Areas Of Study - Lake Area Technical Institute

A Shining Career
Dental assistants are the “extra hands” of the dentist,
and vital members of the dental health care team. A
career in dental assisting will give you:
• Variety: Dental assistants have one of the most
diverse and interesting of all positions in a dental
office.
• Flexibility: Career options include both full-time
and part-time po si tions. Since dental assistants
are in de mand, they may have some flexibility in
choosing their hours.
• Excellent working conditions: Dental offices are
in ter est ing, pleas ant, people-oriented environments
in which to work.
• Personal satisfaction: Dental assisting involves
contact with people, and with this personal
interaction comes the sat is fac tion of knowing
you’ve really helped some one by providing a
valuable health service.
What can I expect?
As a student of our Dental Assisting program, you’ll
get active, hands-on training and experience in our
on campus lab. You can expect classroom and lab
instruction that will prepare you to:
• Assist general and specialty dentists during
procedures
• Record patient medical histories and take vital
signs
• Take x-rays
• Administer nitrous oxide/oxygen to patients
• Polish teeth
• Fabricate casts for dental procedures
• Prepare and sterilize instruments and equipment
for the dentist’s use
• Perform office management tasks
Excellent Opportunities
Most dental offices now hire multiple trained dental
assistants. The U.S. Beareau of Labor says that
em ploy ment op por tu ni ties in this field are “excellent”
- in fact, dental assisting is one of the fastest growing
occupations nationwide. Positions are available in
private and group practices for general dentistry
as well as in specialty practices such as oral surgery,
orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics and pe di atric
den tist ry. Other sourc es of employment in clude
public health dentistry, hos pi tals, dental school clinics
and insurance companies.
Accreditation
The program in dental assisting is accredited by
the Commission on Dental Accreditation (and
has been granted the accreditation status of
“approval without reporting requirements.”)
The Commission is a specialized accrediting body
recognized by the United States Department of
Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation
can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East
Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.
All graduates are eligible to complete the Dental
As sist ing National Board and meet all requirements to
be registered in radiology and expanded functions by
the South Dakota Board of Dentistry.
To be accepted into this program, the American
Dental Association requires all applicants to have a
high school diploma or GED.
11 Months –
Credits Required
For Graduation: 43
20 Months –
Optional Associate
of Applied Science
(A.A.S.) Degree
Credits Required for
Graduation: 73
Dental Assisting Courses
COMM 101 Contemporary Communications .. . . . . 3 credits
CPR 110 CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer.. . 1/2 credit
CSS 100 Career Search Strategies. ............ 1/2 credit
DA 105 Preclinical Science.................... 2 credits
DA 110 Dental and Oral Anatomy. ............ 3 credits
DA 115 Medical Terminology.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1/2 credits
DA 120 Oral Health .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 credits
DA 126 Introduction to Patient Care............ 2 credits
DA 135 Dental Materials.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 credits
DA 138 Clinical Skills.......................... 4 credits
DA 141 Pharmacology and Medical Emergencies... 2 credits
DA 152 Dental Specialties. ................... 2 credits
DA 156 Developing Professional Skills .. . . . . . . . . . 2 credits
DA 165 Dental Radiology.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1/2 credits
DA 176 Dental Office Administration. .......1 1/2 credits
DA 190 Orthodontics......................... 2 credits
DA 195 Expanded Functions .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 credits
DA 210 Clinical Practice.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 credits
ADDITIONAL COURSES FOR A.A.S. DEGREE
ANAT 142 Anatomy.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 credits
CHEM 106 Inorganic Chemistry Lecture. .......... 3 credits
CHEM 107 Inorganic Chemistry Lab................1 credit
CHEM 108 Organic Chemistry Lecture............. 3 credits
CHEM 109 Organic Chemistry Lab.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 credit
ENGL 101 Composition.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 credits
MATH 102 College Algebra...................... 3 credits
MICR 231 General Microbiology.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 credits
PSYC 101 General Psychology. ................. 3 credits
PSYC 111 Applied Psychology....................1 credit
SPCM 101 Fundamentals of Speech .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 credits
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 credits
Note: Students interested in pursuing Dental Hygiene should
check with their school of choice regarding current general
education requirements.
Get your Dental Assisting degree online.
For more information, go to
www.lakeareatech.edu
DENTAL
Assisting
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