Dental Assistant Training: What Is The Program About?

By Mary Weston


The main focus of this article is dental assistant training. Assistants are usually employed by most dentists today. Whether their help be assisting in clinical procedures, everyday laboratory work, educating patients on post-care, or managing clerical duties; dental assistants are responsible for completing these tasks each day.

Dental assistants are different from dental hygienist because they are not properly licensed to carry out various treatments and procedures the hygienist and dentists are able to perform. Often referred as dental nurses, these assistants are still very valuable despite not being licensed. To become a dental nurse, the CDA (Certified Dental Assistant) exam must be passed after completion of a dental assistant training program. The four hour exam is a necessity for all seeking this profession. Several different methods of training programs are available.

For the first path, a person may complete a two year dental assistant program and earn an associates degree from that program's community college or university. A GED or high school diploma is required before entering an associates degree program. It is not required to have an associates degree before one can become an assistant. Although, having an associates degree would help tremendously for those seeking career advancement later, since most dental hygienist have a two year degree.

Another method to acquire training is through a one year course taught by a technical institute or vocational studies school. With more focus given to hands-on development, this training is often faster paced. To enter a one year training program, one must provide a high school degree or the equivalent. This program is intended to provide a large completion rate for those looking to become dental assistants.

Although rare, in some states individuals are able to work under a dentist's supervision and get on-the-job training in preparation for the CDA exam. This is possible because many states are able to hire individuals who are not certified in the field that they will be training towards certification at a later date (the rules and regulations vary from state to state). To be eligible to apply for certification, one must work under a licensed dentist's supervision for two years.

Clinical study courses and theory courses are the main divisions for dental assistant training. Included classes for the theory course are office fundamentals and procedures and dental science. The clinical study courses will include classes geared towards taking x-rays, equipment maintenance, and updating patient's records. One year technical institutes and vocational schools offering dental certificate programs will usually include classes as previously mentioned.

Diploma programs will go further in depth with additional classes and clinical studies. Oral anatomy, human biology, radiology, and other related subjects are many of the classes one can expect from these types of programs. These classes will allow the students to work in the field of periodontics and orthodontics.

The associates degree programs will have further classes in dental assistant training than the diploma programs offer. Various classes that can be expected are impression making, safety and health classes like OSHA, dental procedures, and many more. These classes all have their place in prepare the students for the CDA exam and for a career in dentistry.




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