Dental Assisting

The Dental Assisting Profession

The Dental Assisting Program prepares students for entry-level positions in one of the fastest growing health care professions – Dental Assisting. With the national increase in healthcare-related services, and the national shortage of health care 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. To meet our nation’s growing medical demands, recent studies indicate that over 400,000 assistants will be employed by 2018.

The Dental Assisting Program

The purpose of this program is to familiarize students with all areas of administrative and clinical dental assisting and the responsibilities required to function as an assistant in a dental practice. This course covers the following key areas and topics

• Introduction to the dental office and history of dentistry and dental assisting
• Legal aspects of dentistry including policies and guidelines
• Introductory oral anatomy, dental operatory, and dental equipment
• Introductory tooth structure including primary and permanent teeth
• The oral cavity and related structures
• Dental hand-pieces, sterilization, and other areas

Education and Certification

• Dental assistants and aides should have or be pursuing a high school diploma or GED.
• Students who complete this comprehensive course would be prepared to sit for the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) – Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam, and the DANB – Infection Control Exam (ICE).
• In many states, DANB-RHS certification is required to work in dental radiography.
• In addition to facilitating entry-level administrative positions, this course is ideal for students interested in pursuing a future formal dental hygienist program.

Detailed Course Topics Covered

• The dental assisting profession and the history of dentistry
• Dental anatomy and physiology
• Tooth charting, tooth surfaces, and classification of restorations on a tooth
• Parts of the jaw and areas of the mouth
• Oral health and preventions of dental disease
• Infection control in dentistry and occupational health and safety
• Patient information and assessment
• Foundation of clinical dentistry
• Dental radiology
• Single crown restoration, bridge, implant, partial denture, and full denture
• Dental equipment and accessories and the treatment room
• Dental hand pieces and accessories
• Dental cements and impression materials
• Coding of radiology services and the use of ICD-9-CM codes
• Assisting in comprehensive dental care
• Dental administration and communication skills