in an environment that is meaningful for her. Before joining OneWorld about seven years ago, she shadowed at other dental offices that weren’t the right fit. Meanwhile, she had a hunch that OneWorld – where family members have gone for care, and near where she grew up and went to school – would be the perfect place for her. “It’s that part of the community that I’m familiar with, and I felt confident that I can give patients the care that they need in their preferred language,” she said. “So I felt that would be here, that I can accomplish those goals while also maintaining my personal goals of, I want to advance in this field.” In addition to earning her Expanded Function Dental Assistant designation, Iniguez also recently took on a new role: Dental Assistant Trainer. This role helps standardize the on-the-job training dental assistants receive at OneWorld, so that everyone receives essential and current information regardless of clinical location.
“When I applied to OneWorld, my objective was to become a well-rounded dental assistant,” she said. “I think when the dental assistant trainer position opened, I said, I think I’ve met that, so let me now teach or help other people achieve
Alejandra Iniguez Dental Assistant Trainer
their goals. Whether they want to be well-rounded, or whatever their goals are, hopefully I have enough experience to give somebody else all the knowledge that I’ve learned so far.” While Iniguez is still new to her current role, she’s ready for this next level. Thanks to the commitment and training she has pursued, alongside colleagues Lara Becerril and Ramos Lopez, OneWorld patients will continue to benefit from growing expertise and quality of care.
All about Expanded Function Dental Assistants An Expanded Function Dental Assistant, or EFDA, is a dental assistant who has completed additional training and met the requirements needed to perform certain types of dental work. The allowable functions may vary by state, but in general, EFDAs are able to perform more duties and may have advanced standing or earning potential.
What qualifications do you need to become an EFDA? To qualify as an EFDA in Nebraska, an individual must work 1,500 hours as a Licensed Dental Hygienist or a Licensed Dental Assistant, complete applicable coursework, pass board exams and complete other requirements. All of OneWorld’s EFDAs completed their coursework through University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry. How do EFDAs help OneWorld’s patients? Because EFDAs can perform some duties that dentists have previously performed, dentists may be freed up to see more patients or work on more complex cases. For patients, this means improved access to the right care, by the right professional, at the right time. What special clinical skills are they qualified to provide? In Nebraska, EFDAs can place simple restorations on one surface of the tooth or complex restorations on multiple surfaces.
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ISSUE 1 2025 | EXCHANGE
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