Dental Assistants
Dental Assistants work under the direction of other health care professionals, usually in dental offices, hospitals, health clinics, and other health care settings. Under direct supervision, the Dental Assistants are responsible for assisting dentists and dental hygienists with patient care as well as providing certain administrative support to the office.
Dental Assistant Program – Employment & Education
Dental Assistants work in a variety of health care settings including dentist offices, hospitals, and other similar facilities. With the national increase in health care-related services and the national shortage of health care professionals, the need for Dental Assistants is growing substantially.
Educational Requirements
Most employers prefer that dental assistants and aides have a high school diploma or equivalent. This 100-contact hour course includes a CPR certification course and covers the relevant material necessary to prepare students to take the State of Texas Registered Dental Assistant (RDT) exam.
Dental Assisting Program
The Dental Assisting Program prepares students for entry level positions in one of the fastest growing health care positions - Dental Assisting. The Dental Assisting program will cover key areas and topics exposing the student to both classroom and laboratory hands-on instruction. The classroom instruction reviews the necessary anatomy, terminology, legal and ethical issues as well as the policy and guidelines necessary to understanding the scope of practice and the practical aspects of dental assisting. Topics include instrument identification, equipment maintenance, tooth structure and oral cavity anatomy, dental anesthesia, sterilization, and charting. The laboratory instruction allows the student to experience the “feel” of working in a dental suite. The student will learn the steps necessary to assist the dentist while providing quality dental care within the community. Practical experience includes tooth charting, restorations, bridge implants, bitewing, panograph, periapical x-ray and the mixing of dental cements.
Additionally, this 100 contact hour course includes an 8-hour Health Care Provider CPR certification course and covers the relevant material necessary to prepare students to take the State of Texas Registered Dental Assistant exam.
In addition to entry-level administrative jobs, this course is ideal for students interested in pursuing a future formal Dental Hygienist program. The program includes graded quizzes and exams.
Dental Assisting Detailed Course Information
- Describe dental specialties.
- Identify the members of the dental staff and general job descriptions.
- Identify and name the parts of the jaw and areas of the mouth.
- Identify and name part of the tooth.
- To demonstrate tooth charting, tooth surfaces and classification of restorations on a tooth.
- Identify a single crown restoration, bridge, implant, partial denture, and full denture.
- Identify a periapical x-ray, panograph x-ray, and bitewing x-ray.
- Demonstrate mounting (from right to left) a complete series of dental x-rays.
- Identify and name dental equipment and accessories/equipment in a treatment room.
- Identify dental equipment in a lab and dark room.
- Describe dental procedures.
- Identify and name dental instruments and usage.
- Describe sterilization methods.
- Describe and demonstrate universal precautions for self-protection in all areas of dental office.
- Demonstrate set-up and breakdown of a treatment room using universal precautions.
- Discuss diseases transmitted in a dental office and what medical history is important
Tuition
The costs for the tuition, books, and all materials is $1799.00. This program has been approved for payment by the Texas Workforce Commission for eligible TWC clients.
For more information, contact
the Center for Professional Development
See the website at www.tlu.edu/cpd
