Registered Dental Assistant in Extended Functions (RDAEF) Program

Reserve your space in the 2023-24 RDAEF Program!

Application

To apply for the program, complete the online application and pay a $2,000 non-refundable deposit with a credit card. Then, email your supporting documentation to cedental@pacific.edu by August 18, 2023. Questions? Call 415.929.6486 or email us at cedental@pacific.edu.

Required documentation

Please submit copies of the following to cedental@pacific.edu by August 18, 2023:

• Current RDA or RDAEF license
• Current CPR certification from the American Red Cross or American Heart Association affiliate
• Certification in radiation safety
• Certification in coronal polishing
• Certification in pit and fissure sealants

and

• Proof of professional liability insurance coverage*
• A signed agreement with your supervising dentist agreeing to administer local anesthetic to your patients during the clinical portions of the program**
• Copies of all patient health histories, consent forms and treatment plans (due before beginning Module III)

*RDAs are required to provide liability insurance for the duration of the program since they will be working on patients and fellow classmates. A copy of the liability insurance certificate must be submitted before the start of the program.

**If there is more than one student per office taking this program, a dentist may supervise up to three assistants from that office throughout the duration of the program.

Liability Insurance Coverage

All RDAs are required to provide professional liability insurance for the duration of the program since they will be working on patients and fellow students. Existing RDAEFs are not required to provide liability insurance, since they will not be working on patients at the dental school. A copy of the liability insurance certificate must be submitted to Pacific, before the start of this program. The following list of resources provides suggestions gathered from former RDAEF students. Pacific has no affiliation with, nor do we endorse any of these companies. You are free to choose your own insurance company.

Proliability
www.proliability.com

National Professional Purchasing Group Association, Inc. 
% Lockton Companies, Inc.,
PO Box 410679
Kansas City, MO 64114-0679
nbcc.lockton-ins.com/pl
Representatives are available 8:00 am - 5:00 pm CST, 877.539.6372 

Healthcare Providers Service Organization
159 E. County Line Road, Hatboro, PA 19040-1218,
800.982.9491
www.hpso.com
Insurance provided by American Casualty Company of Reading, PA, 
333 S. Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL

Program for RDAs

This 410-hour program trains and prepares currently licensed RDAs for the California State Board exam for extended functions. The program is a combination of in-person lectures, group discussions, online modules, hands-on laboratory and live patient clinical experiences. Faculty members include: Brian Kenyon, DMD; Leann Miller, RDAEF; and Maggie Rodriguez, RDAEF. RDAs successfully completing this program will be able to perform all the new procedures in extended functions which include:

• Performing patient oral health evaluations, charting and evaluating of soft tissue, classifying occlusion and myofunctional evaluation
• Performing oral health assessments in community and school-based settings under the direction of a dentist, RDH or RDHAP
• Sizing and fitting endodontic master points and accessory points
• Making final impressions for tooth-borne removable prostheses
• Polishing and contouring existing amalgam restorations
• Placing, contouring, finishing and adjusting all direct restorations
• Adjusting and cementing permanent indirect restorations

Additionally, participants will be trained to perform:

• Cord retraction and final impressions procedures for indirect restorations
• Fitting and cementing endodontic master points and accessory points
• Making final impressions for permanent indirect restorations
• All other procedures authorized and adopted by the dental board*

*Please see Section 1753.5 of the California Business and Professionals Code

Program for Existing RDAEFs

This 342-hour program updates existing RDAEFs (who were licensed prior to January 1, 2010) in the new, allowable procedures for RDAEFs described above. Participants who successfully complete the program will be eligible to take the new RDAEF exam, and upon successful completion, will be able to perform all the expanded duties of currently licensed California RDAEFs.

Program Length

The program is offered over an eight-month period and is held on various Saturdays and Sundays at the Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco. The next session of the program will start on September 23, 2023. Some segments of this program are delivered face-to-face, with a low faculty-to-student ratio, allowing for an exceptional educational experience at the world-renowned Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. Prior to formal lectures, preliminary online lectures and quizzes will be required, allowing you to review the upcoming material at your own pace. In addition to the extensive laboratory sessions held at the Dugoni School of Dentistry, you will be required to complete and evaluate home practice assignments, thereby assuring your mastery of the laboratory skills. The dental school faculty members involved in this program will be available to you throughout the duration of the program to help you succeed.

