Overview — The
Dental Assistant program is a one-semester plus two-week, 16-credit, technical diploma program that provides students with the opportunity to learn and perform a variety of patient care techniques as they work with the dentist during the examination and treatment of patients. Other duties typically performed by a dental assistant include preparing patients for treatment, exposing and processing radiographs, assisting with dental procedures and obtaining dental records. Courses in the curriculum blend both academic and clinical competencies. The student will practice these skills during 128 hours of clinical experience in a dental practice.
Career Outlook — Employment opportunities for trained dental assistants are plentiful in private offices, hospitals and clinic settings. The demand for dental services continues to increase. As dentists’ workloads increase, they are expected to hire more assistants to perform routine tasks. For more information, visit the Dental Assisting National Board, www.danb.org or the American Dental Association,
www.ada.org .
Program Learning Outcomes — Employers anticipate that you as a graduate of this program will be able to:
- Demonstrate professionalism, communication and human relation skills, and ethical/legal practices
- Relate dental anatomy and terminology to dental procedures
- Recognize the importance of proper infection control and instrument and equipment sterilization
- Demonstrate proper techniques for exposing, processing and mounting dental x-ray films
- Provide patients with oral hygiene instruction
- Provide the dentist with accurate patient records
- Prepare treatment rooms for dental procedures
- Perform expanded duties such as temporary crown fabrication and coronal polishing
