• 132 questions

Practice Test for Iowa Dental Assistant Jurisprudence

Unofficial practice on Iowa's dental assistant law, sorted under the board's study guide headings, every answer with its section.

Which chapter of the Iowa Code is the state's dental practice act?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Iowa Dental Board. Bank checked October 13, 2026.

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All 132 questions

Administrative 10

  • Does the board's dental hygiene committee have disciplinary authority over dental assistants? Iowa Code 153.33A(2); 481 IAC 570.4(2). Study guide: Administrative.
  • How long is one term on the board? Iowa Code 147.19. Study guide: Administrative.
  • How many board members make a quorum for conducting business? 481 IAC 570.3(2). Study guide: Administrative.
  • In the board's rules, which state department does the word "department" mean? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Administrative.
  • In the board's rules, who is a "licensee"? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Administrative.
  • What do the rules give as the purpose of the board? 481 IAC 570.2. Study guide: Administrative.
  • Which chapter of the Iowa Code is the state's dental practice act? Iowa Code chapter 153; 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Administrative.
  • Which person is not a "dental assistant" under the rules' definition, even at work in a dental office? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Administrative.
  • Who adopts the administrative rules that set what a dental assistant may do in Iowa? Iowa Code 153.38; 481 IAC 570.2(7). Study guide: Administrative.
  • Who sits on the Iowa Dental Board under Iowa Code 147.14? Iowa Code 147.14(1)(c). Study guide: Administrative.
Show all 132 questions (122 more)

Continuing education 13

  • A registrant regularly assists with dental services to patients in Iowa. Mandatory reporter training is due within how long of employment? 481 IAC 573.1(1)(e). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • A registration was first issued a few months before renewal. What do the continuing education rules say about that first renewal? 481 IAC 573.5(2)(e). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • Besides jurisprudence, which subject needs at least one hour of continuing education each renewal? 481 IAC 573.1(1)(g). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • CPR certification counts for at most how many hours of continuing education credit? 481 IAC 573.1(1)(f). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • For how long after renewal should a registrant keep evidence of the courses attended? 481 IAC 573.2(3). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • Hours from which course may not be carried forward to the next renewal period? 481 IAC 573.1(5)(c). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • How many continuing education hours in Iowa jurisprudence does each renewal require? 481 IAC 573.1(1)(h). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • How many extra hours may a registered dental assistant carry forward from the previous renewal period? 481 IAC 573.1(5). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • How many hours of continuing education must a registered dental assistant complete before renewal? 481 IAC 573.1(1)(c). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • Is a webinar taught in real time, where you can talk with the instructor, a self-study activity? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • What is the most self-study credit a registrant may count in one renewal period? 481 IAC 573.3(2)(f). Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • Which course earns no credit toward renewal? 481 IAC 573.4. Study guide: Continuing Education.
  • Which dates bound the continuing education compliance period? 481 IAC 573.1(3). Study guide: Continuing Education.

Dental assistant trainees 9

  • A trainee reaches the expiration date without becoming registered or completing the term of practical training. What must the trainee do? 481 IAC 575.3(1)(b). Study guide: Dental Assistant Trainees.
  • Can a dental assistant trainee serve as an authorized delegate for the prescription monitoring program? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Dental Assistant Trainees.
  • How old must a trainee be to train on the job in dental radiography? 481 IAC 575.3(1). Study guide: Dental Assistant Trainees.
  • May a dental assistant trainee be trained in expanded function procedures? 481 IAC 577.1(1). Study guide: Dental Assistant Trainees.
  • Students in an accredited dental assisting program practice clinical skills on members of the public. Whose direct supervision does the rule require? 481 IAC 575.7. Study guide: Dental Assistant Trainees.
  • Under 481 IAC 575.1(4), the term of practical training that lets a person practice without registration includes which two subjects? 481 IAC 575.1(4). Study guide: Dental Assistant Trainees.
  • What does personal supervision of a dental assistant trainee mean? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Dental Assistant Trainees.
  • When is a trainee's "trainee status expiration date"? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Dental Assistant Trainees.
  • Which person falls outside the rules' definition of who gives personal supervision to a trainee? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Dental Assistant Trainees.

