Dental Assisting
(Students should initially enroll in Code 322)
Certificate or Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences
Academic Department:
Dental
Information on enrolling in
GRCC's health programs |
Program Goals
Few careers offer the diversity and flexibility that dental assisting does.
There are opportunities for part-time and full-time employment, chairside,
office and laboratory work and patient education. Most dental assistants work in
private dental offices. Others, however, may work in dental schools, hospital
dental departments, public health departments, dental laboratories or public and
private dental clinics. There are also opportunities to work in the offices of
dental specialists like pediatric dentists and orthodontists. Trained dental
assistants are often in short supply, making graduates highly employable.
This curriculum allows students to qualify for jobs as both Certified and
Registered Dental Assistants in one year. The program is accredited by the
American Dental Association (ADA) and approved by the Michigan Board of
Dentistry.
At the conclusion of their first ten months of training and education at
GRCC, graduates will have earned a GRCC Certificate in Dental Assisting. The
graduate is eligible to sit for the Dental Assisting National Board examination
to become a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA). The graduate is also eligible to
sit for the Michigan RDA Examination to become a Registered Dental Assistant in
Michigan. Requirements for licensure as an RDA in the State of Michigan are as
stated in the Michigan Public Health Code, Public Act 368 of 1978. The new
applicant for licensure will be asked about felony convictions, misdemeanor
convictions resulting in imprisonment, and convictions for possession of
controlled substances (including those involving alcohol related to motor
vehicle violations). Previous convictions may prevent the applicant from
receiving a license.
Students learn through a three-way combination of classroom, laboratory and
clinical experiences. Not only are the latest dental techniques stressed
throughout the curriculum, but students also learn how to use computers and
digital imaging in the modern dental office.
Following completion of the 10-month curriculum, students may return to GRCC
and earn an Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences degree by taking seven more
courses in the liberal arts.
Program Requirements
In order to be eligible for admission into the Dental Assisting Program,
students must:
- Be high school graduates or have passed the high school equivalency GED
(General Educational Development) Test.
- Have a high-school GPA of at least 2.0.
- Score at least 50% on the GRCC mathematics assessment test.*
- Score at least at the 10th grade level on the GRCC English reading
comprehension test.* (*Applicants with a year or more of proven academic
success in a related college curriculum may qualify to have these requirements
waived by Director of Dental programs.)
In addition to tuition, fees and books there are also costs for uniforms,
dental instruments, etc. Estimates of additional costs may be obtained from the
Health office or program director.
In order to be eligible for graduation, Dental Assisting students must earn a
minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in the prescribed Dental Assisting curriculum.
Course Requirements for the One-Year Certificate
| First Semester (Fall) |
|
|
|
|
| Course |
Credits |
Lecture |
Lab |
Clinic |
| DA 105 Nutrition and Oral Disease Prevention (7 weeks) |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| DX 104 Infection Control for Dentistry (3.5 weeks) |
2 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
| DX 115 Introduction to Dentistry (7 weeks) |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
| DA 112 Science for the Dental Assistant (7 weeks) |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
| DA 116 Assisting in General Dentistry (2nd 7 weeks) |
6 |
4 |
16 |
0 |
| DA 118 Dental Biomaterials (2nd 7 weeks) |
2 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
| DA 120 Dental and Oral Anatomy, Histology and Embryology for DA
(7 weeks) |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
| WE 156 First Aid* |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
18 (19 with WE 156)* |
12/6/0 -1st 3.5 |
8/12/0 - 2nd 3.5 |
6/2/0 - last 7 |
|
|
|
|
|
* A different wellness class may be subsituted for WE 156 if the student can
document current CPR/BLS prior to the end of the first semester.
| Second Semester (Winter) |
|
|
|
|
| Course |
Credits |
Lecture |
Lab |
Clinic |
| DX 126 Dental Radiography |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
| DA 160 Oral Pathology for Dental Assisting |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| DA 126 Assisting in Dental Specialties |
4 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
| DA 128 Principles of Dental Assisting (1st 10.5 weeks) |
5 |
2 |
8 |
0 |
| DA 129 Applied Principles of Dental Assisting (last 3.5 weeks) |
2 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
| DA 130 Applied Principles Seminar (last 3.5 weeks) |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| DA 139 Management of the Dental Office |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
20 |
11/16/0-
1st 7 weeks |
8/12/4-3rd 3.5 weeks |
8/4/16-last 7 weeks |
| Summer Session |
|
|
|
|
| Course |
Credits |
Lecture |
Lab |
Clinic |
| DA 208 Dental Assisting Clinical Practice |
8 |
0 |
0 |
32 |
| DA 209 Dental Assisting Clinical Practice Seminar |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
9 |
2 |
0 |
32 |
|
Total 47 |
(48 w/ |
PE156) |
|
|
The following additional coursework** may be taken in order to qualify for
the
Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences degree in Dental Assisting.
| Course |
Credits |
| BA 101 Business and Technical English 1 OR |
|
| EN 100 College Writing OR |
|
| EN 101 English Composition 1*** |
3 |
| BA 102 Business and Technical English 2 OR |
|
| EN 102 English Composition 2*** |
3 |
| PS 110 Survey of American Government |
3 |
|
|
| PY 201 General Psychology |
3 |
| Humanities Elective |
3 |
| SC 135 Interpersonal Communication |
3 |
| SO 251 Principles of Sociology |
3 |
|
21 |
|
Total Credits for AAAS: |
69 |
*** Students interested in continuing their education toward a bachelor's
degree
at a four-year college or university should select these courses.