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Dental Assistant

Dental assistants work in a wide variety of dental offices, from general dentistry practices to oral surgeons’ offices. Students in this program learn to work with dental materials like polymers, ceramics and metals, which are used in the creation of mouth guards, bleaching trays and dental models. Dental assistant duties include:

  • Chairside dental Assistant
  • Dental radiology
  • Health and nutrition education
  • Biodental sciences
  • Clinical practice
  • Sterilize or disinfect dental equipment
  • Set patients up in dental chair and prepare them for treatment
  • Prepare treatment area, set up tools and materials
  • Schedule appointments
  • Under the direction of a dentist, complete lab work and process X-rays
* The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts employment is expected to grow 25 percent through 2022. This is much faster than the average for all occupations (11 percent). In plain numbers, the BLS predicts 74,400 dental Assistant jobs will be added between 2012 and 2022. ** There are several reasons the need for dental assistants is increasing. Federal changes in the health care insurance system have led to an increased number of patients seeing their dentist.