Certificate Program with 130 hours of Externship
460 Clock Hours/18 Weeks/4.5 Months Program
Objective and goals
Dental Assistance program is design to teach
students to perform a variety of patient care, office, and laboratory
duties. Students are taught to work chair-side; seat
patients for treatment (proper chair adjustment) and
obtain their dental records, as dentists examine and
treat the patients. The basics of the dental lab,
pharmacology, dental anatomy of the jaw, skull, facial
muscles and nerves are covered. While not teaching
the actual dental x-ray lab technology, the preliminary
precautions and theories of the x-ray and working in the
x-ray environment are covered.
The main focus of this program will teach students to hand instruments and materials to dentists and keep patient's mouth dry and clear by using suction or other devices. They also taught how to sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare trays of instruments for dental procedures, instruct patients on postoperative and general oral health care and prepare rooms to meet compliance with infection control standards and dental emergencies. Scheduling appointments, filling out insurance forms, and handling different patient related issues are covered.
Upon successful completion of the program, the graduates will be proficient in performing entry-level chair side duties in dentist's office, both family practice as well as specialty practice, and clinics.
Working conditions
Dental Assistants work in a well-lighted, clean and
controlled environment. Their work area
usually is near the dental chair so that they can arrange instruments,
materials, and medication and hand them to the dentist when needed. Dental
Assistants will wear gloves, masks, eyewear, and protective clothing to protect
themselves and their patients from infectious diseases.
Employment
Many Dental Assistants have a 35- to 40-hour workweek, which may
include work on Saturdays or evenings.
In addition to job openings due to employment
growth, numerous job openings will arise out of the need
to replace assistants who transfer to other occupations,
retire, or leave for other reasons. Population growth and
greater retention of natural teeth by middle-aged and older people
is fueling
demand for dental services. Older dentists, who have been less likely to employ
assistants, are leaving the occupation and will be replaced by recent
graduates, who are more likely to use one or even two assistants. In addition,
as dentists' workloads increase, they are expected to hire more assistants to
perform routine tasks, so that they may devote their own time to more complex
procedures.