Dental Assisting & Dental Hygiene Programs

Dental Assisting & Dental Hygiene

Career Community:

Health Sciences

Start your path to a great job as a dental hygienist or assistant.

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What You’ll Learn

Students who want to be a Dental Hygienist will enroll in the pre-Dental Hygiene program (A55280DH) and work with their Education Navigator to meet the minimum requirements needed to apply to the program.

The pre-Dental Hygiene program is designed as a preparation track and does not lead to a degree. Students who decide not to pursue Dental Hygiene will need to work with their Education Navigator to transition into a different degree pathway.

Length: (See Guide)

Credits to Graduate: (See Guide)

Locations:

Curriculum Guide

You will learn to prepare the operatory, take patient histories, note abnormalities, plan care, teach oral hygiene, clean teeth, take x-rays, apply preventive agents, complete necessary chart entries, and perform other procedures related to dental hygiene care.

Length: 5 Semesters

Credits to Graduate: 72

Locations: Lee

Curriculum Guide

Students who want to be a Dental Assistant will enroll in the pre-Dental Assisting program (A55280DA) and work with their Education Navigator to meet the minimum requirements needed to apply to the program.

The pre-Dental Assisting program is designed as a preparation track and does not lead to a degree. Students who decide not to pursue Dental Assisting will need to work with their Education Navigator to transition into a different degree pathway.

Length: (See Guide)

Credits to Graduate: (See Guide)

Locations:

Curriculum Guide

Earning a Diploma in Dental Assisting takes less than one year and you’ll learn to work with instruments and materials to assist the dentist during treatment procedures. Good-paying jobs are available now with a diploma in dental assisting.

Length: 2 to 3 Semesters

Credits to Graduate: 46

Locations: Lee

Curriculum Guide

This course is designed to meet legislative training requirements set forth in NC Session Law 2021-95 for dental hygienists to be permitted to administer local anesthesia. Coursework includes the knowledge, mechanics, and skillsets to create a comfortable, efficient, and positive patient interaction through pain and anxiety management.

Students will gain a complete overview of information from neurophysiology to regional anatomy and pharmacology. These subjects include successful clinical application and the management of patients requiring local anesthesia. (Prerequisites: licensure as a dental hygienist and a minimum of two years of dental hygiene experience.)

Course cost: $371

The self-paced online session is 6 weeks long and the hands-on 8-hour session takes place on a Saturday on the Lee main campus.

For more information email Vicky Wesner at vwesner@cccc.edu

Length: N/A

Credits to Graduate: N/A

Locations:

Get Clinical Experience

You’ll have a combination of lecture, laboratory, and clinical experiences and learn about infection/hazard control, radiography, dental materials, preventive dentistry, and clinical procedures.

Become Board Certified or Licensed

You can become eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board Examination to become a Certified Dental Assistant II or take the national and state/regional examinations for licensure required to be a registered dental hygienist.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

The Raymond J. and Tina Tseng Dental Clinic is a fully operational clinic serving patients and students alike. Learn by doing in our incredible facility.

Careers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over the last decade, the dental support staff employment rate has grown by nearly 20%. As the link between oral health and overall health continues to cultivate, the need for dental hygienists and dental assistants working with patients both in and out of clinical settings will continue to rise. Work in the following fields will be in high demand.

General Dentistry
Oral Surgery
Orthodontics
Pediatric Dentistry
Endodontics
Periodontics
Prosthodontics

Accreditation Information

The dental hygiene and dental assisting programs have been granted the Accreditation Status of Approval without Reporting Requirements by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. The next site visit scheduled for the programs will be in 2030. A copy of the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting Accreditation Standards and CODA Policies and Procedures, including those for complaints, may be obtained by calling 1-800-621-8099. The Standards may also be found online at or in writing at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.

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