Clinical Dental Assistant and Senior Equipment Control Technician-Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Job Summary/Essential Job Functions

The Clinical Dental Assistant and Senior Equipment Control Technician provides comprehensive support to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery by performing dual-role responsibilities consisting of chairside dental assisting and sterile processing. This position ensures high-quality surgical assistance to faculty and residents while maintaining full compliance with sterilization, decontamination, and instrument processing standards required for surgical operations. This position supports patient care activities, clinical workflow, equipment readiness, and the timely availability of sterile instruments for all oral surgery procedures.

• Provides chairside assistance in the actual clinic practice of Oral Surgery.
• Counsels with patients following surgical procedures and explains instructions and directions as outlined for treatment by the doctor.
• Monitors and maintains the safety of nitrous oxide usage.
• Takes x-rays; exposes and processes x-ray film.
• Cleans, decontaminates, inspects, assembles, packages, and sterilizes all reusable instruments and surgical trays according to OSHA, CDC, manufacturer, and institutional standards.
• Operates and maintains sterilization and decontamination equipment, including autoclaves, ultrasonic cleaners, and washer-disinfectors.
• Performs and documents biological, chemical, and mechanical monitoring of all sterilization cycles; maintains accurate sterilization logs.
• Inspects instruments for proper function, sharpness, and integrity; removes damaged instruments from circulation and reports issues promptly.
• Manages inventory of sterile supplies and surgical kits.
• Performs routine and preventive maintenance on sterilization equipment and reports malfunctions as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education:

High School Diploma or GED. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

Experience:

One (1) year of experience working in a dental office or dental laboratory. Must maintain registration as a licensed dental assistant in the State of Tennessee. Nitrous Oxide Monitoring and Radiology Certification required. (PROOF OF LICENSURE IS REQUIRED). (Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) with the Dental Assistant National Board Certification (DANB) is preferred. Graduate of CODA accredited school preferred.)

License/Certification: A Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) in the State of Tennessee, with certification in radiology and nitrous oxide monitoring is required. CDA (DANB) certification preferred. (PROOF OF LICENSURE IS REQUIRED)

• Knowledge of dental assisting principles, oral surgery procedures, instrumentation, and clinical workflow.
• Knowledge of sterilization standards, infection control practices, OSHA/CDC regulations, and proper decontamination techniques.
• Skill performing chairside surgical assistance.
• Ability to adhere to strict protocols to ensure proper instrument cleaning, assembly, packaging, sterilization, and storage.
• Ability to monitor and document biological, chemical, and mechanical sterilization indicators.
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients, providers, staff, and residents.
• Skill in taking and processing digital radiographs.