Recruitment: REF61106D

Published: October 09, 2026

Contact
Katrina Navarro - katrina.navarro@sfdph.org

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

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Department: Public Health

Job class: 2202-Dental Aide

Salary range: $87,724.00 - $106,652.00

Role type: Permanent Civil Service What does this mean?

Hours: Full-time

Exam type: Class Based Test

Rule: Rule of the List

List type: Entrance

About:
The Department of Public Health prioritizes equitable and inclusive access to quality healthcare for its community and values the importance of diversity in its workforce. All employees at the Department of Public Health work to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity with a specific lens and focus on race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, disability, and immigration status.

Application Opening – October 9, 2026

Application Deadline - Application filing will close on or after October 16, 2026

Salary : $87,724-$106,652 Annually

Appointment Type : Permanent Civil Service

Recruitment ID : CBT-2202-H00207

Work Arrangement: Onsite

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

The Mission of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans. Fulfilling this mission requires employees working across our hospitals, clinics, programs, and offices to deliver services and support the communities we serve. Individuals interested in joining SFDPH should expect to work in person across these settings.

The San Francisco Health Network, Population Health, Behavioral Health Services, and Administration are the core divisions of SFDPH. The San Francisco Health Network is the City’s only complete system of care and has locations throughout the City, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and over 15 primary care health centers. The Population Health Division (PHD) provides core public health services for the City and County of San Francisco: health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and disaster preparedness and response. Behavioral Health Services operates in conjunction with SFHN and provides a range of mental health and substance use treatment services.

Role description

Under supervision, assists a dentist during the examination and treatment of dental patients by preparing and arranging dental instruments and equipment; assists in oral surgical and dental procedures; makes entries on examination and treatment, records; takes and develops dental X-rays; and performs related duties as required.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties:
According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Makes appointments for patients; keeps records of patients admitted, results of examinations, dental work performed, number of patients seen.

2. Prepares and arranges dental instruments, equipment and accessories on trays ready for use; sterilizes and maintains dental instruments and equipment; keeps a sufficient amount of dental supplies available; mixes and maintains supplies of sterilizing and other solutions.

3. Provides chair-side assistance to dental providers in all phases of clinical dentistry including oral surgery, pediatrics, and other procedures.

4. Takes and develops dental X-rays; cleans and prepares X-ray machine; mounts X-ray film; mixes and maintains supplies of developing and fixing solutions.

5. Types communications, monthly and annual reports, budget requests for dental supplies and equipment; keeps office and equipment in neat, clean, and sanitary condition.

6. Provides preventative services including coronal polishing, topical fluoride application, and oral health education.

The 2202 Dental Aide performs other related duties as assigned/required.

Please note that incumbents in this classification may be required to perform duties as listed in the class specification, which can be found on DHR’s website: https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/

How to qualify

EXPERIENCE: One (1) year of experience as a Dental Aide; AND

LICENSE: Possession of a current and valid Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) license

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

One-year fulltime employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week).

VERIFICATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education or experience verification is required, information on how to verify education and experience requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

What else should I know?

Selection Procedures :
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE EXAMINATION: (WEIGHT: 100%)

The training and experience examination is designed to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities in job-related areas which may include but not be limited to:

Knowledge of the principles and methods of infection control, sterilizing dental equipment, and supplies.

Knowledge of the use of common dental instruments, equipment, and materials.

Knowledge of dental hygiene and prophylaxis.

Knowledge of dental office procedures.

Knowledge of dental X-ray techniques.

Knowledge of periodontal charting, names of teeth, and surfaces of crown.

Skill to take, develop, and mount dental X-rays.

Ability to maintain electronic and physical dental records.

Ability to prepare, maintain, and clean dental instruments, equipment, and accessories.

Ability to deal courteously and tactfully with patients through exercise of effective chairside techniques and a pleasant personality

Ability to communicate with others in a clear, convincing, and engaging way, such as: clarifying information, defending ideas, reading nonverbal body language, comprehending written information, and inviting feedback.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the exam to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Certification

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of the List.

Eligible List/Score Report :
A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see the city’s Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments.

San Francisco Department of Public Health

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Dental Aide (2202) - Department of Public Health - H00207