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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Below you will find the course outlines and descriptions for The Dental Assisting Certificate Program at The Dental Assisting Place.
DA100: Orientation
Introduction to the program. Students will understand what is expected while enrolled in the Dental Assisting Program. Students will receive all materials needed to complete the on campus & online coursework.
DA101: The Dental Assisting Profession
What does it mean to be a professional dental assistant? What will my employer expect from me? What does the public expect from me? While there are many qualities of professionalism that should be listed, the process of becoming a professional dental assistant is the goal of the entire program. In this short intensive course, students will work to define their own personal professional identity and outline a plan for guided development of their professional self throughout the program. The course uses vignettes and case studies to stimulate collaborative discussion.
Delivering quality dental care is a complex balance of practicing the art of healing, abiding by the laws that apply to dentistry, and operating a profitable business - all while applying the highest ethical standards. The dental team is like a puzzle that must interlock to meet these challenges. As pieces of this puzzle, dental assistants are called upon as team members to provide comfort to their patients, know what can be said and what should not, discussing treatment costs, and above all, treating each patient like they are treating a loved one. Students will learn as we discuss the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) the importance of patient confidentiality in the dental office. Students will use collaboration and case studies to discover the legal aspects of dentistry and explore dental ethical dilemmas.
DA102: Oral Health & Prevention
Our bodies are built with systems that work together, and the oral cavity is uniquely placed for communicating within these systems. Students will develop a sense of the many threads that make up the great mystery and adventure of the human body, and will be able to discuss their impact on the oral cavity. This will prepare them for essential preventive procedures, such as dietary counseling, and help them feel confident in delivering pre and post operative instructions prescribed by the dentist. This course will utilize small group discussions, 'test kitchen', and role play to promote active learning and foster the central concept of the oral cavity as an integral, not separate, part of the human body.
DA110: Sciences in Dentistry
Why are some children born with cleft palates? How do teeth feel pain? What causes the spread of different diseases? Students will discover answers to these questions and others, based on microbiology, embryology and histology in this course. The knowledge gained will support the dental assistant's everyday decision-making, improve communication with patients and the dental healthcare team, and build clinical empathy. Students will also learn what effects of certain dental materials and therapeutics have on the tooth and periodontium. The course will allow students to visualize abstract and non-visual concepts through models and projects.
Head and neck anatomy is the basis for all of the clinical activities that a dental assistant performs. Students will gather the knowledge required to assist with charting, moisture control, impressions, radiographs and fabricate provisional in the clinical setting. Along with the normal, the abnormal conditions found in the oral cavity are explored. Recognizing the difference between normal and abnormal and alerting the dentist to what you see can save a tooth, prevent future emergencies.
DA120: Infection Prevention
Just as a person can learn to walk and then eventually perform this action with ease, so too must a dental assistant learn the principles and techniques of infection control and perform them reflexively. The knowledge gained in this course will be the basis of the expectations for safe care that the dental team must provide for themselves and their patients. Students will be instructed in the how and the why of all things infection control, allowing them to make sound decisions when faced with novel or unfamiliar challenges in dental healthcare (for example, the recent pandemic). The standards set by federal and state regulatory and advisory agencies and how to access and interpret them are the basis for this course.
DA121: Occupational Health & Safety
This course will teach students roles and responsibilities of the various agencies and how they affect the dental office. Students will learn how to handle chemicals safely, how to correctly dispose of waste materials, and why it is important to maintain the dental unit waterlines. In addition, students will learn how to protect themselves against workplace injuries. Injuries commonly associated with the clinical practice of dental assisting include headaches; back, neck and shoulder pain; and other musculoskeletal disorders. Upon completion of this course, students will obtain their infection control certificate.
