CAHS 154 - Dental Assisting (1–12)

The Dental Assisting program prepares students for entry level positions in a variety of health care settings including dentist offices, hospitals and other similar facilities, familiarizing the student with all areas of pre-clinical dental assisting and training in the professional skills required to function as an assistant in the dental practice. It covers the following key areas and topics - Administrative aspects: the history of dentistry and dental assisting; introduction to the dental office; the legal aspects of dentistry and dental assisting; policies and guidelines. Clinical aspects: introduction to oral anatomy; dental equipment, operation, and maintenance; introduction to tooth structure; primary and permanent teeth; the oral cavity and related structures; proper patient positioning; dental hand pieces; dental anesthesia; sterilization; maintaining sterility and asepsis. This program does not include a national or state certification objective which in most states require 1 to 2 years of training or education. This course is eligible for college credit after successful completion of the program.