Dental Assistant
Program Overview
This program is designed to provide the graduate with necessary skills for entry-level employment as a chairside Dental Assistant and front office Dental Assistant. This program is approved by the Dental Board of California. Upon completion, the graduate is eligible to sit for the written and practical California State Board Examination to become a Registered Dental Assistant. Registration and certification requirements for taking and passing these examinations are not controlled by Concorde, but by outside agencies, and are subject to change by the agency without notice. Therefore, Concorde cannot guarantee that graduates will be eligible to take these exams, at all or at any specific time, regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.
Program Delivery
The Dental Assistant program is delivered in a blended format. Courses will be delivered entirely online, entirely on-ground or with an appropriate blend of both online and on-ground hours in the same course. Of the 890 program hours, a maximum of 445 course hours (50.0%) may be offered online.
Program Objectives
- Perform administrative duties and chairside assisting, advise patients on dental care as directed by the dentist, and respond to medical emergencies (CPR).
- Utilize proper sterilization techniques and infection control procedures as required by OSHA.
- Utilize principles of dental radiology to position, expose, process, and mount dental radiographs.
- Comply with the California Dental Practice Act and perform all dental assisting procedures allowed under the Dental Practice Act.
- Perform coronal polishing of the teeth and ultrasonic scaling in an orthodontic setting to remove cement around bands.
- Sit for the State Board Examination to become a Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) and consequently perform RDA functions in the dental office.