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Dental Assisting Schools in Pennsylvania
25 schools in Pennsylvania offer dental assisting-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 5 registered apprenticeship programs in Pennsylvania train dental assisting apprentices — see apprenticeships.
Occupation pay is what working dental assisting professionals in Pennsylvania earn (all experience levels) — school "earnings" figures above are medians for each school's recent federally-aided students across all its programs, which read lower.
Dental Assisting licensing in Pennsylvania: No license required
Pennsylvania does not license or register dental assistants — you can start chairside with no state credential. Two duty-specific rules apply: taking x-rays requires passing the Board-adopted radiologic procedure exam, the DANB Radiation Health & Safety (RHS) exam — this is the only route, and a dental assisting diploma alone does not substitute — and performing expanded restorative functions requires the State Board of Dentistry's EFDA certification, which takes a board-approved education program plus a state written exam administered by Pearson VUE. Voluntary DANB CDA certification is widely preferred by employers.
Official source: Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry (Department of State, BPOA) · Exam: DANB RHS exam (the Board-adopted radiologic procedure examination) for x-ray authorization; Pennsylvania EFDA examination administered by Pearson VUE for expanded-function certification · Typical requirement: No education or license requirement for basic chairside assisting. To perform radiologic procedures, auxiliary personnel must pass the radiologic procedure examination adopted by the Board — the DANB Radiation Health & Safety (RHS) exam (49 Pa. Code § 33.302); the exam is the only pathway, and graduating from an accredited dental assisting program does not substitute for it. EFDA certification requires graduating from a Board-approved EFDA education program (associate-degree program, a certificate/diploma program of at least 200 hours of clinical and didactic instruction from a CODA-accredited institution, or a CODA-accredited dental hygiene school with at least 75 hours of restorative-functions instruction) and passing the state EFDA written examination.
Official license records related to dental assisting in Pennsylvania
From the U.S. Department of Labor's License Finder — these may include contractor, specialty, or related licenses beyond entry-level requirements:
- Expanded Function Dental Assistant — Department of State~Bureau of Professional & Occupational Affairs~Dentistry Board
- Dental Hygienist — Department of State~Bureau of Professional & Occupational Affairs~Dentistry Board
- Dental Anesthesia Permit — Department of State~Bureau of Professional & Occupational Affairs~Dentistry Board
- Physician Assistant Certification — Department of State~Bureau of Professional & Occupational Affairs~Medicine Board
- Physical Therapist Assistant — Department of State~Bureau of Professional & Occupational Affairs~Physical Therapy Board
- Occupational Therapist Assistant — Department of State~Bureau of Professional & Occupational Affairs~Occupational Therapy Board
Wage and license data provided by CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) and Minnesota DEED.
Schools, ranked by earnings per tuition dollar
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland County Community College | Youngwood | public | $5,167 | 26.4% | $37,439 |
| Luzerne County Community College | Nanticoke | public | $9,433 | 24.1% | $40,437 |
| Reading Area Community College | Reading | public | $9,228 | 21.2% | $39,082 |
| Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology | Pleasant Gap | public | $9,857 | 90.8% | $41,677 |
| Montgomery County Community College | Blue Bell | public | $11,124 | 24.9% | $46,108 |
| York County School of Technology-Adult & Continuing Education | York | public | $13,490 | 89.7% | $54,322 |
| Manor College | Jenkintown | private nonprofit | $13,078 | 39.7% | $46,825 |
| Northampton County Area Community College | Bethlehem | public | $12,119 | 29.8% | $41,566 |
| Community College of Philadelphia | Philadelphia | public | $11,911 | 18.4% | $40,852 |
| Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center | Altoona | public | $12,419 | 71.5% | $38,008 |
| Harrisburg Area Community College | Harrisburg | public | $14,471 | 21.3% | $42,007 |
| YTI Career Institute-York | York | private for-profit | $14,637 | 77.1% | $40,672 |
| Somerset County Technology Center | Somerset | public | $14,444 | 89.1% | $37,558 |
| Lancaster County Career and Technology Center | Willow Street | public | $17,505 | 77.2% | $44,566 |
| All-State Career School | Essington | private for-profit | $18,205 | 61.7% | $38,495 |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology | Williamsport | public | $25,110 | 61% | $52,567 |
| PITC Institute | Wyncote | private for-profit | $28,276 | 49.6% | $58,389 |
| Harcum College | Bryn Mawr | private nonprofit | $24,776 | 51.5% | $46,827 |
| Commonwealth Technical Institute | Johnstown | private nonprofit | $11,714 | 81.4% | $21,632 |
| Great Lakes Institute of Technology | Erie | private for-profit | $17,540 | 69.7% | $28,704 |
| Miller-Motte College-Berks Technical Institute | Wyomissing | private for-profit | $19,518 | 48.8% | $31,102 |
| Fortis Institute-Scranton | Scranton | private for-profit | $20,186 | 56.3% | $30,224 |
| YTI Career Institute-Altoona | Altoona | private for-profit | $20,822 | 64.7% | $30,188 |
| Institute of Medical Careers | Pittsburgh | private for-profit | $21,392 | 69.5% | not reported |
| Berks Career & Technology Center | Leesport | public | $20,536 | 70% | not reported |
Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Figures are institution-wide federal medians for each school as a whole — not dental assisting graduates specifically. Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
Common questions: Dental Assisting school in Pennsylvania
- How much do Dental Assisting schools cost in Pennsylvania?
- The median annual net price (what students actually pay after aid) across 25 dental assisting schools in Pennsylvania is $14,471. Individual schools range widely — the table above shows each school's real cost, not sticker price.
- Do you need a license to work as a dental assisting in Pennsylvania?
- Pennsylvania does not license or register dental assistants — you can start chairside with no state credential. Two duty-specific rules apply: taking x-rays requires passing the Board-adopted radiologic procedure exam, the DANB Radiation Health & Safety (RHS) exam — this is the only route, and a dental assisting diploma alone does not substitute — and performing expanded restorative functions requires the State Board of Dentistry's EFDA certification, which takes a board-approved education program plus a state written exam administered by Pearson VUE. Voluntary DANB CDA certification is widely preferred by employers.
- Can you get paid to train as a dental assisting in Pennsylvania?
- Yes — Pennsylvania has 5 registered apprenticeship programs where you earn wages while you train instead of paying tuition. See the dental assisting apprenticeships page for the current list.
- What does a dental assisting earn in Pennsylvania?
- Working dental assisting professionals in Pennsylvania earn a median of $47,930 per year, ranging from about $38,040 to $61,430 (U.S. Department of Labor). This is what people in the job earn, which differs from a school's reported graduate-earnings figure.
Aid deadlines for dental assisting programs in Pennsylvania
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Dental Assisting schools in nearby states
- Dental Assisting schools in New Jersey
- Dental Assisting schools in New York
- Dental Assisting schools in Alabama
- Dental Assisting schools in Alaska
- Dental Assisting schools in Arizona
- Dental Assisting schools in Arkansas
- Dental Assisting schools in California
- Dental Assisting schools in Colorado
- Dental Assisting schools in Connecticut
- Dental Assisting schools in Delaware
See all states & the full dental assisting guide →