Dental Assistant Program: Your Career Step to Success

Embarking on a career in dental assisting is a fantastic step towards a rewarding healthcare profession. Our Dental Assistant Program is meticulously designed with in-depth courses to provide you with the relevant industry knowledge and hands-on experience necessary for on-the-job success. Think of this program as your unit test preparation for a fulfilling career in dentistry, utilizing resources like quizlet for effective learning, and coding your path to professional growth in dental care.

Program Orientation: Dental Assistant Entry Level

Initiate your journey with the Dental Assistant Entry Level Program and set the foundation for your dental career step.

Introduction to Dental Assisting

Delve into the historical perspective of dental disease and dentistry, tracing its evolution from ancient times to modern practices.
Explore the nine distinct specialties within dentistry, understanding the diverse avenues available in this field.
Identify and understand the core career skills that dental assistants perform daily, gaining insight into your future responsibilities.
Learn about the governing bodies that oversee the Dental Practice Act and the procedures for obtaining licenses in the dental field, ensuring you understand the regulatory landscape.
Grasp the responsibilities of the dental team concerning patient records, the nuances of implied and informed consent, legal aspects like subpoenas, and the statute of limitations, preparing you for ethical and legal compliance.
Understand the profound impact of HIPAA law on dental offices and clearly define the parameters of this crucial legislation, emphasizing patient privacy and data security.

Dental Infection Control

Comprehend the various pathways through which pathogens can travel in a dental office setting, emphasizing the importance of preventing cross-contamination.
Learn to identify and understand the applications of a wide range of disinfectants used in dentistry, ensuring a safe and sterile environment.
Identify and gain practical experience in using different types of sterilizers, mastering essential sterilization techniques.
Demonstrate the correct protocols for disinfecting, cleaning, and sterilizing dental instruments and surfaces in various scenarios: before patient seating, after treatment, in radiography areas, and in the dental laboratory, ensuring comprehensive infection control.
Thoroughly understand the scope of the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and the Hazardous Communication Standard, vital for workplace safety and compliance.
Recognize and demonstrate the critical importance of safe disposal of sharps, protecting both staff and patients from potential hazards.
Identify and correctly utilize the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all clinical staff, reinforcing a culture of safety and prevention.

Basic Dental Sciences

Identify and understand the structures and functions of key human body systems including skeletal, muscular, nervous, circulatory, lymphatic, and immune systems, providing a holistic view of patient health.
Pinpoint the landmarks of the oral cavity, tongue, salivary glands, and the floor of the mouth, gaining detailed anatomical knowledge.
Master the landmarks of the maxilla and mandible arches, crucial for understanding dental anatomy and procedures.
Understand the functional mechanics of the temporomandibular (TMJ) joints, essential for diagnosing and understanding patient discomfort.
List and thoroughly describe the four stages of tooth development, along with the structure, location, and function of each tooth landmark, building a strong foundation in tooth morphology.
Comprehend the components of the periodontium, including alveolar bone, gingiva, and mucosa, understanding the supporting structures of teeth.
Describe the characteristics of viruses, bacteria, protozoa, yeast, and molds, expanding your knowledge of microorganisms relevant to oral health.
Describe different types of immunity and various routes of microorganism infection, enhancing your understanding of disease transmission and prevention.

Oral Health and Nutrition

Describe the process of plaque formation and its detrimental effects on teeth, emphasizing preventive measures.
Identify effective oral hygiene tips tailored to benefit each age group, from children to seniors, allowing you to provide patient-specific advice.
Define fluoride and comprehensively describe its use in dentistry, understanding its role in preventing caries.
Define essential nutrients found in food, including carbohydrates, fiber, fats, proteins, and amino acids, and explain their profound effects on oral hygiene, connecting diet to oral health.
Identify food sources, functions, and the implications of deficiencies for fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins, and the seven major minerals, recognizing nutritional impacts on oral health.
Understand the serious oral implications of eating disorders, enabling you to identify and address these concerns in patients.
Learn about the interplay between diet and culture and how these factors relate to oral health, promoting culturally sensitive patient care.

