Duties performed include: maintaining inventories of supplies and equipment, cleaning and sterilizing instruments, preparing and arranging instrument trays for clinical use, explaining procedures and providing support to patients, passing instruments to the dentist during procedures, preparing impression and filling materials, operating oral evacuation equipment, retractors, and water/air sprays, monitoring the patient’s behavior and vital signs as requested by the dentist, completing patient records and charts, billings, and reappointments, clearing and cleaning the operatory and instruments, taking routine x-rays and photographs, and instructing patient, family, and/or health care staff in basic oral hygiene. The State of North Carolina/Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) uses the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) as a referral resource for applicants who need to have their credentials certified as equivalent.