EXPANDED DUTY DENTAL ASSISTING
DEGREE: Diploma in Applied Science with a major in Expanded Duty Dental Assisting
Dental Assistants perform a variety of duties including those related to patient care, as well as many office and laboratory responsibilities. During patient care they work chairside assisting dentists as they examine and treat patients. Dental Assistants must be reliable, have good manual dexterity, and be able to communicate and work effectively with patients and other members of the dental office staff. Dental Assistants are employed, almost exclusively, in private dental offices. Some employment opportunities are available in public and government facilities. Nationally, the starting salary for a Certified Dental Assistant is approximately $20,000 plus available benefits. As the population grows and as dentist workloads increase, there is an increasing need for more trained Dental Assistants.
PREREQUISITES FOR ENTRANCE
Required Courses
High School:
Biology, Typing/Computer
(Recommended: Algebra, Chemistry)
College:
None
NOTE: A grade of "C" or better is required for each prerequisite course.
Other Requirements
- High School Diploma or GED
- Prior Experience/Observation - Minimum fifteen hours of observation in a dental office
- Minimum Cumulative GPA of 2.0
- Current CPR Certification by American Heart Association or American Red Cross
- Hepatitis B Immunization, Signed Informed Refusal or Titer
- MMR Immunization or Titer
- Chicken Pox Vaccination or Titer
- One-step PPD / Chest X-Ray
- Medical Examination - Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete.
- Dental Examination - Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete. Dental health must meet departmental standards.
- Technical Standards - Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
- Any course with one of the following prefixes requires a grade of "C" or better: MAT, PSY
- Any course with one of the following prefixes may not be attempted more than twice: DAT, ENG, MAT, PSY
- Complete or Maintain CPR Certification by American Heart Association or American Red Cross
- Curriculum Completion Requirement - 24 months
COURSE REQUIREMENTS | |||||||
General Education Courses |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENG | 155 | Communications I | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| MAT | 155 | Contemporary Mathematics | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| PSY | 103 | Human Relations | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 9 | 0 | 9 | |||||
Required Major Core Courses |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| DAT | 113 | Dental Materials | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| DAT | 118 | Dental Morphology | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| DAT | 121 | Dental Health Education | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| DAT | 122 | Dental Office Management | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DAT | 127 | Dental Radiography | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| DAT | 154 | Clinical Procedures I | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| DAT | 164 | Clinical Procedures II | 1 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 13 | 27 | 22 | |||||
Other Hours Required for Graduation |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| DAT | 112 | Integrated Human Sciences | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| DAT | 115 | Ethics & Professionalism | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| DAT | 123 | Oral Medicine/Oral Biology | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| DAT | 124 | Expanded Functions/Specialties | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| DAT | 177 | Dental Office Experience | 0 | 21 | 7 | ||
| 7 | 27 | 16 | |||||
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: 47 | |||||||
SEMESTER CURRICULUM |
|||||||
SEMESTER 1 (Fall) |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| DAT | 112 | Integrated Human Sciences | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| DAT | 113 | Dental Materials | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| DAT | 115 | Ethics & Professionalism | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| DAT | 118 | Dental Morphology | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| DAT | 154 | Clinical Procedures I | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| ENG | 155 | Communications I | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 13 | 15 | 18 | |||||
SEMESTER 2 (Spring) |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| DAT | 121 | Dental Health Education | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| DAT | 122 | Dental Office Management | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| DAT | 123 | Oral Medicine/Oral Biology | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| DAT | 127 | Dental Radiography | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| DAT | 164 | Clinical Procedures II | 1 | 9 | 4 | ||
| PSY | 103 | Human Relations | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 13 | 15 | 18 | |||||
SEMESTER 3 (Summer) |
|||||||
| Course | Class | Lab | Credit | ||||
| DAT | 124 | Expanded Functions/Specialties | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| DAT | 177 | Dental Office Experience | 0 | 21 | 7 | ||
| MAT | 155 | Contemporary Mathematics | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 24 | 11 | |||||
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: 47 | |||||||
PROGRAM AND EMPLOYMENT TIDBITS
Contact Person: Susan Cochran
Waiting List: No
Local Starting Salary: $12.00
Local Average Salary: $16.00
National Starting Salary: $14.00
National Average Salary: $20.00