What training does a dental assistant need to take X-rays in NSW?
Kylie Robb, September 2026. First published in From The Field.
This has been the question of the month by a long way, including:
“My DA only presses the button when the dentist says to, do they need training for that?”, “None of my team have a Cert IV, which course do they do?”, “Can a Cert III assistant be upskilled to take CBCT?” and “Who needs to complete the radiation induction?”
Pressing the button is taking the radiograph
The EPA is specific about this: the exposure is the radiograph, and the person who makes the exposure is the person taking it. So, the DA who only presses the button is the DA taking X-rays, and needs to be qualified to do it.
The qualification
For a dental assistant in NSW, it is the three dental radiography units from the HLT45021 Certificate IV in Dental Assisting:
- HLTDEN021 Apply the principles of radiation biology and protection in dental practice
- HLTDEN022 Prepare to expose a prescribed dental radiographic image
- HLTDEN023 Produce a prescribed dental radiographic image
They can be completed as part of the full Certificate IV in Dental Assisting (Dental Radiography), or on their own as the HLTSS00072 Dental Radiography Skill Set. A Certificate III in Dental Assisting is the entry requirement for either.
Once the assistant successfully completes these units through an EPA approved course, they are exempt from holding an individual radiation user licence for intraoral, OPG and lateral ceph.
Who provides this training?
The EPA lists the registered training organisations (RTOs) whose courses count for the exemption. Check the course you are enrolling in is on the EPA’s approved course list (Table C).
The Dental Assistants Professional Association (DAPA) is one of them and offers the skill set online, in practice or in a classroom. You can find out more on the DAPA page.
CBCT is different
Nobody is exempt for cone beam, even dental practitioners.
Anyone who wants to press the button on a CBCT needs the IA24 user licence from the EPA. The criteria are Ahpra registration as a practitioner, or for a dental assistant, the three radiography units above, plus an approved CBCT course. So, for a DA it is the radiography units first, then the CBCT course, then the licence application. A dental practitioner’s Ahpra registration meets the criterion, so they can go straight to the CBCT course. If a DA does not have those radiography units, do not bother applying for the IA24 user licence.
The EPA lists the approved CBCT course providers on its website (look for IA24).
Where the kit training fits
Since 1 September 2026 every NSW practice has to have a Radiation Management Plan.
Everyone who works in or walks through the clinical area needs to be trained or informed about the radiation risks in your practice. This includes assistants, practitioners and any reception or admin team members. It does not replace the formal qualifications above. If you have the Niche Dental Radiation Compliance Kit, the Dental Radiation Safety Training is the induction written on those documents, for the whole team.
The training also includes a qualified person induction checklist. This is a separate requirement at practice level: inducting the people who are allowed to take the radiographs on your units, your settings and your quality assurance program. It is recorded on the checklist. It does not replace the RTO training or Ahpra registration.
Get the plan and the training sorted
The Radiation Compliance Kit (NSW) gives you the Radiation Management Plan, the Quality Assurance Program, the registers and the induction checklist, written for dental practices and ready to fill in. The Dental Radiation Safety Training comes with it for the whole team, however many you have, with a certificate for each person.
Already have the kit? Keep your team training going with the Practice Licence: one link, unlimited team members, $99 a year.
Sources
NSW EPA, Radiation user licence: criteria (including IA24 for CBCT)
NSW EPA, Radiation user licence: exemptions and supervision requirements
NSW EPA, Courses approved for radiation user licensing or exemptions (Table C)
NSW EPA, List of current radiation safety courses and course providers (IA24 CBCT courses)