How to Get Dental X-Ray Certification in Arizona?

To get dental x-ray certification in Arizona, a dental assistant must complete a training program approved by the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners (ASBDE), pass the Dental Assisting National Board’s Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam, and submit a notarized application to the board.¹ If you already hold a radiography certificate from another state, a credential-transfer pathway can replace the training-and-exam steps.

Who Needs the Certificate

Arizona law requires any dental assistant who exposes diagnostic radiographs to first pass a board-approved exam.¹ If your duties include taking x-rays, you need the certificate before you operate the equipment.

This requirement is specific to dental assistants. Licensed dentists and dental hygienists work under their own licensure and do not go through this certification process. Once you are certified, you can expose radiographs under the general supervision of a dentist or the direct supervision of an affiliated practice dental hygienist.¹

Step 1: Complete an Approved Training Program

Before registering for the exam, finish a radiography training course approved by the ASBDE. Approved programs cover radiation physics, safe operation of x-ray equipment, patient positioning and exposure technique, and image processing for both film and digital systems. The board evaluates programs on whether they prepare you to demonstrate competency on the national exam rather than setting a fixed number of classroom or clinical hours. You can find approved courses at community colleges, dental assisting schools, and some dental offices that offer board-approved curricula.

Hold onto your certificate of completion. It goes into your application packet.

Step 2: Pass the DANB Radiation Health and Safety Exam

Arizona accepts the Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam administered by the Dental Assisting National Board. It is a 75-question, 60-minute computer-based test covering digital and conventional radiography along with patient safety.² Scores run from 100 to 900, and the passing score is 400.³

You register and pay directly through DANB, not through the Arizona board. DANB offers the exam at Pearson VUE testing centers around the state. DANB does not require prerequisites to sit for the RHS, so you can schedule it when you feel ready. Check DANB’s website for the current fee. Once you pass, DANB issues an official score report that becomes part of your Arizona application.

Step 3: Submit Your Application to the ASBDE

With training complete and your RHS score in hand, assemble the packet for the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners. You will need:

The completed application form, signed in front of a notary public. The notarization requirement is on the application itself.⁴
The Arizona Statement of Citizenship or Alien Status, with copies of documents proving citizenship or immigration status. If your documents do not include a photo, add a government-issued photo ID.⁵
Your official DANB RHS score report.
Your training program certificate of completion.
Name change documentation (marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order) if any document shows a prior name.

Mail the packet to the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners, 1740 W Adams, Suite 2470, Phoenix, AZ 85007.⁶ The board accepts some supporting documents by email, so reach out directly if you need to send supplementary materials electronically.

What Happens After You Apply

Arizona Administrative Code R4-11-304 sets the review timeline. Within 30 calendar days of receiving your packet, the board will notify you in writing whether it is complete or incomplete.⁷ If something is missing, the notice will tell you exactly what to send.

You then have 60 calendar days from that notice to supply the missing items. Miss that deadline and your file is closed; you have to start the entire application over.⁷ The cleanest way around this is to gather every document before you mail anything.

Once the packet is complete, the board has up to 90 calendar days for substantive review. Total processing can take up to 114 calendar days.⁷

If You Are Already Certified in Another State

Holding a current dental radiography certificate from another state, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia can qualify you for Arizona certification by credential, bypassing the Arizona training-and-exam steps. Arizona Administrative Code R4-11-204 opens this pathway as long as your original state required a written dental radiography exam.⁸

Not every state qualifies. The ASBDE keeps an eligibility chart identifying which states’ certifications it recognizes. If your state is listed as ineligible, you must take the DANB RHS exam like any other applicant.⁴ Confirm your state’s status with the board before you build the packet.

The credential application uses the same notarized form, citizenship statement, and name change records as the standard route. Instead of a training certificate and score report, you need a letter of endorsement sent directly from your current state’s licensing board, verifying your certification and confirming that a written exam was required.⁴ Request the endorsement letter early. It can take weeks.

Renewal

Arizona dental certificates renew on a triennial cycle. Renewal is due on the last day of your birth month in the renewal year, and a late renewal carries a $100 fee.⁹ Working with an expired certificate puts your legal authorization to take x-rays at risk, so track the date.

The ASBDE does not currently require continuing education specifically for radiography certificate renewal. If you also hold DANB national certification, that is a separate credential with its own annual renewal, continuing education, and current CPR requirements.¹⁰ Letting the DANB credential lapse does not automatically affect your Arizona certificate, though many employers expect both. Check the ASBDE fees page for the current renewal amount, and use the board’s online renewal to avoid missing the deadline.

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1291 – Dental Assistants; Regulation; Duties
2
Dental Assisting National Board. Radiation Health and Safety
3
Dental Assisting National Board. Clearing Up 5 Common Misconceptions About DANB Exams
4
Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners. Application for Dental Assistant Radiography Certification by Credential
5
Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners. Arizona Statement of Citizenship and Alien Status for State Public Benefits
6
Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners. Contact Us
7
Cornell Law Institute. Arizona Administrative Code R4-11-304 – Application Processing Procedures; Issuance and Denial of Dental Assistant Certificates Radiography Certification by Credential
8
Cornell Law Institute. Arizona Administrative Code R4-11-204 – Dental Assistant Radiography Certification by Credential
9
Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners. Online License Renewal
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DANB. Renew Certification