Dental Assistant
Certificate of Completion
(575) 527-7653
Information based on the 2009-10 DACC Catalog
Dental assisting is a field that is both challenging and rewarding. Dental assistants are people who like helping others, enjoy working closely with patients and other members of the dental team, and like working with their hands. In fact, assistants frequently are relied on as the dentist’s “other set of hands.”
There is no lack of variety in the types of tasks that dental assistants perform. They prepare equipment, materials, and instruments for patient care; perform sterilization and disinfections procedures; provide patients with instructions for dental procedures; create temporary crowns; provide coronal polishing and placement of sealants; take impressions of teeth; create study casts (molds); take and review patient medical histories; expose and develop radiographs; and a variety of other duties. They may also be responsible for administrative tasks, such as billing, patient verification, scheduling of various types of treatment appointments, and material inventory.
Assistants may work in a general-practice office where a dentist provides multiple types of treatment, including restorative/operative work (fillings), prosthetics (crowns, bridges, and dentures), and perhaps some surgery. They may want to specialize for work in periodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pedodontics, or orthodontics.
In the state of New Mexico, dental assistants can become certified to perform the following expanded duty tasks: radiology (taking X-rays), coronal polishing (polishing of teeth and removal of stains), fluoride treatments (the act of placing fluoride on a patient’s teeth), and sealant placement (used to prevent decay). These certifications are obtained through the State Dental Board and are a portion of the Dental Assisting National Board Certification Exam.
The Dental Assistant program at DACC is nationally accredited by the American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Program Accreditation. It is also recognized by the New Mexico State Board of Dentistry as a continuing-education provider.
Required Skills and Abilities
Students will need to demonstrate good oral expression (speech clarity) and written comprehension in English, critical thinking skills, near vision, and physical stamina (e.g., the ability to stand for long periods of time), as well as the ability to manipulate dental/ medical equipment, move/lift patients and equipment up to 50 pounds without assistance, and perform patient care procedures with manual dexterity.
Program Admission Special Requirements
The Dental Assistant program is a limited-entry, special-application program. When a candidate is considered for acceptance into the program, the following factors are taken into account:
- High school and/or college transcripts and GPA
- Proof of residence
- Copy of current healthcare provider CPR card and immunizations
- Completion of
ENGL 111G ENGL 111G: Rhetoric and Composition - 4 cr.
Skills and methods used in writing university-level essays. Prerequisite: ACT standard score in English of 16 or higher during regular semester (20 or above during summer) or successful completion of a developmental writing course or the equivalent. and computer literacy course—required prior to applying (completion of other general education and related requirements also considered) - Completion of program application (submitted before deadline)
Course Fees
In addition to tuition, a fee of $400 is charged for each of the following
courses:
Application of dental hygiene procedures on a variety of clinical patients under direct supervision of faculty. Emphasis on patient assessment and diagnosis, treatment procedures, appointment planning and prevention techniques. Theory is simultaneously related to practical experience. Offered concurrently with DHYG 120. Prerequisites: C or above in DHYG 110, DHYG 112, DHYG 114, DHYG 116, DHYG 118.,
Continuation of clinical skills, patient assessment and diagnosis, treatment and appointment planning, preventive techniques and application of dental hygiene procedures at an intermediate level under the direct supervision of faculty. Clinical-based instruction helps students synthesize new knowledge, apply previous knowledge, and gain experience managing the workflow. Theory is simultaneously related to practical experience. Prerequisites: C or above in DHYG 120, DHYG 122, DHYG 124, DHYG 126.,
Continuation of clinical skills, patient assessment and diagnosis, treatment and appointment planning, preventive techniques and applications of dental hygiene procedures at the intermediate to competent level under supervision of faculty. Emphasis on dental hygiene treatment for the medically compromised and periodontally involved patients. Theory is simultaneously related to practical experience. Offered concurrently with DHYG 210. Restricted to DHYG majors. Corequisites: DHYG 210, DHYG 214, DHYG 216, DHYG 218. Prerequisite: C or above in DHYG 132, DHYG 134, and SOC 101 (or equivalent)., and
Clinical sessions combine basic and advanced dental hygiene skills with time management techniques essential for private practice. Comprehensive patient care to include assessment, dental hygiene diagnosis, treatment planning, implementation and evaluation of dental care, nonsurgical periodontal therapy, adjunct clinical procedures, ultrasonic instrumentation, patient management, sealants, and comprehensive programs for control of oral diseases will be emphasized. Theory is simultaneously related to practical experience. Students are encouraged to develop independent decision-making with minimal faculty supervision. Prerequisite(s): 'C' or above in DHYG 210, DHYG 212, DHYG 214, DHYG 216, and DHYG 218. Corequisite(s): DHYG 220, DHYG 224, DHYG 226. Restricted to: All Community Colleges. Restricted to DHYG majors..
Certificate (45-47 credits)
NOTE: Courses preceded by an asterisk (*) must be completed before a student can apply to the Dental Assistant program. Courses appearing in italics are identical to those offered at New Mexico State University Las Cruces (main) Campus.
OR |
OEHO 225OEHO 225: Nutrition for Health Occupations - 3 cr. Principles of normal and clinical nutrition for health professions. Prerequisites: high school biology and high school chemistry and CHEM 110G and OEHO 153 or equivalent or consent of instructor. Corequisite: OEHO 154 or consent of instructor. – Nutrition for Health Occupations HNFS 163HNFS 163: Nutrition for Health - 3 cr. Nutrition principles and applications to food choices that support health; psychological, economic, and cultural implications of food choices. Open to majors and nonmajors. – Nutrition for Health NOTE: Although OEHO 225 lists additional prerequisites/corequisites, these are not required by the Dental Assisting program |
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