South Carolina Dental Assistant Requirements

A dental assistant in South Carolina may perform basic supportive dental procedures specified by the state dental practice act under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist.

There are no initial education or training requirements for this level of dental assisting. It is the responsibility of all dentists to ensure that their auxiliary staff who may be exposed to blood or other body fluids require and provide two (2) hours biennially of continuing education on sterilization and infection control and maintain records of such training.

In settings where sedation is administered, all dental staff who provide direct, hands-on patient care must be certified in CPR at the basic life support level by a board-approved training course, received within the last two years. The operating dentist must provide training for staff with hands-on patient care commensurate with the level and mode of sedation administered. This training must be documented and available for inspection by the department upon request.