A new legislation that will be introduced next month, requires assistants to obtain a qualification and register with the body.
Organisations, like the South African Dental Association, are unhappy with the changes, which could see dentists who hire unqualified assistants facing legal action.
Assistants who have not completed the process by next month will be forced to leave their jobs.
The HPCSA’s Doctor Kgosi Letlape says it was dental assistants themselves who asked for the formalisation of their profession.
