEB Theory Exam

Pass the NDAEB Theory Exam and hold the NDAEB certificate. The NDAEB states that all Canadian dental assisting regulatory authorities except Quebec require initial registrants to hold the NDAEB certificate. The Theory Exam costs $730 in total: a $100 non-refundable application fee plus a $630 examination fee. A practice examination costs $75, withdrawing from the Theory Exam costs $210 if you withdraw 15 or more days before the exam date, and a remedial fourth Theory Exam attempt costs $50.

The 2027 Theory Exam sittings are March 23–25 (apply by February 1), June 23–25 (apply by May 3), September 22–24 (apply by July 30), and December 8–10 (apply by October 18). Registration for the 2027 sittings opens January 4, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and each application deadline is 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

If you have not yet received your NDAEB certificate, you can still apply: you will be considered a provisional registrant with a conditional licence, and you will have one year from your date of licensure to complete the NDAEB exam and submit a copy of your certificate to the PEIDC. If you do not complete this within one year, your name will be removed from the dental assistants register and the College will notify your employer.

Step 3 — Gather your documents and complete CPR/BLS training

Before you apply, gather the documents the PEIDC requires in the online application:

• A recent passport-style photo of yourself, taken within the past 12 months.
• A government-issued identity document: a notarized or certified copy of a passport, birth certificate, citizenship card, or proof of permanent residency status, or a notarized or certified copy of the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada authorization that permits you to practise dentistry in Canada.
• A certified copy of your graduation certificate from a dental assisting program accredited by CDAC or CODA.
• A letter from your school verifying your graduation from a dental assisting program.
• Your NDAEB certificate, or a conditional licence application if you do not yet hold it.
• Your current CPR/BLS certificate from an in-person hands-on course by a provider recognized by the Council.
• Proof of professional liability insurance of $1 million per claim or occurrence and an aggregate limit of no less than $3 million.
• A Vulnerable Sector Search and a Criminal Record Check, performed and dated within the previous 12 months.
• Two written character references from non-family members who have known you for the past four years. The letters must be signed and dated, state how long the person has known you, and have been written within the past 12 months.

Documents must be uploaded in .jpg, .png, or .pdf format, no larger than 8 MB each.

Step 4 — Create an HMS account and apply

Applications for registration are submitted through the College online registration system, called HMS. Your first step is to go to the HMS app, click Register now, and create a basic account, selecting dental assistant as your profession and general registration as your registration type. You cannot log in before the Registrar approves your basic account. Pay the application fee and follow the payment instructions on screen. After your payment is received and the Registrar approves your basic account, you will get an email notification with a link to log in for the first time.

In your HMS profile, fill out all mandatory information and upload the required documents. Required fields are marked, and a missing section is flagged on its tab. Under the Legal section, read the legal statements, check all the boxes, and sign your full legal name.

Step 5 — Pay the registration fee and receive your licence

Pay the registration fee according to the PEIDC fee schedule. Application fees are non-refundable. The application fee is $65. The registration fee is $150 for a full year for applications from April 1 to August 31, or $75 prorated for applications from September 1 to March 31. The annual licence renewal fee is $150, the reinstatement fee for lapsed registrations is $150, and a verification or letter of good standing costs $50.

The Registrar will review all your information and documents, and if satisfied that you meet all requirements to practise dental assistance in Prince Edward Island, will activate your account. The system will send you an account activation notification by email. Your registration certificate and payment receipts will be under the payment history heading in your member profile. You cannot begin to practise without a licence.

If you graduated from a non-accredited program

Graduates of non-accredited dental assisting programs must pass a written exam and then register for and complete the Clinical Practice Evaluation (CPE) administered by the NDAEB. Individuals who do not have an NDAEB certificate must pass the written exam before registering for the CPE. The CPE costs $1,685 plus a $100 application fee. A retake costs $1,685 plus a $100 retake application fee, or $365 per skill for a retake of four skills or fewer. Graduates of a non-registered program also pay a $320 credential assessment fee.

What the opened pages do not state

The PEIDC registration page states no processing time for an application, so this guide gives none. The opened pages publish no program tuition for the Holland College Dental Assisting program, so this guide gives none. The Holland College page states no program length, so this guide states only the Job Bank figure of eight months to one year for dental assistants in Prince Edward Island. The PEIDC fee schedule states no late fee for dental assistants, so this guide gives none. This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify — that is the College decision when it assesses your application.

Related guides:

• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Nova Scotia — the Nova Scotia route, also through an accredited program and the NDAEB exam but under a different regulator.
• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Manitoba — the Manitoba route, through the Manitoba Dental Association and the NDAEB exam, with provisional registration for recent graduates.
• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Alberta — the Alberta route, also through an accredited program and the NDAEB exam but under a different regulator.
• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Ontario — the Ontario route, where registration is not required but the NDAEB certificate is needed for intra-oral duties.
• How to Become a Dental Assistant in Saskatchewan — the Saskatchewan route, through the College of Dental Assistants of Saskatchewan and the NDAEB exam.
• How to Become a Dental Hygienist in Canada — the dental hygienist route, a separate regulated oral health profession with its own regulator in each province.

Special registration for a short stay

If you are already registered in another province and need to practise in Prince Edward Island for a special purpose for a limited time, the College also offers special registration for Registered Dental Assistants. Under the PEIDC fee schedule, the special registration application fee is $40 and the special registration fee is $65 for a 30 day period. Special registration is separate from general registration: if you are moving to the Island to work on an ongoing basis, apply for general registration instead.

Sources

• Prince Edward Island Dental College, Dental assistants — general registration — the HMS online account, the required documents, the one-year conditional licence for new graduates, the non-accredited program route, the 1 million dollar per claim and 3 million dollar aggregate insurance limits, and the 12-month limits on photos, record checks, and references.
• Prince Edward Island Dental College, Fee schedule — the 65 dollar application fee, the 150 dollar full-year and 75 dollar prorated registration fees, the 150 dollar annual renewal and reinstatement fees, and the 50 dollar verification fee.
• Prince Edward Island Dental College, Policy: First Application for a Dental Assistant Licence in PEI — that all dental assistants must be registered and licensed by the PEIDC, and the one-year conditional licence rule for provisional registrants.
• National Dental Assisting Examining Board, Registration and Licensure — that the NDAEB is not a regulatory body, that all regulators except Quebec require the NDAEB certificate, and the Prince Edward Island Dental College as the Prince Edward Island authority with its Charlottetown address and phone number.
• National Dental Assisting Examining Board, Fees — the Theory Exam 100 dollar application fee and 630 dollar examination fee, the 1,685 dollar Clinical Practice Evaluation fee, the 320 dollar credential assessment fee, the 75 dollar practice examination, the 210 dollar withdrawal fee, and the 50 dollar remedial attempt fee.
• National Dental Assisting Examining Board, Theory Exam Schedule — the 2027 Theory Exam sittings, the January 4, 2027 registration opening, and the application deadlines.
• Holland College, Dental Assisting — the Charlottetown program, the admission requirements, the two practicums and clinical placement, and the public low-cost dental clinic.
• Job Bank, Dental Assistant in Prince Edward Island — the eight-month to one-year college program and the NDAEB certification requirement for intra-oral duties.