Dental Assisting

What can I do in dental assisting?

These health care professionals assist in dental procedures, prepare and sterilize instruments and equipment, take X-rays and impressions, care for patients during and after treatment, and educate patients on good oral health. The dental assistant is really the dentist’s “right arm,” with varied job duties that may also include ordering supplies, scheduling appointments and answering telephones.

What characteristics and skills do I need to work in this field?

Dental assistants should have good organizational skills, since dentists rely on them to have the correct tools in place as well as help manage the office. They should also have strong interpersonal skills so they can communicate effectively with both the dentist and the patient, who may be in pain or fearful of treatment. Attention to detail is a must.

Where can I work?

Dental assistants work in general dental practices and specialty practices such as periodontics or pediatric dentistry. They may be employed to provide dental services for patients in hospitals, assisted living facilities, schools and public health clinics. Dental assistants may also work with insurance companies processing dental claims.

What does Trident Technical College offer?

TTC's Expanded Duty Dental Assisting program includes both general education and professional dental courses with hands-on learning. This program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Dental Assistant graduates are eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board Exam to become a certified dental assistant.

Health Information

COVID-19 vaccines as well as other vaccines/immunizations/titers may be required for some health sciences programs in order to attend clinicals. Should immunizations and titers be required by a clinical affiliate and the student refuses to obtain the vaccines/immunizations/titers, this may impact the student’s ability to be assigned to certain clinical rotations, which may in turn impact the student’s ability to continue in the program.

Accreditation

The Expanded Duty Dental Assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of approval without reporting requirements. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.

Program Goals:

Goal 1: Critical Thinking — Dental Assisting graduates will be able to utilize critical thinking skills to assist in the treatment and care for all patients.

Goal 2: Communication — Dental Assisting graduates will be able to communicate effectively with and deliver culturally competent, inter-professional dental care to individuals and groups from diverse populations.

Goal 3: Professionalism — Dental Assisting graduates will be able to apply ethical, legal and regulatory concepts that mirror the ADAA Code of Ethics in a variety of situations.

Goal 4: Life-Long Learning — Dental Assisting graduates will continually perform selfassessment to maintain professional standards and encourage life-long learning. 

Program Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the college’s general admission requirements, including submission of official high school and college transcripts, applicants must complete all of the following requirements:

1. Complete the Health Sciences Application. Application link can be found on the TTC Health Sciences webpage. Note: When the number of applicants qualifying at the same time exceeds space available in the program, admission will be prioritized according to the date and time that the Health Science application was received by the Health Sciences Admissions Coordinator.
2. Achieve a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA at the time of acceptance into the program based on classes at your most recently attended institution taken within five years of acceptance into the program.
3. After submitting the Health Sciences application, the student will receive details in their Trident Tech email from the Health Sciences Admissions Coordinator regarding the Information Session and quiz. Students must achieve a 100% score on the online quiz following the session to verify the information was reviewed and understood.
4. Submit an Observation Form to HealthSciencesAdmissions@tridenttech.edu documenting a minimum of 5 hours of observation in General Dentistry of a Certified Dental Assistant, graduate of an ADA accredited Dental Assisting Program, or an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant. The applicant is responsible for the observation experience. Forms may be found on the TTC Health Sciences webpage.
5. Submit a Statement of Completion form online. The link to the form can be found on the Health Sciences webpage.