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91 multiple-choice questions and 38 flashcards on General Chairside Assisting, about 54% of the Dental Assistant bank. Every one carries a written rationale.
General Chairside Assisting is one of 3 chapters in CoStudy's Dental Assistant (CDA/DANB) bank, and it holds 91 of the bank's 169 multiple-choice questions — roughly 54% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.
Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.
10 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.
A patient reports crushing chest pain radiating to the left arm. The team should:
Answer: D — Stop treatment, call 911, give oxygen, position upright, consider aspirin and nitroglycerin per medical history
Suspected MI: activate EMS, oxygen, semi-upright position; consider chewable aspirin (162-325 mg) and nitroglycerin if no contraindication.
Backflow from a saliva ejector can be prevented primarily by:
Answer: B — NOT having the patient form a tight seal around the tip
CDC warns that a tight lip seal around the saliva ejector can cause backflow from previously suctioned fluids; instruct patients not to seal around it.
The biting edge of an anterior tooth is the:
Answer: B — Incisal edge
Occlusal applies to posteriors. Incisal edge = biting edge of incisors/canines. Cingulum = lingual bulge. Marginal ridge is not the biting edge.
Updating the medical history should occur:
Answer: D — At every recall and before invasive procedures, with documentation
Medical history must be reviewed and updated at recall visits and prior to invasive procedures.
Composite resin shade selection is most accurately performed:
Answer: D — Before isolation, with the tooth moist and under natural light
Dehydrated teeth appear lighter, leading to incorrect shade. Choose shade pre-isolation under natural or color-corrected light.
Pit and fissure sealants are applied primarily to:
Answer: D — Prevent caries by sealing deep occlusal grooves
Sealants are a preventive resin coating placed in caries-prone grooves of newly erupted molars.
After mixing alginate, the assistant should pour the impression:
Answer: A — Within about 10-15 minutes to avoid distortion
Alginate is dimensionally unstable; pour promptly. Storage in water causes imbibition; air causes syneresis.
Dry socket (alveolar osteitis) is best described as:
Answer: C — Loss or disintegration of the blood clot exposing bone, causing significant delayed pain
A mischaracterizes dry socket as normal and painless, the opposite of its presentation. B confuses it with an anesthetic reaction, an unrelated mechanism. D incorrectly frames it as an immediate abscess rather than a delayed clot-loss phenomenon (typically 2-4 days post-op). C is correct: dry socket is loss of the clot exposing bone and nerve endings, producing marked pain days after extraction.
Best instrument transfer position (right-handed dentist):
Answer: B — Assistant at 2-4; transfer zone at 4-7
A/C/D) Wrong. B) Correct — four-handed dentistry layout.
Rubber dam is MANDATORY for:
Answer: B — Endodontics (root canal)
A/C/D) Recommended sometimes. B) Correct — standard of care.
4 cards from the 38 in this chapter.
Dental insurance terms?
Premium, deductible, copay, UCR (Usual, Customary, Reasonable), maximum annual benefit, waiting period, downgrading (insurance pays for cheaper option).
What is a mandated reporter?
A professional legally required to report suspected abuse or neglect (e.g., of children, elders, or dependent adults) to appropriate authorities; dental professionals are mandated reporters in most U.S. states.
CDA exam structure?
3 components: GC (General Chairside, 120 questions), RHS (Radiation Health and Safety, 100 questions), ICE (Infection Control, 100 questions). All can be taken separately. 1-year window to pass all.
Anaphylaxis from local anesthetic?
Rare. Epinephrine 0.3 mg IM auto-injector (adult). Call 911. Oxygen. Position appropriately.
These are a sample. The full General Chairside Assisting chapter runs 129 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
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