How to Become a Dental Assistant in Saskatchewan
Become a dental assistant in Saskatchewan: an accredited dental assisting certificate, the NDAEB theory exam, and registration with the College of Dental Assistants of Saskatchewan.
How to Become a Dental Assistant in Quebec
Become a dental assistant in Quebec by completing a Diploma of Vocational Studies in dental assistance and finding work under a licensed dentist: no regulator, no registration, and no national exam.
Applies in: Quebec
The short answer
Quebec is different from most of Canada: there is no regulator to register with, no professional order for dental assistants, and no national exam to pass. To become a dental assistant in Quebec, complete a Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) in dental assistance and find work in a dental office, clinic, or community health centre under a licensed dentist.
The Government of Quebec lists two DVS programs for this occupation: the DVS in Assistance dentaire under code 5144, taught in French, and the DVS in dental Assistance under code 5644, taught in English. Most training programs are offered in French only. The program is 1,500 hours and includes a stage placement in industry. Once you hold the diploma, you apply directly to employers: there is no registration step and no exam between graduation and work.
Step 1 — Complete the Diploma of Vocational Studies in dental assistance
Enrol in a DVS in dental assistance. The Government of Quebec occupation page lists the DVS in Assistance dentaire, code 5144, and the DVS in dental Assistance, code 5644, and notes that most training programs are offered in French only. The diploma is known in French as a Diplôme d'études professionnelles (DEP).
The program is 1,500 hours, including a stage placement in industry. The Pearson Adult and Career Centre in LaSalle describes its Dental Assistance DEP as training you in everything from chairside assisting to charting and maintaining patient records under the direction and supervision of a licensed dentist, with a stage placement that can include time at the McGill Undergraduate Dental Clinic. Confirm the language of instruction, the start date, and the admission requirements with the school you choose, since these vary by provider.
Step 2 — Learn what the work involves
A Quebec dental assistant contributes to dental care by assisting the dentist during examinations and treatments. The Government of Quebec lists the main tasks as preparing clients for dental examinations, disinfecting and setting up the treatment room, preparing dental equipment, ordering dental and office supplies, assisting the dentist when taking X-rays, polishing the coronal part of the teeth and applying fluoride and sealant, assisting the dentist when taking impressions, fabricating crowns and temporary restorations, and educating clients about dental hygiene.
One limit matters: intra-oral duties are not performed by dental assistants in Quebec. Do not expect the Quebec job to match the intra-oral scope of a registered dental assistant in a province such as Manitoba or Nova Scotia.
Step 3 — Find work under a licensed dentist
Apply directly to employers. Dental assistants in Quebec work in dental offices, community health centres, dental clinics, and educational institutions. There is no application to a regulator and no licence to wait for: you are hired by a dental practice and you work under a licensed dentist.
Job Bank states the employment requirements for Quebec as completion of an eight-month to one-year college or other program in dental assistance, or completion of secondary school with on-the-job training. The college program is the route most people take, and a DVS is the credential Quebec employers recognize.
Step 4 — Understand what Quebec does not require
Do not spend time or money on steps that belong to other provinces:
- No registration. Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces except Quebec and Ontario.
- No NDAEB exam. Certification by the National Dental Assisting Examining Board is required to perform intra-oral duties in all provinces except in Quebec, where intra-oral duties are not performed by dental assistants. The NDAEB itself lists the provinces where its certificate is required for new graduates, and Quebec is not among them.
- No professional order. The Dental Act states that all the dentists qualified to practise dentistry in Quebec constitute the Ordre des dentistes du Québec, and that a member of the Order is a person entered on the roll. That order regulates dentists, not dental assistants.
If you later move to another province, expect a different system: most other provinces require registration with their regulator and the NDAEB certificate, so check that province's requirements before you move.
What the job pays
Job Bank, using Employment Insurance survey data, puts the Quebec wage for dental assistants at a median of $26.00 an hour (low $21.00, high $30.16), updated November 19, 2025, for the 2023–2024 reference period. The Canada-wide median is $27.00 an hour. Pay varies by region — the Capitale-Nationale median is $27.00 an hour, while Centre-du-Québec is $24.00 — so check the region where you will work, not just the provincial figure.
What the opened pages do not state
The opened pages publish no tuition or program fee for the DVS, so this guide prints none; ask the school for its current fees before you enrol. The Government of Quebec page links to the training directory for program details rather than listing every provider, so this guide names no full list of schools; the Pearson Adult and Career Centre program named here is one provider, not the only one. No college-level attestation route in dental assistance was verified on an opened official page at build time, so this guide names only the DEP/DVS route. This guide gives no advice on whether you qualify for a program — that is the school's decision when it assesses your application.