Tooth Morphology and Dental Charting

Confidently identify dental arches and quadrants using correct dental terminology, ensuring precise communication in dental settings.
List both primary and permanent teeth by name and location, building a comprehensive dental vocabulary.
Identify the surfaces of each tooth and their precise locations, crucial for accurate dental charting and treatment planning.
List anatomical structures of teeth and their definitions, expanding your detailed understanding of dental anatomy.
Describe each permanent and primary tooth according to location, anatomical features, morphology, function, position, and other identifying factors, developing in-depth tooth knowledge.
Identify various dental charts that use symbols to represent different conditions in the oral cavity, mastering dental record keeping.
Define G.V. Black’s six classifications of cavity preparations, essential for understanding restorative dentistry.
Describe basic dental charting terminology, enabling effective communication and documentation in dental practice.

Dental Pharmacology and Medical Emergencies

Identify key terms related to drugs, pharmacology, and medicines, building a professional vocabulary.
Identify and understand the components of a written prescription, ensuring accuracy in medication handling.
Identify the different routes through which drugs can be administered, understanding drug delivery methods.
Demonstrate a solid understanding of drugs commonly used in dentistry and their specific applications, preparing you for medication management in dental settings.
Describe various emergency situations that can occur in a dental office and explain how dental assistants can be prepared for these critical moments, enhancing patient safety.
Define terms and understand the anatomy involved in CPR delivery, equipping you with life-saving skills.
List and describe the signs and effective treatments for common medical emergencies such as syncope, asthma, allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis), hyperventilation, epilepsy, diabetes mellitus (hypoglycemia), angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and stroke/cerebrovascular accident, preparing you for emergency response.
List and describe several common dental emergencies a patient might experience, such as abscessed tooth, alveolitis, avulsed tooth, broken prosthesis, soft tissue injury, broken tooth, and loose crown, ensuring you can assist in managing these situations effectively.

Dental Radiology

Describe different types of radiation and their properties, understanding the principles of radiation in dentistry.
Identify the components of a dental x-ray unit and explain the function of each component, familiarizing yourself with dental imaging equipment.
Understand and apply the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle and properly use lead aprons with cervical collars for patient safety during radiography, emphasizing radiation safety practices.
Describe various types of film exposures, including periapical, bitewing, and occlusal radiographs, understanding different radiographic views.
Describe the paralleling principle and the bisecting principle and technique in dental radiography, mastering different exposure techniques.
Describe the process of taking radiographs on diverse patient groups, including occlusal, pediatric, edentulous, endodontic, and special needs/compromised patients, enabling you to handle various patient scenarios.
Explain the procedures for duplicating and mounting dental radiographs, ensuring proper handling and presentation of images.
Identify key factors in producing high-quality radiographs, optimizing image clarity and diagnostic value.
Explain the fundamental concepts, advantages, and disadvantages of digital radiography, understanding modern imaging technologies.
Identify extraoral films and describe appropriate exposing techniques, expanding your radiographic skills to include extraoral imaging.

Preparation for Dental Patient Care

Describe the fundamental components of effective communication, crucial for building patient rapport.
Demonstrate understanding of nonverbal communication through body language, including spatial cues, posture, facial expressions, gestures, and perception, enhancing interpersonal skills.
Discuss Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and its relevance to communication in a modern dental office, understanding patient psychology and needs.
Identify and explain common dental patient phobias and concerns, enabling empathetic patient management.
Identify sources of office stress and demonstrate conflict resolution techniques, promoting a positive work environment.
Describe general behavioral patterns of multicultural patient populations, fostering culturally competent care.
Explain the development of patient records and the importance of personal registration forms, medical and dental history, clinical evaluations, and extraoral and intraoral examinations, ensuring thorough patient documentation.
Perform or assist dentists in extraoral and intraoral evaluations, including examining lips, tongue, glands, and the oral cavity, developing clinical assessment skills.
Perform and accurately document patient vital signs, including oral and tympanic temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure, mastering essential patient monitoring techniques.

Fundamentals of HIPAA

Describe the foundational aspects of HIPAA, understanding the basics of patient data privacy.
Discuss the HIPAA Privacy Rule in detail, ensuring compliance with privacy regulations.
Discuss the HIPAA Security Rule, focusing on protecting electronic health information.
Describe the HITECH Act and its impact on HIPAA regulations, understanding recent updates and changes.
Explain regulations for business associates under HIPAA, extending compliance understanding to external partners.
Summarize HIPAA documentation and training requirements, ensuring office-wide compliance and education.
Review applied HIPAA security practices specifically for healthcare professionals, reinforcing daily security measures.

