Resources
The programme's learning library, published with its sources. Every figure below was checked against a primary source during the build (November 2026); where a spec could not be verified, it is marked TBD rather than filled in. This page is training reference material — not medical or dental advice.
The simulator's Tools Encyclopedia covers each instrument the same way: what it is, what it is for, how to hold and transfer it, and its care and sterilisation. The core set:
Mouth mirrorExplorer Periodontal probeScalers & curettes High- & slow-speed handpiecesUltrasonic scaler Ultrasonic cleanerHVE Saliva ejector3-way syringe X-ray (simulated only)Class B autoclave Packaging & spore-test kitCotton pliers
| Item | Spec used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dental chair travel | 430–720 mm | Range as modelled |
| Operating light | 8,000–30,000 lux | Range as modelled |
| Class B autoclave | 132–134 °C, pre-vacuum, wrapped 4 min, drying 15–20 min | Sterilisation stage |
| Ultrasonic cleaner | 35–48 kHz | Cleaning stage — cleaning, not sterilising |
| Ultrasonic scaler | 28 kHz ±3 · water coolant always | Hygiene tools; no dry scaling |
| Dental unit waterlines | ≤500 CFU/mL | CDC guidance |
| X-ray unit | 60–70 kV | Simulated only — no real exposure |
| Lab bench dimensions | TBD | No verified source found — not invented |
The four calculus instruments get their own drill — micro sickle, mesial curette, distal curette, buccal-lingual curette — because choosing the right tip for the tooth and surface is a recognition skill that simulation teaches well. Grip, stroke, feel and haptic precision are explicitly not taught.
Method 1
Clock-face zones (operator 7–12, transfer 4–7 below the chin, assistant 2–4, static 12–2); the single-handed transfer in four stages — working → signal → pretransfer → midtransfer; pen, palm and palm-thumb grasps; motion economy. The point: conserve motion, keep the operator's eyes on the illuminated field.
Source: dentalcare.com CE643; HDAS guide.
Method 2
Hand hygiene and PPE as Standard Precautions; the one-way reprocessing chain (Session 3); handpieces heat-sterilised between every patient; waterlines logged daily. Infection control is taught as a system, not a poster.
Source: CDC MMWR 2003;52(RR17), nine recommendation areas.
Method 3
FDI notation (with US Universal numbers shown alongside), the intake log, the sterilisation log, the retake log — one rule in every room: chart it, or it did not happen. The record is part of the care; it is also where the ADEA process of care ends — Evaluation & Documentation.
Sources: DANB GC documentation topics; ADEA process of care (DH.2).
Method 4
Paralleling vs bisecting-angle positioning, ALARA discipline, apron and thyroid collar — as a positioning drill only. The X-ray in the simulator is simulated: no real exposure is possible or claimed.
Source: DANB Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) topics.
Method 5
Sealant application in the order that makes it stick; fluoride varnish — the school-programme workhorse; and the screening workflow itself: screen → educate → refer, with consent checked first and comfort treated as a skill.
Sources: the Zero Cavity workflow (public); programme research notes.
Method 6
Patient communication and comfort (the comfort meter's rules), plus ergonomics and stress — the fourth hand is posture. The assistant's part in medical-emergency basics is drilled at Station F.
Sources: CE643 health-issues material; programme methods library.
The line that never moves: VR practice is not clinical hours. Simulation is not certification. This training makes no licensure claims and issues no credentials. Licensure is external only — a CODA-accredited program, the state board, DANB, NBDHE, state X-ray certification. What this page does is map the training straight to those real routes, so a learner can see what a credential actually requires.
| Route | What it actually requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DANB Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) | $450 exam fee · 195 minutes · 245 questions — RHS + ICE + GC taken together. Pathways: CODA-accredited program graduate, or high-school diploma + ≥3,500 hours approved work experience, or former CDA / dental degree routes — plus current hands-on CPR/BLS/ACLS. | danb.org |
| California Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) | Board-approved program ≥800 hours = 275 didactic + 260 lab/preclinical + 265 extramural clinical; or 15 months + ≥1,280 hours work experience; or current DANB CDA. Exam: RDA Combined Written and Law and Ethics. No reciprocity in California. | Dental Board of California |
| Infection control guidance | CDC Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings — 2003: nine recommendation areas, the spine of Sessions 2 and 3 and Station A/C. | CDC MMWR 2003;52(RR17) |
| Competency frameworks | CODA accreditation standards (dental assisting & dental hygiene) and the ADEA competencies / process of care — used here as design references for the station map, never as accreditation. | CODA (ADA) · ADEA |
| Costa Rica | No verified standalone assistant/hygienist licence is presented here. The path, as far as our research verified, is ULACIT supervision and academic credit — that is the limit of what was checked. CCDCR and ULACIT links are provided as doors, not as claims. | Programme research notes, 2026-11-07 (labelled unverified in the build) |
Learning paths. The library arranges the same material two ways: an assistant track (chairside, sterilisation, radiography) and a hygiene track, each mapped to the DANB CDA domains (RHS / ICE / GC) and the California RDA hour structure — with progress that is practice-only, never a credential. A glossary and printable checklists (screening morning, sterilisation chain, tray setup) round out the hub.
External links are doors to the bodies' own pages — no content is copied from them. Figures verified during the build, 2026-11-07; check the source for current fees and rules before relying on them.