Dental radiography 10

  • A dentist lets an assistant who has no qualification, and is not in training, take radiographs. What does the rule say about the dentist? 481 IAC 575.2(3). Study guide: Dental Radiography.
  • A person is convicted of violating Iowa Code chapter 136C, the radiation machines law. What is the offense? Iowa Code 136C.4. Study guide: Dental Radiography.
  • A radiography qualification has been lapsed for more than five years. What does reactivation require? 481 IAC 572.21(1)(b). Study guide: Dental Radiography.
  • An applicant's education and clinical training in dental radiography must have been completed within what period before applying? 481 IAC 572.6(2)(a). Study guide: Dental Radiography.
  • Besides a dental assistant, who may hold a dental radiography qualification from the board? 481 IAC 572.6(1). Study guide: Dental Radiography.
  • How do the rules define dental radiography? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Dental Radiography.
  • How many hours of continuing education in dental radiography does a qualification holder need for renewal? 481 IAC 573.1(1)(d). Study guide: Dental Radiography.
  • Once on-the-job training is over, what must a dental assistant hold to take dental radiographs? 481 IAC 575.2(1). Study guide: Dental Radiography.
  • Under what level of supervision does a qualified dental assistant take radiographs? 481 IAC 575.2(1); 575.5(1)(d). Study guide: Dental Radiography.
  • Which department is the state radiation control agency under Iowa Code chapter 136C? Iowa Code 136C.1; 136C.3. Study guide: Dental Radiography.

Discipline 16

  • A court adjudicates a registrant mentally incompetent. What happens to the registration under Iowa Code 153.34? Iowa Code 153.34(12). Study guide: Discipline.
  • A dental assistant performs dental services for the public on her own, not as a person working for a dentist. What is she deemed to be doing? 481 IAC 575.8(1). Study guide: Discipline.
  • A dental assistant tells the public that she will repair dentures for them herself. What does 481 IAC 575.9 say? 481 IAC 575.9. Study guide: Discipline.
  • A dental office threatens an employee for cooperating with a board investigation. What is that under the board's rules? 481 IAC 581.3(4)(e). Study guide: Discipline.
  • A person files a complaint with the board. When can that person be held civilly liable for filing it? Iowa Code 272C.8(1)(b); 481 IAC 580.11. Study guide: Discipline.
  • A registrant fails to complete the continuing education required for renewal. The board may impose an administrative penalty of up to how much? Iowa Code 153.33(5)(a). Study guide: Discipline.
  • The administrative penalty of Iowa Code 153.33(5) is assessed and paid. Is that reported as discipline? Iowa Code 153.33(5)(b). Study guide: Discipline.
  • An employer has a staff member sign an agreement never to file a complaint with the board. What do the rules call that? 481 IAC 574.14(1)(c). Study guide: Discipline.
  • An office does not show the names of the people who practice dental assisting there. What does 481 IAC 581.3(5) say? 481 IAC 581.3(5)(b). Study guide: Discipline.
  • At the dentist's request, a registered dental assistant performs a procedure she was never trained to do. Who has committed a ground for discipline under 481 IAC 581.3? 481 IAC 581.3(1). Study guide: Discipline.
  • Can an employer dismiss a worker because the worker filed a complaint with a licensing board? Iowa Code 272C.8. Study guide: Discipline.
  • For cause, the board directs a licensee in writing to submit to a clinical competency examination. What does Iowa Code 272C.9 say? Iowa Code 272C.9(1). Study guide: Discipline.
  • What does the licensee review committee do? 481 IAC 505.2; 570.7(6). Study guide: Discipline.
  • What is the largest civil penalty the board may include in the discipline of a licensee or registrant? Iowa Code 153.34. Study guide: Discipline.
  • Which record of the board is a public record? 481 IAC 580.9. Study guide: Discipline.
  • Whose infection control standards does the discipline rule name? 481 IAC 581.3(2)(b). Study guide: Discipline.