Related guides:
- How to Become a Dental Assistant in Manitoba — the Manitoba route, where registration with the Manitoba Dental Association and the NDAEB exam are both required.
- How to Become a Dental Assistant in Nova Scotia — the Nova Scotia route, through the Nova Scotia Regulator of Dentistry and Dental Assisting and the NDAEB exam.
- 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, the other province with no registration requirement, where the NDAEB certificate is still needed for intra-oral duties.
- 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.
Becoming a dental assistant in Quebec, in five steps
- Choose the Diploma of Vocational Studies in dental assistanceQuebec lists two DVS programs: code 5144 in French and code 5644 in English. Most training programs are offered in French only.
- Complete the 1,500-hour program, including a work placementThe program trains you to work chairside, assist procedures, and keep patient records under the direction and supervision of a licensed dentist.
- Apply to dental offices, clinics, and community health centresDental assistants in Quebec work in dental offices, community health centres, dental clinics, and educational institutions.
- Work under a licensed dentistThere is no regulator to register with in Quebec. You are hired by a dental practice and work under a licensed dentist.
- Know what the job does not includeNo national exam is required in Quebec, and intra-oral duties are not performed by dental assistants in Quebec.
Questions people ask
Is there a regulator or professional order for dental assistants in Quebec?
No. Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces except Quebec and Ontario. In Quebec, the Ordre des dentistes du Québec is the professional order for dentists: under the Dental Act, all the dentists qualified to practise dentistry in Quebec constitute the Order, and a member of the Order is a person entered on the roll. Dental assistants are not members of that Order and have no order of their own.
Do I need to pass the NDAEB exam to work as a dental assistant in Quebec?
No. Certification by the National Dental Assisting Examining Board is required to perform intra-oral duties in all provinces except in Quebec, where intra-oral duties are not performed by dental assistants. Quebec is also absent from the NDAEB list of provinces where its certificate is required for new graduates seeking registration.
What training do I need to become a dental assistant in Quebec?
Complete a Diploma of Vocational Studies, known in French as a Diplôme d'études professionnelles (DEP), in dental assistance. Quebec lists the DVS in Assistance dentaire under code 5144 and the DVS in dental Assistance under code 5644. The program is 1,500 hours, including a stage placement in industry, and it trains you to perform chairside assisting procedures and related office and laboratory tasks under the direction and supervision of a licensed dentist.
Are dental assistance programs in Quebec taught in French?
Most training programs are offered in French only, according to the Government of Quebec occupation page. Code 5144 is the French-language program and code 5644 is the English-language program. Check the language of instruction with the school before you apply.
Can I become a dental assistant in Quebec without a college program?
Job Bank lists two routes for Quebec: completion of an eight-month to one-year college or other program in dental assistance, or completion of secondary school with on-the-job training. The college program is the usual route, and employers hire on the strength of the training.
What work does a dental assistant do in Quebec?
Dental assistants prepare clients for dental examinations by the dentist, disinfect and set up the treatment room, prepare dental equipment, assist the dentist when taking X-rays and impressions, polish the coronal part of the teeth, apply fluoride and sealant, fabricate crowns and temporary restorations, and educate clients about dental hygiene. They do this under the direction and supervision of a licensed dentist.
Sources
- Government of Quebec, Dental Assistants and Dental Laboratory Assistants — the DVS programs under codes 5144 and 5644, that most training programs are offered in French only, the workplaces, and the main tasks of a dental assistant.
- Job Bank, Dental Assistant in Québec — Job requirements — the eight-month to one-year program or secondary school with on-the-job training, that registration is required in all provinces except Quebec and Ontario, and that intra-oral duties are not performed by dental assistants in Quebec.
- Lester B. Pearson School Board, Dental Assistance DEP — the 1,500-hour Diplôme d'Études Professionnelles, the stage placement in industry, and training under the direction and supervision of a licensed dentist.
- Légis Québec, Dental Act — that all dentists qualified to practise dentistry in Quebec constitute the Ordre des dentistes du Québec, and that a member of the Order is a person entered on the roll.
- National Dental Assisting Examining Board, NDAEB — the provinces where the NDAEB certificate is required for new graduates seeking registration, which do not include Quebec.
- Job Bank, Certified Dental Assistant in Canada — Wages — the Quebec median wage of $26.00 an hour (low $21.00, high $30.16) and the Canada median of $27.00, updated November 19, 2025, reference period 2023–2024.