Certified Dental Technician

Certification is the process of assessing a dental technician's knowledge and applied skill level necessary to perform the tasks required of a dental technician. The skill standard,based upon this knowledge and applied skill, is the level required to perform successfully and is the baseline for certification testing. Once the dental technician successfully passes the examination, they are then considered a Certified Dental Technician and issued the CDT designation.

Although certification is costly and requires a sustained commitment, it has many benefits for dental technicians, laboratory owners and the dental customer. CDTs have not only demonstrated competency, but they have shown determination and commitment in completing the certification process. The attained skill and knowledge of the CDT is highly desirable to laboratories. Having this certification provides the dental technician with the advantage of higher salaries, advancement and job satisfaction

CDT Continuing Education Requirements

CDT's renewing on an annual basis must accumulate 12 hours of continuing education credit during the one-year renewal cycle.  Those requirements are:

• One hour of Documented Regulatory Standards from any of the following areas: OSHA/Infection Control; QS/GMP (quality systems/good manufacturing processes); HIV/AIDS; Material Science; Ergonomics; HIPPA; CPR.
• Six hours must be Documented Scientific credit, which at least Three hours must be NBC-Pre Approved Courses. Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) and American Dental Association (ADA) courses count as an NBC Pre-Approved Course.
• Five hours may be any of the following: Documented Scientific, Regulatory Standards, or Professional Development credits, or other Non-documented credit.

Documented Scientific Credit

Documented scientific credits includes technical courses and clinics which the CDT receives documentation of attendance.  At NBC- approved courses, CDT's will fill out a bubble scan sheet, which is scanned and returned to NBC and the information is entered into the database. A record of NBC-approved courses will be included with the CDT's renewal invoice and shall be available on the website.
Listed below are the following forms of documented scientific credit accepted by the NBC.

• NBC Pre-Approved Courses
• Certificate of Attendance from Sponsor or Clinic Host
• Letter of Attendance on Company Letterhead with Speakers Signature, Date and Total Number of Hours Claimed
• Technical Articles with Quizzes (1/2 credit hour per quiz passed)
• Technical Education Videotapes from the Wealth of Knowledge (WOK) Videotape Library. Videotapes for which credit hours are offered are accompanied by continuing education quizzes, which you must pass in order to receive credit(s).

Professional Development Credit

Listed below are the following forms of professional development credit accepted by the NBC.

• NBC Pre-Approved Courses
• Certificate of Attendance from Sponsor or Clinic Host
• Letter of Attendance from Sponsor or Clinic Host

Subjects that qualify for professional development credit include:

• Management and Finance
• Communication Skills
• Instructional Techniques

CDT's who wish to claim one hour of credit per hour of study in qualifying subjects must obtain proof of participation (documentation) from the program sponsor. (Please refer to bullets two and three under the professional development section for documentation requirements.)

Non-Documented Credit

If the scientific and infection control (if applicable) credit requirements are fulfilled, the balance of the CDT continuing education requirement may be earned through additional documented scientific credit, professional development credit, or other non-documented studies including attendance at non-approved or undocumented clinics, independent study of publications or videotapes, or other activities that can be identified as contributing to their dental technology skill and knowledge.

Non-documented credits are awarded at the rate of one-half hour per hour of study claimed.

Regulatory Standards

One hour from any of the following areas within regulatory standards: OSHA/Infection Control; QS/GMP (quality systems/good manufacturing processes); HIV/AIDS; Material Science; Ergonomics; HIPPA; CPR.

Documented Scientific Credit

At least six hours must be earned through approved technical studies that are documented by the CDT. This includes attendance at technical courses and clinics. Your name and CDT number must be listed on the Continuing Education Credit Form submitted to NBC by the presenter to prove you attended the course. You may also submit at renewal time NBC Attendance Verification forms or Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) credit forms.

Documented scientific credit may also be earned through study of selected technical education videotapes from the Wealth of Knowledge (WOK) Videotape Library (a service of the National Association of Dental Laboratories). Videotapes for which this credit is offered are accompanied by continuing education quizzes, which must be satisfactorily completed. The Journal of Dental Technology (JDT) may contain continuing education quizzes that qualify for documented scientific credit. See each issue of the JDT for information. Time spent preparing an original technical clinic or writing a published technical article may also be claimed for documented scientific credit.

Documented scientific credit is awarded at the rate of one per hour of documented activity.

Professional Development Credit

Technical knowledge and practical skills are the essence of the CDT program and all CDTs must fulfill the minimum requirement for documented scientific credit. However, the NBC recognizes that other types of skills may enhance the career and professional development of CDTs. So once the technical education requirement is met, CDTs may earn additional credits if they which through studies of non-technical aspects of their careers.

Subjects that qualify for Professional Development Credit include management and finance, communication skills and instructional techniques. CDTs who wish to claim one hour of credit per hour of study in qualifying subjects must obtain proof of participation (documentation) from the program sponsor. The NBC does not issue formal approval for individual programs in these subjects, but will gladly advise on the acceptability of specific program content.

Other Non-Documented Credit

The balance of the CDT continuing education requirement may be earned through non-documented studies, including attendance at non-approved or undocumented clinics, independent study of publications or videotapes, or other activities that can be identified as contributing to their dental technology skill and knowledge.

Non-documented credits are awarded at the rate of on-half hour per hour of study claimed.

Infectious Disease Control

The NBC requires that each CDT renewal include at least one hour of documented infectious disease control or other OSHA compliance education in addition to the basic continuing education requirement stated above. NADL offers an on-line infection control course as well as a video and quiz. Visit www.nadl.org for more information.

For additional information about Continuing Education Requirements, please contact NBC.