As California’s rapidly growing population becomes one of the most diverse in the nation, the demand for adaptable, highly skilled allied dental professionals has reached a critical turning point. Meeting this challenge head-on, the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry has opened registration for its Registered Dental Assistant in Extended Functions (RDAEF) program. The next session begins Saturday, September 12, 2026.

The Dugoni School’s specialized RDAEF curriculum satisfies—and exceeds—the Dental Board of California's instructional requirements, preparing licensed RDAs and existing RDAEFs for advanced licensure and expanded clinical responsibilities. Registration for the program is open through August 10.

As the only Dental Board-approved RDAEF program hosted at a dental school in Northern California, the course offers the same high-caliber education and state-of-the-art facilities provided to predoctoral dental students.

Dual-Track Curriculum and Flexible Scheduling

To accommodate working professionals, the program features a convenient weekend schedule at the school’s campus in downtown San Francisco. Sessions are held on various Saturdays and Sundays—two to three weekends per month—from September 12, 2026 to May 23, 2027. The training blends online modules, in-person lectures, group discussions, hands-on laboratory work and live patient clinical experiences across two distinct pathways:

• Program for RDAs (410 Hours): A comprehensive program that trains currently licensed RDAs in the advanced, legally allowable extended functions.
• Program for Existing RDAEFs (342 Hours): An update program tailored for RDAEFs licensed prior to January 1, 2010. Successful completion qualifies participants to take the new California RDAEF exam to practice the state’s full, updated scope of expanded duties.
   

Advanced Clinical Competencies

Participants will receive training in a wide array of sophisticated procedures including restorations; impressions and retraction; sizing, fitting, and cementing endodontic master points and accessory points; and performing patient oral health, soft tissue and myofunctional evaluations, as well as conducting oral health assessments in community and school-based settings under the direction of a dentist, RDH or RDHAP.

Recognizing the financial commitment required for advanced education, the Dugoni School of Dentistry provides interest-free, flexible payment plans to qualified candidates. Additionally, students enrolled in the RDAEF program are eligible to apply for funding through the Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan^® program.

“I 100% recommend the RDAEF program at the Dugoni School,” said Stacie Berry, RDAEF Class of 2024. “The instructors were amazing and they took so much time and care to help us throughout the program. The latest techniques I learned have been instrumental in what I do every day in practice. This program reinvigorated my love of the dental field. I have always believed in CE, and this was the best CE experience I’ve had during my 20-year career.”

“I’ve sent several assistants through the RDAEF program at the Dugoni School, and I honestly can’t imagine practicing without them,” added Dr. Irving Chao ’09 of Salinas, Calif. “They have dramatically improved our doctors’ efficiency and productivity, and I love being able to tell patients they trained under the same instructor, Dr. Kenyon, that I had in dental school.”

Learn more about the program and register on the RDAEF program webpage.