Dental Assisting

This course presents the foundational principles of the dental assisting profession, the science of dentistry, and an introduction to dental communications. The course includes the roles and functions of the dental team, and laws affecting ethics and the practice of dentistry. Students will gain a working vocabulary that includes terminology related to oral, dental, and head and neck anatomy. Students will be introduced to dental office communication and business operating systems.

This course presents the background, importance, and practical application of disease transmission prevention and infection control in dentistry, including regulatory agency guidelines. Also presented is the foundation of oral disease prevention including patient education guidelines in oral self-care practices and nutrition.

This course presents the foundation of chair side dental assisting in the delivery of dental care to include dental instrument identification and use, and moisture and pain control methods. Patient information and assessment skills detailed are patient information and assessment, an understanding of oral diagnosis and treatment planning process, the needs of the special needs and the medically compromised patient, principles of pharmacology, assisting in a medical emergency, patient assessment, and oral pathology.

This course presents the fundamentals of materials used in restorative dentistry including laboratory techniques and procedures. The properties of dental materials are covered such as restorative and esthetic materials, liners, bases, and bonding materials, cements, and impression materials. Labs will cover applications and uses of dental materials.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the practices in dentistry, and the foundations of radiography, radiation safety, infection control and quality assurance involving dental radiography. The student should be able to describe dental procedures including: general dentistry, restorative dentistry, fixed prosthodontics, provisional coverage, removable prosthodontics, and implant dentistry.

This course provides lecture and laboratory-based instruction on the exposure and processing techniques of diagnostic dental films. Radiographic instruction includes intraoral x-ray, panoramic x-rays, and an overview of digital x-ray systems. Using a radiographic simulator, students will develop a portfolio of radiographs they have taken to demonstrate competence in exposing, processing and mounting intra and extra oral radiographs on a variety of patient types.

This course will prepare students for administrative tasks in a dental office. Students are provided with an overview of the dental office management systems: the computerized dental practice, information management, patient scheduling, recall systems, inventory management, and dental office business equipment. Managing dental office finances entails financial arrangements and collection procedures, insurance processing, and accounts payable and accounts receivable. Students are introduced to dental practice management software where the students input patient information, schedule appointments and handle billing. The rules and function of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Administrative Simplification, as it applies to the dental healthcare system, are reviewed. Career development techniques along with the importance of professional oral and written communication in the dental office are also examined.

In this course, students will explore expanded dental assistant functions within the dental specialties endodontics, periodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatric dentistry, and orthodontics. The basics of coronal polishing and dental sealants are presented along with advanced instruction on radiography.

This course provides a comprehensive review of program contents to prepare for applicable certification examinations. Students are also given an opportunity to review clinical skills acquired throughout the program. Students will develop a portfolio of radiographs they have taken to demonstrate competence in exposing, processing and mounting intra and extra oral radiographs on a variety of patient types. Professional ethics and local jurisprudence issues and regulations associated with dental assisting are presented.

This course allows the student to apply what they have learned in the program curriculum to practical use in a healthcare facility under the supervision of a preceptor on the site. Through the externship experience, the student gain first-hand knowledge of the workplace and perform the assigned duties to meet the expectations in a professional setting. Students are expected to adapt to the work environment and reflect regularly on their learning and observations. The externship work performed is not to be paid.

This course allows the student to apply what they have learned in the program curriculum to practical use in a healthcare facility under the supervision of a preceptor on the site. Through the externship experience, the student gain first-hand knowledge of the workplace and perform the assigned duties to meet the expectations in a professional setting. Students are expected to adapt to the work environment and reflect regularly on their learning and observations. The externship work performed is not to be paid.