GENERAL DUTIES

Basic Dental Assistant's duties can vary depending on where you are assigned. You must always remember to remain flexible, meaning one day you could be a chairside assistant, assisting a dentist with patient care. Or you could be assigned to the front desk, preparing patients and dental records for dental treatment that day. Here are some of the duties of the DT rating that vou must be qualified to perform:

Assisting a dental officer in treating patients.

Maintaining the central appointment desk, daily dental appointments, and dental office records.

Preparing dental treatment records, including dental charts under the direction of dental officers.

Performing oral prophylactic treatments (dental tooth polishing) and removing supragingival calculus (dental tarter above the gum line) under the supervision of a dental officer.

Performing preventive dentistry treatments and instructing patients in oral hygiene under the supervision of a dental officer.

Exposing, processing, and mounting dental radiographs (X-ray films) as prescribed by written or verbal order of a dental officer.

Preparing dental materials and medications used in patient treatment.

Sharpening, disinfecting, preparing, sterilizing instruments and equipment.

Performing operator and preventive maintenance on dental equipment.

Maintaining cleanliness of dental spaces.

Rendering dental and medical aid to casualties of war or peacetime disasters.

Performing such other duties in caring for dental patients and dental facilities as may be directed by those in authority.

The duties listed above are just a handful of assignments that you may perform. You may want to enhance your naval career by receiving additional training. Contact your career counselor if you have any questions regarding additional training. Next, we will discuss the different dental career paths you can take.

NAVY ENLISTED CLASSIFICATIONS

The Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) system is used to identify enlisted personnel with special skills, knowledge, or aptitude for filling billets and other management purposes. Enlisted dental personnel must be familiar with the Manual of Enlisted Manpower and Personnel Classifications and Occupational Standards, NAVPERS 18068.

DENTAL TECHNICIAN NAVY ENLISTED CLASSIFICATIONS

Dental Technician NECs are used to identify personnel with special skills within the dental rating. All dental-related NECs are contained in the 8700 series. As a Dental Assistant, Basic, Class A school graduate you will receive a rating designator or a source rating of DT. Sometimes you might see the source rating of DT followed by quad zeros (for example, DT-0000). This is not an NEC, but is used when no entry or special NEC is assigned to your billet (job). The DT-0000 identifier is used by the Bureau of Naval Personnel (PERS-407, dental detailers) for job assignment identification and the Enlisted Personnel Management Center (EPMAC) for the functional placement of basic Dental Assistants to specific billets.

If you have an opportunity to be assigned with the Fleet Marine Force or a naval construction battalion, you will attend a Class C school and graduate with an NEC of DT-8707. This NEC is carried only when actually assigned to a billet with the FMF or NMCB. When you finish your tour and roll back to shore or a sea duty assignment, the NEC of DT-8707 will not be assigned. You still hold this NEC in inventory and can be activated again if serving with the FMF, NMCB, or in a billet that requires an NEC of 8707. Following is a description of the 8707 NEC.

DT-8707, Field Service Technician: Assists dental officer in providing treatment in the field. Provides technical and administrative assistance to support the mission and functions of Navy and Marine Corps field units. Maintains organizational level of Authorized Dental Allowance Lists (ADALs). Prepares, reviews, and coordinates logistics requirements. Ensures the observance and the practice of field sanitary measures. Augments and assists medical personnel in providing emergency medical care to field or combat casualties to include assistance with medical evacuation procedures.

If you possess the necessary qualifications as listed in the Catalog of Navy Training Courses (CANTRAC), you may request specialized training at a Dental Technician, Class C School. Upon graduation you will be assigned an NEC in the 8700 series, which we will look at next. Specialized training is highly competitive and is available to dental personnel in the many areas of dentistry.

CLOSED-LOOPED NECS

Closed-looped means that once you earn that NEC you will be assigned to that NEC and billet requirement. The following are closed-looped NECs that are currently available to basic Dental Technicians. Full descriptions for these NECs and requirements can be found in the Enlisted Manpower and Personnel Occupational Standards and Classifications, NAVPERS 18068.

DT-8703, Dental Administrative Technician:

Assists the dental officer in organizing and managing a dental clinic or facility. Performs advanced dental administrative, logistical, and financial duties. Provides technical assistance in organizing and conducting dental health education programs and enlisted training. Assists in planning and coordinating fleet (operational) medical and dental support.

DT-8708, Dental Hygienist: An out-of-service 2-year accredited training program that produces an Associate of Arts (AA) degree. Possesses knowledge and clinical competence required to provide current, comprehensive dental hygiene services under the direction and supervision of a dental officer. Dental hygiene includes but is not limited to: clinical infection control procedures; data gathering; exposing and processing radiographs; dental hygiene assessment and treatment planning; oral health education including health promotion, disease prevention, behavior modification and nutritional counseling; cleaning removable appliances and prostheses; polishing restorations; provision of therapeutic dental hygiene services including, but not limited to, periodontal scaling and root planning, application of pit and fissure sealants and anticariogenic agents (fluorides); application of chemotherapeutic agents; pain control and other patient services as identified by the dental officer.

DT-8732, Dental Equipment Repair Technician: Handles the maintenance, repair, and installation of dental equipment and diagnostic devices. Monitors dental equipment safety programs. Provides technical advice and assistance for dental clinic or facility design, alteration, and equipage. Administers the Dental Equipment Maintenance and Repair Program.

DT-8752, Dental Laboratory Technician, Basic: Performs basic and intermediate level prosthetic laboratory procedures. Fabricates and finishes dental prostheses such as complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and other prescribed protective and restorative intraoral appliances. Repairs, reconstructs. and relines dental prostheses. Conducts routine and prescribed equipment maintenance.

DT-8753, Dental Laboratory Technician, Advanced: Performs and supervises procedures and techniques in the construction of complex and precision dental prostheses such as fixed partial dentures, porcelain fused to metal systems, dental ceramic arts, precision attachment prostheses, and the arrangement of artificial teeth for aesthetic, phonetic, and functional requirements. Coordinates technical and clinical applications and dental technology training.

DT-8765, Dental Laboratory Technician, Maxillofacial: Assists the maxillofacial prosthodontist in the clinical and technical procedures required to fabricate prostheses and appliances for oral, craniofacial, and other anatomical defects. Constructs and finishes ocular, extraoral, intraoral, and somato prostheses of silicone and other related materials. Designs and constructs stone, metal, or silicone molds for prosthetic rehabilitation procedures. Performs other intermediate and advanced level prosthetic laboratory techniques and procedures as prescribed. Consults with and assists other medical and dental specialists in related disciplines.

DT-8783, Dental Surgical Technologist:

Assists dental officers in carrying out surgical techniques. Provides perioperative nursing care, safety, and support to patients before, during, and after surgery. Selects, sterilizes, and prepares instruments and materials in an aseptic environment necessary for surgery. Maintains surgical equipment and records. Assists with instruction, supervision, and evaluation of students and other DTs or HMs and assigned duties relating to maxillofacial surgery. Maintains dental central sterilization facilities in medical treatment facilities (MTFs), dental treatment facilities (DTFs), and operational units.