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A dental assistant is a vital member of the dental health team and enjoys a broad range of exciting and challenging duties. The common duties of a dental assistant include: treatment room and patient preparation and management, directly assisting the dentist at chairside with operative dental procedures, dental infection control procedures, performing dental laboratory procedures, providing patient oral care instruction, performing dental business practice procedures, and performing tasks related to hazard control and management . In Minnesota a qualified dental assistant may be delegated expanded functions which are a group of procedures the assistant may perform independently on a patient. Examples of expanded functions include: mechanically polishing the teeth, taking radiographs, applying pit and fissure sealants, taking impressions, tying-in orthodontic wires (braces), applying topical fluoride, fabricating and cementing temporary crowns, and administering nitrous oxide-oxygen sedation.

The Dental Assistant major is designed to provide the student with the technical knowledge, manual skills, clinical experiences, communication skills, and positive attitudes toward work required to make the graduate a valuable member of the dental health care profession. The program prepares the student to function in both general and specialty dental practices. Visit us at http://www.rctc.edu/program/da/.

Curriculum-at-a-Glance

Coursework includes: Dental Communications, Dental Science I and II, Chairside Assisting I and II, Dental Infection Control, Dental Radiology, Expanded Functions I and II, Dental Materials, Preventive Dentistry, and Dental Practice Management.

Clinical experience is obtained in the technically current dental clinic. The clinic has a reception area and business office, 18 operatories equipped for four-handed dentistry, a recirculation/sterilization room, a darkroom for processing x-rays, and a complete dental laboratory. Patients come to the dental clinic for tooth polishing, fluoride treatments, dental x-rays, pit and fissure sealants and personal oral care instruction. A dentist is on staff to aid in the direct instruction and supervision of students, along with dentists from the community who give guest presentations.

In the final semester of the program, students will further their clinical experience through three assigned internships in different dental offices in southeastern Minnesota . The internships are approximately three weeks each, with two in general dental practices, and one in a specialty dental practice.  

Upon successful completion of the Dental Assistant program, graduates are eligible to sit for the Minnesota registration exam and the national certification exam for dental assistants.

For more detailed program information, refer to RCTC’s program course requirements at http://www.rctc.edu/catalog/programs/index.html.

Program/Degree Options

RCTC’s Dental Assistant program offers both a 47-credit diploma option and also a 64-credit Associate in Applied Science degree option. The diploma option may be completed in one full calendar year, or taken part-time in two years.  Taking the program in one calendar year will be a heavy academic load so students are advised to limit part-time work to weekends.

A limited number of part-time program options are available annually.

A 13-credit Expanded Functions certificate program is available for dental assistants who have already earned the credential of a certified dental assistant but who have not yet earned the credential of a registered dental assistant.

Program Start Date(s)

In order to complete the diploma program in one year, students must start the Dental Assistant program fall semester.

Career Opportunities/Information

The career outlook for Certified and Registered Dental Assistants in Minnesota is excellent. Dental Assisting is a career that includes excellent work schedules, attractive compensation packages, a pleasant work environment and is in high demand throughout the United States.

A dental assistant may be employed in a general dental practice or a specialty dental practice. The dental specialties include: Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics, Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Endodontics, Periodontics and Prosthodontics.

Another employment option involves the type of dental care delivery. A dental assistant may be employed in: solo or group dental practices, hospital dentistry, research institutions, government dental facilities, and dental training facilities. Some employment opportunities exist for dental product manufacturers and dental supply companies.

Articulations/Accreditations

The RCTC Dental Assistant program is accredited by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation. Graduates from the RCTC Dental Assistant program are eligible to take two credentialing board exams: a national certification exam to earn the title of a Certified Dental Assistant and a state board exam to earn the title of a Registered Dental Assistant.

Rochester Community and Technical College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission: A Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
For additional information on the most current list of RCTC program articulations see us at: http://www.rctc.edu/catalog/articulations/index.html

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Additional Information:

• Course Schedule
• Program Course Requirements: College-level reading/writing competency; one full year of high school biology or one semester college biology.
• Promotional Web Site – Includes more detailed program information