Question

Duties of the clinical dental assistant include:greeting patients and answering the telephone.performing scaling and root-planing procedures.assessing the patient’s oral health needs as related to physical and emotional well-being.seating and preparing the patient.

Answer 1

Correct duties of a clinical dental assistant from that list:

- Greeting patients and answering the telephone — Yes. Assistants commonly perform front‑desk or patient‑communication duties in many offices.
- Seating and preparing the patient — Yes. Chairside patient preparation, positioning and infection control are core clinical assistant duties.

Not standard duties for a clinical dental assistant:

- Performing scaling and root‑planing procedures — No. Subgingival scaling/root planing is normally performed by a licensed dental hygienist or dentist; assistants do not perform this in most jurisdictions (some expanded‑function assistants may do limited tasks depending on local regulations and additional certification, but routine SRP is not an assistant duty).
- Assessing the patient’s oral health needs as related to physical and emotional well‑being — No. Clinical assessment and treatment planning are the responsibility of the dentist or hygienist. Assistants may record histories and relay observations but do not make clinical assessments.

Note: specific allowed duties vary by state/province and by additional training/certification (expanded‑function roles). Check local regulations for exact scope.