Resume template · Updated October 2026
Dental assistant resume template
Short answer
Olivia suits a dental assistant: it prints skills above experience, so chairside procedures, radiographs and practice software are read first, and its blue header band stands out when a small practice compares applications on screen. The fictional sample assists four dentists at a family practice after starting in sterilization, speaks Korean with patients and holds DANB's Certified Dental Assistant credential.
Download the dental assistant sample
Brianna is a fictional certified dental assistant (CDA). Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Olivia suits a dental assistant resume
Olivia prints skills before work experience, so four-handed assisting, radiographs, infection control and Dentrix are read before the jobs. The full-width blue band with the name in white stands out on screen in a small practice where the dentist or office manager reads every application, and the labelled rows give a second language its own line.
Second choice: Meridian. Meridian keeps the same skills-first order with no colour, a better fit for a large group practice or a hospital dental clinic.
What goes in each section, in Olivia's order
Olivia prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Practice type (general, pediatric, orthodontic, oral surgery), the procedures you assist with and your credentials. One line about patients (children, nervous adults, a second language) helps a dentist picture you chairside.
- Skills. Clinical tasks on the Technical row (four-handed assisting, radiographs, impressions or scans, sterilization), systems on the Tools row (practice software, imaging, scanners) and languages on a row of their own.
- Work Experience. Dentists supported, patients a day, procedures assisted, images taken, rooms turned over. A bullet on infection control shows you know the part of the job patients never see.
- Education. Dental assisting program certificate with the year, or high school diploma if you trained in the office.
- Certifications. DANB credentials, any state dental assistant credential or radiography permit, and BLS. Olivia prints these near the end, so name the main credential in your headline.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Brianna Kim
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)
Spokane, WA | brianna.kim@example.com | (509) 555-0116
Certified dental assistant at a four-dentist family practice, assisting with restorative, endodontic and pediatric procedures and taking digital radiographs. Sets up and turns over operatories, runs instrument sterilization and keeps charts current in Dentrix. Explains aftercare to Korean-speaking patients and families.
Experience
Dental Assistant, Riverside Family Dental, Spokane, WA (06/2021 to Present)
- Assist four dentists with about 18 patients a day, including fillings, crowns, root canals and pediatric visits.
- Take bitewing, periapical and panoramic images with digital sensors and file them in Dentrix.
- Run sterilization and instrument tracking for six operatories, logging weekly spore tests.
- Take digital impressions with the intraoral scanner for crowns and night guards.
- Explain aftercare to patients and families, in Korean when needed.
Sterilization Technician, Pine Ridge Pediatric Dentistry, Spokane, WA (08/2019 to 05/2021)
- Cleaned, packaged and sterilized instruments for a busy pediatric practice.
- Turned over rooms between patients and restocked supplies.
- Moved to chairside assisting in my second year after in-office training.
Education
Certificate, Dental Assisting, Inland Northwest Technical College (06/2019)
Certifications
- Certified Dental Assistant (CDA), DANB (2022)
- BLS Provider, American Heart Association (2025)
Skills
Four-handed chairside assisting, Digital radiographs, Infection control and sterilization, Impressions and intraoral scans, Patient education, Charting, Dentrix, Digital x-ray sensors, Intraoral scanner, Calming nervous patients, English (native), Korean (fluent)
How to make the sample yours
Match the specialty
Orthodontic, oral surgery and pediatric practices each have their own setups and patient routines. Swap the procedures for the ones that practice does, limited to duties you have performed and your state allows.
Check radiography rules
States may set their own licensing requirements for assistants who take x-rays. List the permit or certificate your state issues, in its exact name.
Make infection control concrete
Spore testing, instrument tracking, operatory turnover: specifics reassure any dentist more than "followed OSHA guidelines".
List languages at their true level
A second language helps with families and nervous patients; write "fluent" only if it is.
From sterilization or front desk to chairside
Say when you moved chairside and how you trained, as the sample does in its second job.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- dental assistant
- chairside assisting
- four-handed dentistry
- dental radiography
- infection control
- sterilization
- operatory setup
- impressions
- intraoral scanning
- patient education
- dental charting
- Dentrix
- CDA
- BLS
Mistakes to avoid
- Listing expanded duties your state does not allow assistants to perform.
- Leaving out radiography and infection control experience.
- Patient names or case photos.
- A summary that never says what type of practice you work in.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
Frequently asked questions
Do dental assistants need a license?
It depends on the state and the duties. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says states typically do not require licenses for entry-level assistants, but some require licensure, registration or certification, and states that allow expanded duties require a license. Check your state dental board.
Is the DANB CDA worth listing?
Yes, if you hold it. DANB's CDA exam combines its RHS, ICE and GC component exams (radiation safety, infection control and general chairside work), so the credential covers what dentists rely on most. List it with the year.
How do I write a dental assistant resume with no experience?
Lead with your dental assisting program: externship hours, procedures assisted, radiographs taken under supervision. Add customer-facing jobs that show you stay calm with people.
Should I list the dental software I know?
Yes, by name: Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, imaging software, scanners. Knowing the practice's system means you can chart on your first day.
What should a dental assistant summary include?
Practice type, years, main procedures and credentials in two or three lines, plus a language if you speak one with patients.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Olivia PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 section headings and all 8 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- DANB: Certified Dental Assistant exam (credential name Certified Dental Assistant; the CDA exam includes the RHS, ICE and GC exams taken together)
- DANB: Your CDA Certification Roadmap (component exams: Radiation Health and Safety (RHS), Infection Control (ICE) and General Chairside Assisting (GC); passed separately within five years or together as the CDA exam)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Dental Assistants, How to Become One (states typically do not require licenses for entry-level assistants; some require licensure, registration or certification; expanded duties require a license; states may set licensing requirements for radiography)
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