Dental Office Management and Employment

Identify the various roles within a dental office staff and their respective responsibilities, understanding office dynamics.
Explain how database management concepts are utilized in dental office administration, applying technology to office efficiency.
Identify essential equipment needed for effective record management, optimizing office organization.
Define key terms related to accounts receivable in a dental practice, managing financial aspects of the office.
Identify typical accounts payable expenses that a dental practice is responsible for, understanding office financial obligations.
Identify the critical steps in preparing a compelling cover letter and a professional résumé, essential for job seeking.
Describe the dental job interview process and identify effective skills and preparation techniques to aid in securing employment, enhancing career readiness.
Identify the key skills and attributes that a successful dental assistant possesses, understanding employer expectations.
Explain the proper procedures for terminating employment, understanding professional workplace conduct.

Externship Readiness Skills

Explore CareerStep Community career resources, leveraging available career support tools.
Develop effective time management skills, crucial for balancing work and personal life.
Enhance creative and critical thinking abilities, improving problem-solving skills.
Integrate critical and creative thinking skills into daily life, applying these skills beyond the workplace.
Learn physical and emotional coping techniques to effectively deal with stress, promoting personal well-being.
Acquire methods to maximize verbal, nonverbal, and written communication, improving overall communication effectiveness.
Relate the importance of professional image to career success, understanding workplace presentation.
Identify key elements of successful job interviews, refining interview skills.
Identify traits related to self-motivation and self-esteem, fostering personal and professional growth.
Incorporate a positive and professional attitude in all interactions with others, building positive workplace relationships.

Dental Office and Basic Chairside Assisting

Describe the optimal design of a dental office, its equipment and their functions, explaining the purpose of each area to maximize efficiency.
Describe the daily routines for opening and closing a dental office, ensuring smooth daily operations.
Describe the necessary steps to meticulously prepare the dental treatment room, maintaining hygiene and organization.
Explain the procedures for properly seating and preparing patients for treatment and for dismissing them post-treatment, focusing on patient care flow.
Identify the special needs of diverse patient populations and how to accommodate them, promoting inclusive patient care.
Describe various instrument grasps, operator and assistant positions, and techniques for instrument transfer during procedures, mastering four-handed dentistry.
List the eight key rules for efficient and safe instrument transfer, optimizing chairside assisting techniques.
Describe and demonstrate methods to effectively maintain the oral cavity during dental procedures, ensuring clear working fields.
Describe different techniques for moisture control and isolation in the oral cavity, crucial for successful dental treatments.

Dental Restorative and Laboratory Materials

Differentiate between dental cements, bases, liners, and bonding agents, understanding their specific uses in restorative dentistry.
Explain the dental assistant’s crucial role in preparing various dental materials, enhancing chairside efficiency.
List and explain the key properties of different dental materials, understanding material science in dentistry.
Identify the diverse types of dental cements and their applications, expanding material knowledge.
Explain dental etchants and their function in bonding procedures, understanding bonding protocols.
Describe dental bonding agents and their correct manipulation techniques, mastering bonding procedures.
Discuss restorative dentistry in detail, including various materials and techniques used, such as cavity detection, cleaners, disinfectants, and desensitizers, understanding the full scope of restorative treatments.
Describe the detailed steps of cavity preparation, learning the foundation of restorative procedures.
Explain the use of glass ionomer, resin, resin-reinforced glass ionomer, and compomer restorative materials, understanding modern restorative options.
Describe the functions and components of the Tofflemire matrix system, mastering matrix application techniques.
Demonstrate the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare, take, and remove alginate impressions and wax bites, and prepare reversible hydrocolloid and elastomeric impression materials for the dentist, mastering impression techniques.
Identify the skills needed to effectively use gypsum products in dental laboratory work, understanding dental model creation.
Identify various classifications and uses of dental waxes, expanding knowledge of dental lab materials.
Identify the step-by-step procedures to fabricate acrylic tray resin self-curing and light-curing custom trays, vacuum-formed trays, and thermoplastic custom trays, mastering custom tray fabrication.
Identify the steps necessary to properly contour prefabricated temporary crowns and to fabricate and fit custom temporary restorations, providing essential temporary restoration skills.

