The main focus of this article is dental assistant training. Assistants are usually employed by most dentists today. These assistants are responsible for completing tasks that could include assisting in treatment of patients, educating patients on aftercare, lab work, or management of office duties.
Dental assistants are not licensed to perform certain procedures and treatments that either a dental hygienist or dentist are allowed to perform. Dental nurses is the name these assistants are commonly called. To become a dental nurse, the CDA (Certified Dental Assistant) exam must be passed after completion of a dental assistant training program. In order to become active for practice, all assistants must pass this four hour exam. Training programs offer many different paths for preparing for the exam.
One method is to complete a two year associates degree program through a university or community college that offers dental assistant training. To be eligible for the associates degree program, the student must have a diploma from high school or an equivalent measure. 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.
Vocational studies schools and technical institutes also offer one year dental courses that offer another method to becoming an assistant. This training program spends more time towards hands-on experience and in turn is usually 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.
The course work for dental assistant training is divided between theory courses and clinical study courses. The theory courses covered will include such classes as dental science and office procedures and fundamentals. Updating of patient's records, equipment maintenance and taking of x-rays are all classes that would normally be offered as clinical study courses. One year technical institutes and vocational schools offering dental certificate programs will usually include classes as previously mentioned.
Most programs that offer diplomas will provide more classes that expand further into the clinical study courses. 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. Health/safety classes (OSHA), dental procedures, impression making, and many other classes are to be expected in this type of dental program. In preparation for the CDA exam and a career in dentistry, the understanding and implementation of these classes are vital to the students success.