DANB certification component covering radiation physics, safety, and dental radiographic technique.
Who it's for
Dental assistants and other dental team members responsible for exposing dental radiographs — a component exam many states require (or accept as meeting) their radiography competency requirement for dental assistants.
What's covered
- Radiation physics and equipment
- Radiation safety and protection
- Dental radiographic technique
- Image evaluation and quality assurance
What to expect
Expect a mix of physics/safety recall (radiation biology, ALARA principles) and applied technique questions (diagnosing angulation errors from a described image), since the exam covers both the science behind radiography and its hands-on execution.
How to prepare
The DALE Foundation, DANB's affiliated nonprofit, offers the primary official review courses and study materials for RHS; because many states tie RHS certification to legal scope-of-practice requirements, check your state's specific requirements alongside DANB's national exam content.
Certification details
- Certifying body: Dental Assisting National Board (DANB).
- Eligibility: No formal prerequisites for the RHS component exam itself; often taken alongside or as part of broader dental assisting certification pathways.
- Exam format: 100 multiple-choice questions, computer-based testing at Pearson VUE test centers.
- Content outline: Radiation physics/biology, radiation protection, radiographic technique and quality assurance.
- Note: Many states accept or require RHS certification (or an equivalent) for dental assistants to legally expose radiographs.
