Dental Assisting
Associate Degree Program - Minneapolis, MN

This course introduces the student to the fundamentals of working in a dental office as a chairside assistant. The student will be introduced to dental terminology, oral anatomy, and oral tissue examination that will be utilized in patient charting. It introduces concepts and techniques of basic equipment use and maintenance, four-handed dentistry, oral evacuation, isolation techniques, beneficial ergonomics, and basic instrument identification and transfer. Students will utilize oral communication skills to instruct patients in proper oral hygiene and preventive dentistry. It also will provide the students with basic nutritional concepts and their practical applications.

This course will introduce the student to the health and safety considerations for basic infection control, dental emergencies and the disease process, including infectious diseases and disease transmission. Topics include occupational safety, personal protection, exposure control, infection control, sterilization and disinfection techniques, hazard and bloodborne pathogens standards, and waste disposal as defined by governmental agencies such as OSHA, CDC, and EPA. This course will also discuss the prevention and treatment of common medical emergencies experienced in the dental office. The student will have a basic understanding of the classification, administration, and use and effects of drugs commonly used in a dental office.

This course is designed to develop the student's oral and written communications skills for use in the dental office. Students will prepare and present a speech on subjects related to dentistry. Various topics include understanding patient behavior, psychology in the dental office, professional boundaries, and stress management. Through lecture, discussion, and individual and small group presentations, the student will become more confident in communicating with others.

This course is designed to provide the student with the knowledge of dental materials commonly utilized in the general dentistry office. Topics include the chemical and physical properties of and uses, types and applications for a wide variety of common materials used in the dental office. These include gypsum, impression materials, acrylics and/or thermoplastics, waxes, dental cements, and restorative materials. Students will become familiar with laboratory procedures that are commonly performed in the dental office including but not limited to assisting with and/or applying bases, liners and bonding agents, placing, fabricating, and removing provisional restorations, assisting with a direct permanent restoration, preliminary restorations and cleaning and polishing removable dental appliances. Students gain practical experience by manipulating materials and working with dental lab equipment.

This course provides an overview of general anatomy and functions including a basic understanding of the common disease process and pathological conditions. Emphasis is given to a comprehensive overview of oral, head, and neck anatomy and function. Oral pathology, oral histology and oral embryology are covered as well. The effects of anesthesia on the nervous and circulatory systems as related to dental procedures is covered.

This course introduces and expands on a variety of functions that may be required of a dental assistant. It covers both didactic and laboratory training in the following areas: placement and/or removal of a rubber dam, taking impressions for casts, custom tray fabrication, taking bite registrations, utilizing matrix retainers, bands and wedges and removing excess cement or bonding agents. Where graduates of a CODA-accredited program are authorized to perform additional functions defined by the program's state-specific dental board or regulatory agency, this course will include content related to placement of gingival retraction agents, performing orthodontic functions, placing and removing periodontal dressing, removal of sutures and removal of cement. Didactic and lab/preclinical experience will be gained in the process of fabricating casts, temporary crown and/or bridges, and the functions used in orthodontics such as placement of ligature ties, preselecting orthodontic bands, separators, cutting arch wires and removal of loose bands or brackets.

This course will provide the student with the necessary background knowledge of ionizing radiation including the following: history of dental radiography; image and x-ray production; radiation safety; patient and operator protection and quality assurance. Students will use paralleling and bisecting techniques to produce images. The advantage and disadvantage of each of those techniques will be discussed. Errors in exposure, developing and mounting will be addressed. Students will be given the opportunity to expose, process, mount and evaluate for diagnostic value films/images on a variety of patients. The procedural techniques for exposing extraoral accessory films utilized in dental offices will be introduced.

Where graduates of a CODA-accredited program are authorized to perform additional functions defined by the program's state-specific dental board or regulatory agency, this course will provide content for didactic and laboratory/clinical competence in monitoring and/or administering Nitrous Oxide-Oxygen analgesia, performing restoration polishing, placing pit and fissure sealants, polishing the coronal surfaces of the teeth, applying fluoride agents, placing and/or removing the rubber dam, applying topical anesthetic, fluoride, medications and desensitizing agents. The cause, manifestations and removal of stains will be addressed. The student will also gain competence in taking impressions for casts and appropriate bite registrations, removing excess cement, placing and removing separators, etching appropriate enamel surfaces, and applying and adjusting pit and fissure sealants.

In this course, the student will be taught the role of the dental assistant in different specialty areas in dentistry, specifically: endodontics, oral surgery, prosthodontics, periodontics, and pediatric dentistry. Through lecture and instrument identification, the student will become familiar with the procedures and instruments used in each specialty. Current concepts of chairside assisting in general dentistry, as well as dental specialties, are presented with emphasis on the utilization of the dental assistant. Chairside Assisting II includes a clinical rotation where each student is introduced to a general office for observation and practical experience in chairside assisting. The rotation will provide the student with the opportunity to experience and participate in the duties of a dental assistant in a clinical setting.

In this course, the student will be introduced to the responsibilities of office management and the administrative assistant, including scheduling and appointment control, patient and business records management, filing, recall systems, financial transactions, telephone technique and etiquette, dental insurance, inventory control, and application of dental practice management software. Information regarding patient rights and privacy under the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) will also be discussed.

This ethics and jurisprudence course is designed to prepare the student for their internship experience as well as the appropriate state and/or national certifications. This course provides information on the ethical, legal, and professional experiences and obligations of the dental assistant as a member of the dental healthcare team. Students will receive information on a variety of topics representative of the dental assisting profession. Topics will include, but are not limited to, the following: ethical behaviors, professional associations, legal terminology, patient rights and responsibilities, and assistant-related responsibilities. Rules and statutes published and enforced by the state dental board will be covered. Ethics and Jurisprudence is a course that aids the student in combining their didactic training and professional development skills in preparation for a comprehensive examination and entry-level employment.

During the internship clinical phase of training, the student will experience various aspects of working in a private dental office, group dental practice, or specialty dental office. The internship will provide the student with the opportunity to experience and participate in the duties of a dental assistant in a clinical setting at an entry level. Areas such as treatment room preparation, infection control procedures, four-handed dentistry, front office procedures, laboratory procedures, and expanded functions will be emphasized. Students will learn by observing experienced dental office personnel and participating in a clinical setting under close supervision of trained healthcare professionals. Students will use self-evaluation techniques to enhance their understanding and learning.