Expanded Functions

From the leader in Iowa certified Level One expanded function courses. 

Looking for a way to increase your productivity & value within your office? Consider expanded functions for assistants and hygienists

Train without ever leaving your office!

All Impact Dental Training courses are Iowa Dental Board approved.

Start Now! Click course card below.

What you need to know. Please read completely before enrolling in an expanded function course.

Congratulations on advancing your career and productivity through expanded functions. It is important to read through this information carefully so you can make the right choices for you and your office. 

Significant changes were made to expanded functions in 2023. If you were certified in expanded functions through any provider prior to 1.18.23 and are interested in a complimentary review of your previous expanded certification and recommendations with the new curriculum, please submit your previous expanded function certificates and background information on you and your office and what skills you are hoping to gain. We're here to support you!

Expanded Functions Eligibility  Please make sure you meet one of the following Iowa Dental Board expanded function eligibility guidelines before registering for an online expanded function course. 

Dental Hygienists: Current Iowa dental hygiene license.

Dental Assistants: Active dental assistant registrations AND comply with one of the following:   

  1. Graduate of an ADA accredited Dental Assisting Program
  2. RDA with 3 months clinical experience 
  3. Current CDA
  4. 3 months clinical experience in another state not requiring registration

Dental Assistant Trainees are not eligible to take expanded function courses. The date on your IDB assisting registration indicates the start of your 3 months required wait time.

Iowa Dental Board Training Requirements  All expanded functions have five training components: 

  1. Eligibility/Pre-test (completed  online)
  2. Didactic (learning - completed online)
  3. Lab (most courses have a lab requirement, done in the office of the supervising dentist. Lab training MUST be completed prior to beginning clinical training.)
  4. Clinical (done in the office of the supervising dentist)
  5. Post Test (completed online)

The online portion of each course includes the pre-test, didactic and post test. 

All labs and clinical training will be done in the office under the observational supervision of the dentist.

If you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please contact us before enrolling. 

The completion & CEU certificate for the pretest, didactic and post test can be downloaded/printed at the completion of each course.

You can pick and choose to complete whatever expanded functions are most important to you and your office. You do not have to take all Level One expanded functions. You can go at your own pace and will pay as you go, putting you in control of the process, all with the convenience of training in your office.  

Expanded function online courses will remain active for 7  (14 days for provisionals & ortho courses) from the date of enrollment. See active status below for each course. If you need more time, you can be re-enrolled once within 30 days of your initial enrollment without charge. Additional re-enrollments may incur a surcharge. 

Once the online portion of your training is done, you have 6 months to complete the lab and clinical training. Exceptions can be made for extenuating circumstances.

Level One Expanded Functions Courses: Level One consists of 12 assisting and 10 hygiene expanded functions. 

IDT refund and re-enrollment policy

Once online CEUs are issued, no refunds are available.

Expired online courses can be extended one time, for three days within 30 days of initial course enrollment.

All assistants/hygienists are expected to complete expanded function training and become certified for any skill within 6 months of enrollment. An assistant/hygienist can make an email request for extenuating circumstance to extend the lab and clinical training components of the skill for another six months. If the assistant/hygienist still hasn't completed the training within this time frame, contact needs to be made with IDT to determine if we can find a solution.

After 1 year, re-enrolling and paying again for an expanded function course should be expected. Courses change and become outdated quickly. It is important for an assistant/hygienist to only enroll in the skills that make sense for their office. Prior to enrollment, you should be confident the lab and in-office clinical experiences/repetitions will be available to you to complete the process. 

If an assistant/hygienist is transferring their expanded function training to IDT from another provider, we encourage them to contact us prior to enrolling in any course. With the 2023 IDB changes to expanded functions, not all prior certifications match up with our current course offerings. Free review of current certifications and how the latest expanded function changes might affect an assistant/hygienist are available upon request and advised for those new to IDT. 

We know expanded functions can be confusing. Please don't hesitate to contact us prior to registering for an online expanded functions course or at any time throughout the process if you have questions. We want to make sure you are in the courses that best align with your goals.  

Contact us by email at [email protected] or call/text 515-321-5942.

*Course prices shown do not include taxes which will be added at checkout.