A dental assistant works in a variety of office situations, both specialty and general practice, or in a dental clinic, hospital or in the armed forces, performing office and clinical assisting duties. Duties can include: assisting the dentist with examinations and fillings; preparing instruments; exposing radiographs; maintaining infection control; performing laboratory procedures; and performing reception and office management procedures.
The Dental Assisting Program is designed to provide the student with three dental career options leading to or enhancing employment in a dental office or dental clinic. Basic science courses prior to enrolling are encouraged; typing/computer courses are recommended.
Dental Assisting Program application/admissions criteria are identified in the Admissions section in this catalog.
The one-year certificate option provides the student with opportunities to acquire knowledge in the area of dental terminology, dental materials, radiography, and chair side assisting. Classroom and online sessions are complemented by planned practical experiences in the college laboratory and dental offices. Upon successful completion of the one-year certificate program, the student will be eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination or the Ohio Dental Assistants Examination to become a certified dental assistant.
To be eligible for the national examination, a person must graduate from an accredited institution and have a current registration in CPR. Those successfully completing the examination are permitted to use the initials CDA following their names.
The CDA who desires to continue her/his education in dental assisting can enroll in second-year courses leading to an Associate Degree of Applied Science, Dental Assisting, with two optional pathways: transfer or EFDA.
Upon successful completion of the dental assisting program options, the graduate will be able to:
1-Demonstrate a working knowledge of dental terminology and the dental sciences.
2-Provide oral health instruction to dental patients and community groups.
3-Collect systematically and record accurately diagnostic and clinical data.
4-Employ current principles of effective chairside assisting for general and dental specialty procedures and dental/medical emergencies.
5-Prepare and manipulate chairside and dental laboratory materials and fabricate dental models, trays, and appliances.
6-Perform effectively patient reception and dental business office procedures
7-Demonstrate proficiency in performing special functions for Ohio certified dental assistants.
8-Communicate effectively and establish positive working relationships with patients and members of the dental health care team.
9-Implement current principles and guidelines of dental infection control and hazards management.
10-Function in a professional and ethical manner.
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Dental Assisting AAS and Dental Assisting Certificate Programs
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Recommended System Requirements
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- OS: Windows 10 or higher
- Processor: 2 GHz or higher
- RAM: 4 GB or more
- Hard Drive: 100 GB or more
- Graphics: DirectX9 or higher
- Display: 720p
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- OS: Mac 10.14 or higher
- Processor: Intel Core i5 or higher
- RAM: 8 GB or more
- Hard Drive: 256 GB or more
- Display: 1280x800 resolution or higher
Chromebooks are not recommended
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