Dental Assisting program
Enrollment Period: Summer- Fall 2009 (program to begin mid-August 2009)
The dental assistant, a member of the dental health team, performs many essential duties in the dental office. These duties may include office management, appointment scheduling, bookkeeping, preparation of insurance claims, and the purchase of supplies. At chairside, the dental assistant prepares patients for treatment, records health histories, sterilizes instruments, maintains equipment, mixes various materials, takes and develops x-rays, and performs many basic laboratory procedures. While most dental assistants find employment in dental offices, opportunities for employment also exist in government clinics and hospitals, insurance agencies, the military services, and in dental x-ray laboratories and supply houses. Working conditions are excellent, the surroundings pleasant and attractive, and a rewarding opportunity exists to meet and be of service to many people.
The nine month program of classroom instruction and clinical experience at Diablo Valley College is designed to prepare graduates for employment and for successful completion of the Dental Assisting National Board leading to qualification as a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) and for the Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) Examination from the Dental Board of California. The graduate will receive the Certificate of Achievement in Dental Assisting.
The dental assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation and by the United States Department of Education. A Dental Assisting Advisory Committee, composed of representatives of dentistry, dental assisting, and education, assists the college in decisions regarding program objectives, and recommends curriculum revision as necessary to insure the inclusion of improved methods and techniques.
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