DA150: Patient Information & Assessment
A medical emergency can happen anywhere, to anyone. Dental teams are required to respond to a patient experiencing a medical emergency in the dental office with interventional and lifesaving measures until Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrive. The dental assistant is an integral part of this immediate team response to the unexpected, and in this course the student will develop the skills and confidence to support the team response to a medical emergency. What does it look like when a patient is experiencing a medical emergency? Where is the emergency kit, and what is in it? How do I maintain the kit, and prepare it for use if needed? What drugs will the dentist use most often, and how do I help? What complaints make for true dental emergencies, and when is it necessary to see a dental patient immediately? The student will be able to answer these questions and embrace this role of the professional dental assistant. Students will learn through role play, case studies, and simulations. Students will earn their CPR certificate: The school will provide a trained instructor to certify students in CPR/BLS.
DA200: Clinical Dentistry & Chairside Procedures
What is four-handed dentistry? What do I need to know and be able to do? The student must have confidence in their ability to perform the essential skills of the chairside dental assistant so that they may participate fully in their externship course, and prepare for employment. Successful externships lead to increased opportunities for employment and are the first impression that a student makes in the dental community. Sharpening the essential chairside skills needed to prepare for your future career are the focus of the program, and in this course we work on the fundamental competencies: Preparing the patient for dental treatment, how and where to sit, how to suction effectively, how and what to transfer during restorative procedures, and how to assist with diagnostic and preventive procedures. The patient is the most important person in the dental office, and the dental assistant has an integral part in ensuring the best possible patient experience. This lab based course keeps the hands and mind busy with game-based learning, role play, simulations and performance competencies.
DA250: Radiology
Students will learn how to use x-radiation to produce diagnostic-quality images with minimal exposure, manage patients, maintain proper infection control, legalities of dental radiography, and follow radiation safety procedures. They will also learn the basic principles and techniques for film-based and digital imaging. Students will be required to perform, demonstrate and will be tested to identify the instruments, materials, and equipment necessary for intraoral dental radiography as well as to take manual and digital x-rays on a manikin.
Students will be scheduled to complete a course with a curriculum that complies with Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards for radiological techniques and safeguards in dentistry. Upon completion of this course, students who successfully complete and pass the course will receive their certificate in dental radiology and will be competent in taking intraoral and extraoral radiographs in the dental office.
The date, time and place will be determined & students will be notified of this information in advance. (Tufts University, Boston University, Quinsigamond Community College)
DA210: Dental Materials
Dental Assistants are the team members who prepare the dental materials and therapeutics that are used to bring teeth back to form and function for oral health. It is important to know the properties, actions and disposal of these materials to ensure smooth patient care. Students will develop confidence in handling materials and knowledge of when they will be used to smoothly assist with patient care in the clinical setting. This hands-on preclinical course will feature labs, simulations and case study-level decision making to foster critical thinking regarding historical and modern dental procedures.
The dental assistant is instrumental in supporting the dental team during the preparation, design and fabrication of fixed and removable prosthodontic restorative procedures. Students will gain the experience working with traditional clinical and laboratory materials used in prosthodontics to build their understanding of the principles of replacing teeth with an artificial material.
DA220: Assisting in Specialty Practices
General Dentists are trained to perform all dental procedures, but some dentists choose to continue their education to specialize in one of the ten specialties recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA). Dental Assistants have the same opportunities to specialize! Enjoy watching surgical procedures? Passionate about children and those with special needs? Idolize your orthodontic assistant and wish to become just like them? The dental field offers many opportunities to combine your knowledge and your passions, and this course will allow the student to develop insight into specialty procedures. Students will perform unique lab activities, like suturing and mock extractions, and will be able to feel confident in their ability to assist the general dentist in any specialty procedure.
DA221: Administrative/Communications
Students will learn how to pronounce, spell, identify, and define terms related to dental administration and communication skills. They will have an overview of how human relations play an important role when working and communicating with colleagues and patients. In addition, they will learn the communication methods used in the dental setting, technology of the dental practice, manage the financial aspects of a practice including inventory, and marketing their personal skills for lifelong learning. Students will demonstrate an effective communication skill as part of their clinical performance; prepare a professional resume and practice appointment scheduling and insurance protocol.
Students will be assisted in filling out the application to apply for their Massachusetts Formally Trained Dental Assisting License.
Get in Touch
257 Turnpike Road,
Southborough, MA 01772
508-351-0281
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