Comprehensive Board-Approved Dental Assistant Program
Our Board-approved dental assistant program at Howard Healthcare Academy prepares you to work as a dental assistant. Howard Academy’s technical courses and practical dental assisting training build your knowledge, skills and confidence. By creating an educational experience that focuses on real-world, hands-on training, Howard Healthcare Academy offers an unsurpassed dental assistant program in San Diego for our students.
Train in a working dental office
There’s no better way to learn than to get hands-on experience with real patients. Howard Healthcare Academy in San Diego has a unique partnership with The Super Dentists, an onsite fully working dental office. For the past 20 years, The Super Dentists have been the leading pediatric and orthodontic dental practice in San Diego. Interacting with The Super Dentists’ esteemed dentists and knowledgeable dental staff allows you to fully understand what is required of a dental assistant so you can fully grasp what you are learning in your courses.
This specialized training at our Board-approved dental assistant school gives you a thorough knowledge of both clinical and administrative responsibilities that you will encounter working in a dental office. You’ll graduate with the advantage of knowing what to expect as a dental assistant and how to be your best.
What our dental assistant students learn
Howard Healthcare Academy in San Diego provides a well-rounded education that prepares you to excel as a dental assistant. Each Howard Academy course is designed to teach you to proficiently perform dental assisting duties. After completing the Howard Healthcare Academy Board-approved dental assistant program in as little as 10 months, you will have the education and experience to work in a dental office.
You will be challenged taking courses on anatomy, dental procedures and providing patient care. In addition, you’ll learn the management and leadership skills necessary to work a front office in a dental practice.
Your externship training with working dentists will give you the skills and self-assurance to interact with patients, take impressions, perform x-rays, guide patients in oral hygiene, practice infection control and assist the dentist.
To make you even more valuable to your future employer, you’ll also be taught public relations and marketing techniques for dental practices. Howard Healthcare Academy will give you all the tools you need to be an exceptional dental assistant.
Curriculum Course Descriptions
DA100: Dental Terminology and Proper Asepsis
In this course, students are taught dental terminology, dental specialties, health team members, HIPAA and CPR. Emphasis is placed on anatomy, physiology, dental anatomy and histology, and the oral cavity. In addition, this course provides instruction and laboratory practice in basic chairside assisting, as well as in sterilization to include autoclaving, preparation for sterilization and disinfection, surface disinfection, sterilization of instruments, mechanical barriers and infection control protocol. This course is also designed to develop professional skills. This course will include out-of-class work such as reading and writing assignments, practice and practical application assignments and projects.
DA200: Chairside Assistance
In this course, students are taught an introduction to the profession of dentistry as it relates to the dental assistant in general and specialty dentistry, including orthodontics, pedodontics, oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics and fixed and removable prosthodontics. Bones, salivary glands as well as muscles and nerves of the skull are also covered. Students have the opportunity to practice instrument exchange, oral evacuation, seating and dismissing a patient, handpiece maintenance and anesthesia. This course will include out-of-class work such as reading and writing assignments, practice and practical application assignments and projects.
DA300: Dental Materials and Prevention
In this course, students are taught preventive medicine, nutrition, oral hygiene methods, vital signs, pharmacology and medical emergencies. Students have the opportunity to practice manipulation of and armamentarium of dental materials to include restorative, cast, impression, cements, liners, bases, tooth brushing, flossing and blood pressure. This course will include out-of-class work such as reading and writing assignments, practice and practical application assignments and projects.
DA400A: California Dental Assisting and Registered Dental Assisting with Expanded Duties Lab
In this course, students are taught registered dental assisting functions including regulations, categories, terminologies, examination, certification, continuing education and legalities. Students have the opportunity to practice all dental assisting and registered dental assisting functions as they apply to general dentistry, oral surgery and preventive dentistry. This course will include out-of-class work such as reading and writing assignments, practice and practical application assignments and projects.
DA400B: California Dental Assisting and Registered Dental Assisting with Expanded Duties Lab
In this course, students have the opportunity to practice all dental assisting and registered dental assisting functions as they apply to intra-oral/extra-oral photography, placement of patient monitoring sensors, monitoring patient sedation, intra-oral images for milled restorations, endodontics, orthodontics and periodontics. This course will include out-of-class work such as reading and writing assignments, practice and practical application assignments and projects.
DA500: Dental Radiology
In this course, students are taught basic principles of radiographic physics, radiographic production and darkroom errors, bitewing radiographs, intra-oral techniques, mounting full-mouth radiographs and manual film processing. Students have the opportunity to practice exposing films and taking full-mouth radiographs and x-rays for diagnosis using mannequins and patients. Students are also taught production of acceptable dental radiographs, including an overview of panoramic film techniques and automatic film processing. This course requires the completion of four patient surveys as clinical practice, with no more than three retakes. Instruction in radiograph duplication is also provided. This course will include out-of-class work such as reading and writing assignments, practice and practical application assignments and projects.
DA600: Dental Practice Management
In this course, students are taught the basis for human behavior, recognition of social behavior, individual difference, communication skills and relationship enhancement, special problems in communications, origin and treatment of patient fear, management of patient pain and discomfort motivation, compliance, preventive behavior, behavior management of children as patients ,care of the geriatric patient and care of the handicapped patient. Students are also taught the nonclinical functions of a dental office with emphasis on appointment scheduling, financial arrangements, collection techniques, recall, completing insurance forms and maintaining current insurance records. Students have the opportunity to practice telephone communications, basic computer terminology and functions, maintaining inventory supply systems, employment search techniques and completing a job application. This course will include out-of-class work such as reading and writing assignments, practice and practical application assignments and projects.
DA700: Clinical and Lab Duties
In this course, students are taught about and have the opportunity to practice pit and fissure sealants, facebow transfers, automated caries detection device, coronal polishing, stainless steel crowns, adjusting dentures extra-orally and California Law and Ethics. This course requires the completion of four pit and fissure sealant patients as clinical practice. Patients will be completed on one weekend. Coronal polish requires the completion of clinical practice to include one student patient and two additional patients. This course will include out-of-class work such as reading and writing assignments, practice and practical application assignments and projects.
DA800: Dental Externship
This externship is designed to provide practical on-the-job experiences that augment the student’s in-class experiences. Students are required to complete the 200-hour externship program at a work site connected with their field of study, which normally includes health care facilities such as private or group practices, clinics and industrial clinics. Externs work under the direct supervision of qualified personnel at the externship site and under general supervision of the Howard Healthcare Academy faculty. Externs are evaluated by supervisory personnel and the evaluations are placed in the student’s permanent record. Dental assistant students must complete their externship training to fulfill graduation requirements.
Curriculum Total = 620 Hours
+ Onsite Externship = 200 Hours
Complete Program = 820 Hours