Expanded functions 13

  • A dental assistant has no degree from an accredited school and no national certification. How much clinical practice is needed before expanded function training? 481 IAC 577.1(3). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • A dental assistant performs an expanded function under direct supervision. What must the dentist do before the appointment ends? 481 IAC 577.1(4). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • An assistant treats patients as part of expanded function training. Which level of supervision do the rules require for that clinical training? 481 IAC 577.5(3). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • For a dental assistant, the placement of sealants is which kind of procedure? 481 IAC 577.4(2). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • The intravenous line expanded function covers placing a line for sedation. What does the rule say placement does not include? 481 IAC 577.3(1)(k). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • Unless the rule states otherwise, clinical training for an expanded function includes at least how many patient experiences per procedure? 481 IAC 577.5(4). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • What must a dental assistant be issued before performing a specific expanded function? 481 IAC 577.2. Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • Where must an expanded functions certificate be displayed? 481 IAC 577.5(2). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • Where must training in Level 2 expanded functions be completed? 481 IAC 577.2. Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • Which expanded function may a dental assistant perform under general supervision? 481 IAC 577.1(4)(a). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • Which procedure is a Level 2 expanded function? 481 IAC 577.4(1)(a). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • While monitoring a patient on nitrous oxide as an expanded function, which adjustment do the rules let a dental assistant make? 481 IAC 577.3(2)(a). Study guide: Expanded Functions.
  • The written examination at the end of Level 1 training has at least how many questions per function? 481 IAC 577.5(3)(c). Study guide: Expanded Functions.

Other requirements 14

  • A patient with an unpaid balance asks for a copy of the dental records. What does the rule say? 481 IAC 574.9(3). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • A registered dental assistant moves to a new mailing address. How long do the rules give to tell the board? 481 IAC 574.3. Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • A registrant is convicted of driving while intoxicated. Must the board be told? 481 IAC 574.20(5). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • A registrant learns of a reportable act that poses an immediate threat to patient safety. How soon must it be reported to the board? 481 IAC 574.20(2). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • A registrant learns of an act by another registrant that may be a basis for discipline. Within how long must it be reported to the board? 481 IAC 574.20(1). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • After treatment is completed, how soon may study models and casts be given to the patient to keep instead of being stored by the office? 481 IAC 574.13(1)(c). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • For how long after the last examination, prescription, or treatment must an adult patient's dental record be kept? 481 IAC 574.13(1)(a). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • For how long must a minor patient's dental record be kept? 481 IAC 574.13(1)(b). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • Incorrect information was written in a paper patient record. How is it corrected? 481 IAC 574.9(1)(c). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • What does the rule on CPR ask of dental assistants who practice in Iowa? 481 IAC 574.4(2). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • Where must a registration certificate and evidence of current renewal be displayed? 481 IAC 574.2. Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • Which billing practice do the rules deem deception or overbilling? 481 IAC 574.12. Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • Which changes does the change-of-address rule cover? 481 IAC 574.3(2). Study guide: Other Requirements.
  • Whose names does the rule require a patient's dental record to carry? 481 IAC 574.9(2)(d). Study guide: Other Requirements.

Public health supervision 10

  • A dental assistant's summary report on public health services covers patients seen and services provided. What else must it cover, at a minimum? 481 IAC 574.11(4)(b). Study guide: Public Health Supervision.
  • A dentist plans to send an assistant to a school clinic under a public health supervision agreement. Which assistants does the rule allow? 481 IAC 575.5(3); 574.11. Study guide: Public Health Supervision.
  • After public health services, what does the dental assistant give the patient, parent or guardian? 481 IAC 574.11(3)(d). Study guide: Public Health Supervision.
  • How much clinical practice experience must a registered dental assistant have to work under public health supervision? 481 IAC 574.11(1). Study guide: Public Health Supervision.
  • How often must a public health supervision agreement be reviewed? 481 IAC 574.11(2)(g). Study guide: Public Health Supervision.
  • Must a dentist examine the patient before services are given under public health supervision? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Public Health Supervision.
  • What must exist between the dentist and the registered dental assistant before services are given under public health supervision? 481 IAC 570.1; 574.11(2). Study guide: Public Health Supervision.
  • Which place is not a public health setting under the rules' definition? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Public Health Supervision.
  • Which service may a registered dental assistant provide under public health supervision? 481 IAC 574.11(3)(b). Study guide: Public Health Supervision.
  • Within how many days of entering into or updating the agreement must a copy be filed with the dental and oral health program of the department of health and human services? 481 IAC 574.11(2)(h). Study guide: Public Health Supervision.

