Dental Assistant

Overview

The Dental Assisting Profession
The Dental Assisting Program prepares students for entry-level positions in one of the fastest growing healthcare professions Dental Assisting. With the national increase in healthcare-related services, and the national shortage of healthcare 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 nations growing medical demands, recent studies indicate that over 400,000 assistants will be employed by 2018.

The Dental Assisting Program
The program prepares students for entry-level positions as a chair-side dental assistant. This course covers the history of dentistry, introduction to the dental office, the legal aspects of dentistry, introduction to oral anatomy, dental operatory, introduction to tooth structure (primary and permanent teeth), the oral cavity; and other areas. Program also includes an optional clinical externship at a local healthcare provider!

The purpose of this program is to familiarize students with all areas of administrative and clinical dental assisting focusing on 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

Dental Assisting Detailed Course Information:
The dental assisting profession and the history of 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, 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

Languages

English

Course Access Time

Students are given 6 months to complete the program. Extensions are available if needed, fees may apply.

Instructor

Patrice Arevalo Patricia has a degree in Medical Assisting from The Career College of Northern Nevada, Dental Assisting from the Community College of the Air Force, and is currently working on her B.S. in Criminal Justice Studies from Grand Canyon University in Arizona. She has over 10 years of experience working in doctors offices and has been an Air Force Reservist since 2009. She has worked as an instructor for multiple schools over the last 4 years teaching medical and dental assistant curriculum, as well as OSHA safety requirements and career development.

Prerequisites/Audience

Dental assistants and aides should have or be pursuing a high school diploma or GED.

In addition to facilitating entry-level administrative positions, this course is ideal for students interested in pursuing a future formal dental hygienist program.

Requirements

System Requirements:
Windows Users:
Windows 7, XP or Vista
56K modem or higher
Soundcard & Speakers
Firefox, Chrome or Microsoft Internet Explorer
Mac OS User:
Mac OS X or higher (in classic mode)
56K modem or higher
Soundcard & Speakers
Apple Safari
iPad Users:
iPad iOS 5.1 (or latest)
Screen Resolution:
We recommend setting your screen resolution to 1024 x 768 pixels.
Browser Requirements:
System will support the two latest releases of each browser. When using older versions of a browser, users risk running into problems with the course software.

Windows Users: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer
Mac OS Users: Apple Safari, Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox

Students will recieve these textbooks with their program:
Pearsons Comprehensive Dental Assisting