Online Clinical Dental Assistant Training - University of Houston
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Online Clinical Dental Assistant Training

This course is 100% online | Start anytime.

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Prepare for the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) Exam Online

logo-danb Dental assistants play a valuable role in any dental care team, often handling a variety of tasks from assisting with treatment procedures to administrative duties. This 100% online course will help you gain the technical skills you need to join a dental office as a clinical dental assistant. Upon successful completion of this course, you will receive vouchers to sit for the Anatomy, Morphology, and Physiology (AMP), Infection Control (ICE), and Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) portions of the Dental Assisting National Board examinations.

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Job Outlook for Clinical Dental Assistants

  • According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of a clinical dental assistant is currently just over $40,000 per year.
  • Employment is projected to grow by 11% through 2030, which is considered much faster than average. Ongoing research linking good dental health with good overall health is driving this growth as demand for preventative services continues to increase.

Clinical Dental Assistant FAQs

Clinical dental assistant jobs vary based on the dental office and the state your work in. Typical duties include preparing patients for treatment, sterilizing tools, instructing on proper dental hygiene, passing instruments to the dentist during procedures, keeping records of treatments, scheduling appointments and processing x-rays.
Most clinical dental assistant training programs can be completed in one year or less. This does not include the time you will spend working in an externship or similar position to gain experience in the field. It also does not include the required two years of work experience you will need to become certified.
To become a Certified Dental Assistant, you will need to pass the three components of the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) Certification Exam and meet the Board’s work experience requirements. You will need to pass the Radiation Health and Safety, Infection Control, and General Chairside components of the DANB Certification Exam as well as complete at least two years of work experience (or a minimum of 3,500 hours accrued over a two to four year period).
Most dental assistants work a full-time schedule of 40 hours per week, however there are some dental assistants that work part-time. Many of the hours will be worked during the day, but depending on your dental office, you may be asked to work some evenings or weekends.
Almost all clinical dental assistants work in dental offices under the supervision of dentists, though some may find employment with the government or in physicians’ offices. Dental assistants work very closely with dental hygienists. In this position, you will be on your feet for large portions of the day and wear surgical masks, safety goggles, gloves, and protective clothing to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
While both roles are important components of the dental staff, an administrative dental assistant focuses more on the office's administrative tasks, such as greeting patients, collecting patient information, filling out medical forms, organizing office records, and other clerical tasks. On the other hand, a clinical dental assistant helps dentists and dental hygienists with treatment procedures, sterilization and disinfection of dental tools, patient charting, taking vital signs, processing quality radiographs (x-rays), and more.

Students enrolled in the Clinical Dental Assistant program are eligible for ed2go’s Clinical Experience. Clinic Experience is an unpaid, hands-on experience where students have the opportunity to work at a site after they have completed their course.

Clinical Experiences are not guaranteed, and an application must be submitted prior to the completion of your course (75% complete). Students who are interested in the Clinical Experience must complete their course with a 70% or higher and must be either current with their loan or paid in full. Students will receive information about this process within their course content. For more information on the Clinical Experience, please reach out to clinicalexperience@cengage.com.

Course Objectives

  • Real-world perspectives from experienced dental assistants
  • Essential information about anatomy and physiology, preventive dentistry, patient care, and communication, radiology, pharmacology, anesthesia, assisting in specialty practices, employment strategies, and much more
  • Explore the basics of maintaining computerized clinical dental records using Dentrix Practice Management software

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Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites to complete this course. However, candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent to sit for national certification exams.

Curriculum

  1. The Dental Profession
  2. Communication Skills
  3. Ethics for the Dental Assistant
  4. Basic Dental Sciences
  5. Dental Anatomy
  6. Oral Pathology
  7. Infection Control
  8. Hazardous Materials
  9. Caring for Exceptional Patients
  10. Pharmacology for the Dental Assistant
  11. Emergency Management
  12. Oral Health and Nutrition
  13. The Dental Office
  14. Dental Instruments
  15. Introduction to Chairside Assisting
  16. New Patients and Charting
  17. Introduction to Dentrix Learning Software (Optional)
  18. Anesthesia and Sedation
  19. Preventative Care
  20. Radiation Health Safety
  21. Extraoral and Digital Radiology
  22. Dental Emergency Procedures and Amalgam Restorations
  23. Composite Procedures and Laboratory Materials
  24. Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
  25. Dental Specialties
  26. Dental Implants and Fixed Prosthetics
  27. Computerized Restorative Systems and Removable Prosthodontics
  28. Cosmetic Dentistry
  29. Dental Practice Management
  30. Your Dental Career

Instructors

Cindy Lamkin

Cindy Lamkin has been employed in the dental field for over 20 years. She graduated from the University of South Dakota with a degree in dental hygiene and holds Registered Dental Assistant and Registered Dental Hygienist credentials. In addition to practicing clinical hygiene, she has also worked in dental office administration and treatment coordination. Her career includes general dentistry, as well as specialty practices of periodontics, endodontics, pedodontics, and orthodontics.

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