Registration requirements 13

  • A registrant never received the renewal notice. What does the rule say? 481 IAC 572.17(2). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • A registration that expired on August 31 is still not renewed. On what date does it lapse and become invalid? 481 IAC 572.19. Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • An applicant for registration by verification has met every requirement except the jurisprudence examination. For how long is a temporary registration valid? 481 IAC 572.7(4). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • An applicant for registration relies on clinical experience as a dental assistant in another state. How recent must it be? 481 IAC 572.5(1)(a). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • Besides the board's own examinations, which examination does the rule approve for registration? 481 IAC 572.16(3). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • May a person practice as a dental assistant in Iowa without a certificate of registration? Iowa Code 153.39(5); 481 IAC 575.3(3). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • What does a "lapsed registration" mean for the person who holds it? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • What is the minimum passing score on the board-approved Iowa jurisprudence examination? 481 IAC 572.15(1). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • Which expiration date do the rules set for a dental assistant registration? 481 IAC 572.17(1). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • Which is one of the three ways to meet the education and training requirement for registration? 481 IAC 572.5(1)(a). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • Which three sections must the registration examination include under Iowa Code 153.39? Iowa Code 153.39(3); 481 IAC 572.5(1)(c). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • Who is not eligible to practice as an unregistered dental assistant without the board's approval? 481 IAC 575.3(3). Study guide: Registration Requirements.
  • Within how many days of the date it is received must an application for registration be completed? 481 IAC 572.1(4). Study guide: Registration Requirements.

Scope of practice 13

  • A kiosk worker applies chemical tooth whitening for customers. What is that under Iowa Code 153.13? Iowa Code 153.13(3). Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • By which means may a dental assistant remove plaque or stain? Iowa Code 153.38; 481 IAC 575.4(3)(e). Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • Calculus is present on teeth that are due for a coronal polish. Who removes it? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • Does Iowa Code 153.38 let a dental assistant practice dental hygiene under a dentist's supervision? Iowa Code 153.38. Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • Does the use of teledentistry widen what a dental assistant may do? 481 IAC 574.10(3). Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • For the purposes of Iowa Code 153.38, who counts as a "dental assistant"? Iowa Code 153.38. Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • Iowa Code 153.38 bars the board from adopting any rule that delegates which task to a dental assistant? Iowa Code 153.38. Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • May a dentist delegate expanded functions when teledentistry is being utilized? 481 IAC 574.10(5)(b). Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • On what must a dentist base the delegation of a procedure to a dental assistant? 481 IAC 575.4(2). Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • Which orthodontic task is on the list of procedures a dentist may delegate to a trained dental assistant? 481 IAC 575.4(2)(g). Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • Which procedure may a dentist delegate to a dental assistant who has been trained in it? 481 IAC 575.4(2). Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • Who is responsible for determining which aspects of a patient's treatment may be delegated? 481 IAC 575.4(1). Study guide: Scope of Practice.
  • Who is responsible for the acts a dentist delegates to a dental assistant? Iowa Code 153.38; 481 IAC 575.4(3). Study guide: Scope of Practice.

