Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary (EFDA) Certificate Program

The UC Blue Ash EFDA program is incredibly proud of our graduates and look forward to more amazing years to come. The program is made up of online and face-to-face instruction with hands on pre-clinical laboratory sessions as well as off-site practicum experiences. Students will use typodonts (patient simulation) for learning instrumentation and proper manipulation of dental materials.  

Students will also develop self-evaluation skills, an understanding of the Ohio State Dental Board Rules and Laws as they pertain to EFDAs, as well as professionalism and critical thinking in dentistry. At the completion of the program, students will be eligible to sit for the EFDA board examination to become a registered EFDA in the state of Ohio.

See below for eligibility changes and admission requirements.

Helpful tip: If you are a dental assistant who has not taken a recognized certification exam, register to do that NOW!

Learn more about the EFDA program and ask the Program Director questions. Available in a hybrid format (virtual OR face-to-face).

Qualified candidates for the EFDA program include:

• Advanced qualified personnel (AQP)
• Unlicensed dentists
• Dental students
• Unaccredited foreign dentists 
  • For international student requirements, contact the Enrollment Services Office at 513-559-9998        
• Registered Dental Hygienists (RDH)
  
• Unlicensed dental hygienists
• Dental assistants with two years of full-time chair-side dentistry experience within the past five years
  • Please note that to take the Ohio EFDA Board exam, assistants must hold a recognized dental assisting certification. 
  • Recognized dental assistant exams/ certifications:
    • Commission on Ohio Dental Assistant Certification (CODA) 
    • Dental Assisting National Board, Certified Dental Assistant (DANB CDA)
    • American Medical Technologists, Registered Dental Assistant (AMT RDA)

Due to limited capacity and our desire for the highest quality graduates, the EFDA program uses a selective admission process. 

Steps for getting into the EFDA program:

1. Apply to UC Blue Ash as a Pre-Health Professions - interest in EFDA major, recommended no later than February 1st. 
   • Official transcripts must be sent from your previous school, this can take a while to process.
   • You must be accepted to UC Blue Ash, confirm your acceptance, AND receive your UC username and email before applying to the EFDA program. (Do not wait until the last minute!)
2. After you are a confirmed UCBA student, complete the selective admissions application by choosing Expanded Function Dental Auxiliary from the drop down on the UC Blue Ash Selective Admissions page.  

Links to UC Blue Ash and the EFDA program applications are available at the bottom of this page (Note: The selective admissions applications will only be open from the first business day in March until the last business day in April each year). 

EFDA Selective Admissions requirements:

• Must be a confirmed UC Blue Ash student.
• Must be an eligible candidate as defined above.
  
• Submit a signed commitment form - a sponsor dentist commits to allowing the student to provide restorative patient care under their direct supervision on patients in their practice for a minimum of 80 hours. 
  • Download Commitment Form PDF
• Complete a brief spatial reasoning assessment within the application. 
• Submit a resume that includes relevant certifications and years of dental experience.

Federal regulations require the University of Cincinnati to publicly disclose whether completion of certain programs that lead or may lead to professional licensure or certification would meet a given state's educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (regardless of whether the program is on-ground, online, or hybrid). To learn whether a university program meets a given state's educational requirements, please visit the University of Cincinnati State Authorization webpage. 

Fall Semester:

• Restorative Dentistry I (lecture and lab, held face to face on Fridays)
• Tooth Morphology for the EFDA (online)

Spring Semester:

• Restorative Dentistry II (lecture and lab, held face to face on Fridays)
• Clinical Practicum (off site patient care experience)

Student will also be required to purchase additional items for the program, which include the following:

• Lab fee for Fall and Spring semesters: $360
• Magnification loupes (one time purchase)
• Uniform lab coat
• Board Exam Fee

The costs for these items will be given to the students upon admissions into the program and students must be financially ready to purchase them prior to starting classes.

Upon acceptance into the program, students will also be required to show proof of:

• Hepatitis B vaccination and titer, 
• vision examination, and 
• current health care provider CPR certification

Tuition for this program is due each semester based on the credit hours of the course. The courses required for this program are not available for tuition guarantee or loans. To determine the cost of the program, refer to our Tuition and Fees under the Health-Related Programs Tuition and Fees Breakdown.  

• Dental Hygiene program
• Dental continuing education courses

EFDA Program 
Email: ucbaefda@uc.edu
Phone: 513-558-9412