Clinical Dental Procedures

Identify and describe effective ways to help patients manage pain and anxiety during dental procedures, enhancing patient comfort.
List the sequential steps for preparing for the administration of local anesthetic, mastering anesthetic preparation protocols.
List the indications and contraindications for placing dental sealants, understanding sealant application guidelines.
Describe the types of sealant materials, including composite, glass ionomer, and filled and unfilled sealants, comparing sealant options.
Describe and explain the rationale behind each step in the coronal polishing procedure, mastering preventive dental techniques.
Identify the general steps and materials used for fixed prosthodontic procedures, gaining insight into crown and bridge procedures.
List the advantages and disadvantages of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry, understanding modern dental technology.
Describe patient considerations related to removable prosthetic treatment, understanding dentures and partial dentures.
Describe the procedures for denture repair and reline procedures, learning essential denture maintenance skills.

Dental Specialties

Define endodontics and describe the role of an endodontist, understanding root canal therapy.
Identify instruments and materials used in endodontic procedures and describe their specific functions, familiarizing yourself with endodontic instruments.
Describe the scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery, understanding surgical aspects of dentistry.
Identify surgical instruments used in various types of oral surgery and describe their functions, learning about surgical instrumentation.
List the indications and contraindications for dental implants, understanding implant dentistry guidelines.
Explain the sequential steps in the treatment process for dental implants, understanding implant procedures.
Identify oral diseases and lesions related to biological, physical, and chemical agents, recognizing pathological conditions.
Distinguish among oral conditions related to nutritional disturbances, connecting nutrition to oral pathology.
Define and describe occlusion and malocclusion, understanding bite and alignment issues.
Describe preventive, interceptive, and corrective orthodontics, understanding orthodontic treatments.
Describe effective child behavior management techniques in a dental setting, mastering pediatric patient management.
Identify signs of child abuse and understand the procedure for reporting suspected cases, fulfilling ethical and legal responsibilities.
Define cosmetic dentistry and describe the procedures involved, understanding aesthetic dentistry.
Describe the types of restorations placed and materials used for cosmetic restorations, learning about aesthetic restorative options.
Understand common procedures in pediatric dentistry, including preventive, restorative, and orthodontic treatments, specializing in child dental care.

Career Success in Healthcare

Assess and further develop effective time-management skills for healthcare settings, enhancing professional efficiency.
Develop concrete plans to enhance creative and critical thinking specifically in healthcare contexts, improving problem-solving in healthcare.
Learn the fundamentals of professional communication tailored for healthcare environments, mastering patient and team communication.

Dental Assistant Entry Level Final Exam

Review comprehensive Dental Assistant Final Exam instructions to prepare for assessment.
Take the Dental Assistant Final Exam to demonstrate acquired knowledge and skills.

Applying For Your Required Externship*

Create your professional profile in the Learner Placement Portal to begin externship application.
Review all externship preparation resources provided, maximizing readiness for practical experience.
Explore CareerStep Community career resources specifically to aid in your externship search, leveraging career support.
Understand the significant benefits of participating in an externship, recognizing the value of hands-on experience.
Access and understand externship participation eligibility requirements, ensuring you meet all criteria.
Understand the complete externship application process, navigating the steps to secure an externship.

Clinical Externship*

Work directly with local dentists to gain invaluable real-world, hands-on experience in a clinical dental setting.*

Program Completion: Dental Assistant Entry Level

Prepare thoroughly for dental assistant certification exams, aiming for professional credentialing.
Take Certification Practice Exam(s) to assess readiness and identify areas for final review.
Request voucher for the official Certification exam to take the final step in professional certification.

CareerStep does not guarantee externships. A learner’s placement in and completion of an externship is solely the learner’s responsibility and may be subject to additional requirements, such as a background check and successful completion of a CareerStep course. This is particularly important for learners seeking to complete their externship in Alabama, District of Columbia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Please note that CareerStep will not sign agreements with sites in the above-referenced states or provide evidence of insurance to those sites.