Supervising Dentist

In early 2012, the Dental Board of California implemented a requirement that all new RDAEF students must complete 20 clinical restorations on patients under the supervision of a current licensed dentist in order to complete the RDAEF training and to sit for the board exam. Your supervising dentist or hygienist will also be required to attend a clinical orientation session and must supervise your completion of 6 scheduled cord packing and final impression experiences at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry as part of this program. A dentist may supervise up to 3 students. Current RDAEFs will not need a supervising dentist as they will not be participating in this part of the curriculum.

The RDAEF Program is divided into three modules held on various Saturdays and Sundays—two to three weekends per month—throughout the eight-month period at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco. Both RDAs and existing RDAEFs maintain the same course schedule for Modules 1 and 2. However, current RDAEFs take fewer classes in Module 3. In addition, students will be required to complete restorations in their supervising dentist's office during Module 3.

Module 1: September 23 – November 19, 2023 (6 weekends)
September 23 & 24; 30
October 1; 14 & 15; 21 & 22
November 4 & 5; 18 & 19

• Dental anatomy
• Oral health assessment, gingival structures
• Occlusion principles, TMJ and head and neck anatomy
• Primary and secondary dentition
• Beginning of bases and liners for amalgams, composites and glass ionomers
• Placement, polishing and anatomy for amalgams, composites and glass ionomers
• Oral isolation

Module 2: December 2, 2023 – January 28, 2024 (5 weekends)  
December 2 & 3; 9 & 10
January 6 & 7; 13 & 14; 27 & 28

• Continuation of bases and liners
• Continuation of placement, carving and polishing of amalgams, composites and glass ionomers
• Dental materials and techniques for making impressions for removable partial dentures

Module 3: February 3, 2024 – June 1, 2024 (10 weekends)  
February 3* & 4*; 17* & 18*
March 2 & 3; 16 & 17; 23 & 24
April 6* & 7; 20 & 21
May 4 & 5; 18 & 19
June 1 (Graduation)

*Dates only for RDAs; current RDAEFs do not attend these sessions in Module 3

• Dental materials for interocclusal registration, vasoconstrictors, fixed partial dentures, dental cements
• Fitting, adjusting and cementing of ceramic, all metal and ceramo-metal fixed partial dentures (crowns)
• Indirect restoration technique*
• Hemorrhage control, cord packing, vasoconstrictor use and final impressions*
• Dental ergonomics*
• Oral health assessment exercise with the dentl school
• Endodontics
• Pulp vitality testing, cone fitting and cementation
• Restorations in your supervising dentist's office
• Review of all 3 modules prior to the state dental board exam

Dates may be subject to change.

Attendance Policy

All students are required to participate in each day of the RDAEF program. Attendance for all sessions is mandatory. Students will be required to make up any days missed at an additional expense to the participant.

Program fees for the 2023-2024 RDAEF Program is listed below. Flexible, interest-free payment plans are available to qualified applicants. Students may pay fees in three separate installments or through a monthly payment plan. Prospective students are required to make a $2,000 non-refundable deposit when submitting their application for the program. 

Program for RDAs (2023-24) 

Total Program Hours: 410 hours
2023-24 Program Fee: $20,995
Student Kit: $2,995

Program for Existing RDAEFs (2023-24)

Total Program Hours: 342 hours
2023-24 Program Fee: $16,995
Student Kit: $2,995

Upon acceptance into the program, you will receive enrollment confirmation, a list of the required supplies and materials that you will need to bring to the program, a detailed program schedule for the first module of the program and access to the online learning management system which houses the online lectures and quizzes.

Student Kit

You are required to pay a student kit fee, which includes course handouts, reference materials, particular instruments and lab and clinic supplies that will be dispensed throughout the program.

All students are required to have access to a laptop computer or tablet for use during the program. Program assignments, presentations, study materials, quizzes and correspondence will be through email and/or posted on the University's online learning management system, Canvas. In addition, students will need access to a triturator at home in order to complete the homework assignments.

Funding Options

Funding may be available to qualified individuals through the Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan® program. Please visit the Sallie Mae website for more information. 

In addition, interest-free, flexible payment plans are available to applicants through the dental school. Please call the Continuing Dental Education Office at 415.929.6486 for further information and assistance. Please be aware that this program is not eligible for other conventional federal student loan funding. However, participants for this program may be eligible to finance the cost of this professional development program through personal loans from a bank or credit union. 

Because this program consists of online lectures and quizzes, students are required to have a computer that meets minimum computer requirements. Students need:

• Reliable access to a computer
• Basic computer skills which include but are not limited to accessing the Internet
• A computer with sound and speakers capable of playing video from the web
• A high-speed Internet connection
• The most recent version of one of the following web browsers: Chrome, Firefox or Safari.