Supervision 11

  • A dental assistant places a periodontal dressing. What level of supervision applies? 481 IAC 575.5(2). Study guide: Supervision.
  • A dentist may delegate "other intraoral imaging" under general supervision, with which exception? 481 IAC 575.5(1)(e). Study guide: Supervision.
  • The dentist is out of the building but can appear by live video on request, about as fast as if on site. Which level of supervision is that? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Supervision.
  • Under general supervision, what must patients or their guardians be told before the appointment? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Supervision.
  • Under general supervision, what must the dental assistant be capable of? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Supervision.
  • What does 481 IAC 574.5 require of a dentist about the people working under the dentist's direction? 481 IAC 574.5. Study guide: Supervision.
  • What does direct supervision require of a dentist who is on site? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Supervision.
  • What is observational supervision used for? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Supervision.
  • What level of supervision do a dental assistant's extraoral duties need? 481 IAC 575.5(1)(a). Study guide: Supervision.
  • What must the dentist have done before a service is given under general supervision? 481 IAC 570.1. Study guide: Supervision.
  • Which intraoral service may a dentist delegate to a dental assistant under general supervision? 481 IAC 575.5(1). Study guide: Supervision.

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, sorted under the eleven headings of the Jurisprudence Exam Learning Activities in the Dental Assistant Study Guide & Reference Materials, Infection Control & Jurisprudence, which the Iowa Dental Board posts for its examination (updated June 2024, opened 2026-10-13): https://dial.iowa.gov/media/8623/download?inline , linked from https://dial.iowa.gov/licenses/health-professions/dental/dental-assistants . The guide gives no weights, question count or time limit; the pass mark, 75 percent, is in 481 IAC 572.15. Every fact was read on 2026-10-13 on the Iowa Legislature's site: Iowa Code chapter 153 (https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/153.pdf) and sections 136C.1, 136C.3, 136C.4, 147.14, 147.19, 272C.8 and 272C.9, and Iowa Administrative Code 481, chapters 505, 570, 572, 573, 574, 575, 577, 580 and 581, as published 9/30/26 (https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/iac/chapter/481.575.pdf and the chapters beside it). Each question names its section and links to it. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site, written from the public text of the Iowa Code and the Iowa Administrative Code. Nothing is taken from the board's jurisprudence examination, the review questions in its study guide, a prep company or a review book.

How it works

Unofficial practice test for Iowa dental assistant jurisprudence: 132 original questions from the Iowa Code and the board's rules, 481 IAC 570 to 581. The Iowa Dental Board owns the real examination and is not affiliated with this page.

Read the full guide

The study guide's chapter numbers are old

The board's Dental Assistant Study Guide, updated June 2024, lists what to know under eleven headings and cites Iowa Administrative Code 650. Those rules moved to 481 IAC chapters 570 to 581 on April 9, 2025. The questions keep the eleven headings and cite the rules as they read today. Law only. Practice for an exam, not medical advice.

  • Personal supervision puts a licensee or registrant in the room; direct supervision lets the dentist appear by live video (481 IAC 570.1).
  • Suctioning, a curing light, imaging and all extraoral duties may be delegated under general supervision; most other duties need direct (481 IAC 575.5).
  • Registrations expire August 31 of odd-numbered years, and renewal takes 20 hours of continuing education (481 IAC 572.17, 573.1).

Questions and answers

Is there an Iowa dental assistant jurisprudence study guide?

Yes. The Iowa Dental Board posts a free Dental Assistant Study Guide for infection control and jurisprudence, and a compilation of the law, Jurisprudence for Dental Professionals, dated April 9, 2025, which its resources page says may be used in conjunction with the examination.

What score passes the Iowa dental assistant jurisprudence exam?

75 percent. 481 IAC 572.15 asks for a board-approved examination in Iowa jurisprudence with a minimum score of 75 percent. The rules and the study guide give no question count or time limit, so a scored run here asks 40 questions with no clock.

Do dental assistants have to be registered in Iowa?

Not since July 1, 2025. Iowa Code 153.39 lets a person work as a dental assistant unregistered after practical training under a dentist. Registration is still offered and still takes the jurisprudence examination. Taking X-rays still needs the board's radiography qualification (481 IAC 575.2).

Where do you take the Iowa dental assistant jurisprudence exam?

The board's resources page lists Iowa community college testing sites that give its examinations in jurisprudence, infection control and dental radiography. It says to contact the site at least 10 days before the exam date, and that a proctor fee is paid to the college.

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