Dental Assistant

The Dental Assistant program prepares students for entry-level positions in one of the fastest growing healthcare professions. With the national increase in healthcare-related services, and the national shortage of healthcare professionals, the need for dental assistants is growing substantially. With a growing workforce over 300,000 strong, a career in dental assisting ranks as the fourth fastest growing occupation in the healthcare technician field.

The program prepares learners for entry-level positions as a chair-side dental assistant. This program covers the history of dentistry, introduction to the dental office, the legal aspects of dentistry, introduction to oral anatomy, dental operatory, introduction to tooth structure (primary and permanent teeth), the oral cavity; and other areas. The purpose of this program is to familiarize learners with all areas of administrative and clinical dental assisting focusing on the responsibilities required to function as an assistant in a dental practice.

Program Objectives

After completing this program, learners will be able to:

• Describe the process for gathering and assessing patient health information
• Explain the foundations of and procedures used in clinical dentistry
• Summarize the use of radiology in dentistry and issues associated with it
• Describe the primary materials, instruments, and equipment used in dentistry including basic care and maintenance of instruments
• Outline how dental assistants assist with various dental procedures and types of dentistry
• Summarize the essential administrative and communication skills required of dental assistants
• Explain the anatomy, physiology, and pathology concepts associated with dentistry
• Explain infection control, safety, and emergency procedures and regulations in the dental environment
• Explain pediatric and orthodontic procedures and tools

Certification Opportunities

After completing this program, learners will have the option to take the leading national/industry-recognized certification exam(s) essential to entry-level employment in this fast-growing field.

	Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) Radiation Health and Safety (RHS)
	National Workforce Career Association (NWCA) Dental Assistant Clinical Certification (DACC)

Job and Externship Placement Services

Regardless if you elect to pursue national certification or not, if you enroll and successfully complete this program, assuming you pass a background check and drug screen, you will have guaranteed access to our Ready to Work (RTW) Job and Externship Placement services. All students who successfully complete this program (and pass a background check and drug screen) will have access to the RTW Externship or Job placement services at no additional cost.

Please note that if you choose Ready to Work (RTW) Externship Placement, you must be available to attend your RTW Externship on a full-time or part-time basis, Monday through Friday, between 7am – 5pm (minimum of 4 hours per day) for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days per week. Evening and weekend externships are not available, with the exception of Pharmacy Technician, which may have evening and weekend opportunities. Externships must be completed in person at the employer facility during the scheduled hours. With the exception of Medical Billing & Coding (MBC) students, remote externships are not available. Additionally, remote RTW Job Placements are very limited. Students have 6 months from course completion to request RTW placement services. After 6 months, a refresher course is required to be eligible for RTW placement services.