Description

The Dental Assisting One-Year Certificate of Completion trains individuals in a broad range of clinical and administrative skills, such as preparing patients for dental treatment, assisting a dentist with patient care, performing expanded functions procedures, taking dental radiographs and dental impressions, performing disinfection and sterilization procedures, scheduling patients and appointment procedures, and creating and maintaining legal records. Graduates are prepared for the Dental Assisting National Board examinations and the Oregon Expanded Function Dental Assistant certificate.

The program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. 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, at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, or through the commission's website. 

Primary program goals are for each student to:

1. Successfully complete the program
2. Obtain professional credentials
3. Find satisfying employment in dentistry

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Apply the principles of dental sciences to ensure quality patient care.
2. Perform a comprehensive set of dental assisting skills for optimal and safe patient care.
3. Accurately document the delivery of dental treatment to facilitate continuity of care, and maintain records in compliance with state, federal, and Oregon Board of Dentistry (OBD) laws.
4. Apply current concepts of infection control and occupational safety utilizing ethical and legal parameters.
5. Demonstrate professional behavior in every aspect of patient care and interpersonal relations.

Entrance Requirements

Academic Entrance Requirements 

Required: 

• A high school diploma, a high school transcript noting successful graduation, or a GED 
• AH 105 Calculations for Allied Health (or a course from the foundational requirements math list)
• BA 214 Business Communications or WR 121Z Composition I 
• HHP 252 First Aid & AHA Basic Life Support Provider CPR
• Choose one of: AH 115 Cultural Responsiveness in Allied Health, BA 178 Customer Service, COMM 115 Introduction to Intercultural Communication, COMM 218Z Interpersonal Communication, or COMM 219 Small Group Communication
• Choose one of: PSY 101 Applied Psychology, PSY 201 Mind and Brain, PSY 215 Developmental Psychology, or PSY 216 Social Psychology

Other Entrance Requirements

Required: 

• Must be 18 years of age or obtain program director approval
• Criminal history check and 10-panel drug screen with vendor chosen by the College as a condition of acceptance into the program; for more information see the program page
• Documentation of current immunizations: TB blood titer, MMR, hepatitis B (series of 3 vaccines), varicella, Tdap, flu. While the COVID-19 vaccine is not required for entry into the Dental Assisting program, clinical sites for practicum courses may require the COVID-19 vaccine. Please contact the program director if you have any questions.
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers CPR card must remain current throughout the Dental Assisting program; for CPR class options, see the Continuing Education website

Additional Program Costs (Beyond Standard Tuition/Fees and Textbooks)

Additional Costs

• Scrubs with COCC Dental Assisting patch and goggles: $50
• National Board exams: $1,000 total
• Fees associated with immunizations: $220
• CPR card: $20 to $60
• Criminal history check: $65
• Drug screen: $45
• Immunization tracking: $10

Program Fees

• Fee of $167 per laboratory course (or $668 total for the year) while enrolled in the Dental Assisting cohort

Course Requirements

Advising Notes

Documents required for entry into the Dental Assisting (DA) program must be submitted after students register for the program. A letter of instruction is emailed to all registered and waitlisted students at the end of Spring term with an assigned documentation due date prior to Fall term. Failure to submit the required paperwork by the assigned date will result in administrative withdrawal from the program. 

DA program courses begin once per year in Fall term. Students wishing to register in the Fall term cohort must meet the basic prerequisite competencies and may register according to seat availability on a first-come, first-served basis determined by the priority registration schedule. After successful registration into the program, DA courses must be taken together and sequentially. Please see the Dental Assisting page for more information, or contact the program director and/or CAP Services.

This one-year certificate of completion is designed for students planning to enter their chosen career upon graduation. Often only selected credits are considered transferable to public or private baccalaureate institutions.

Performance Standards

• Academic Requirements:
  • Students must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA to earn a COCC certificate or degree.
  • All courses in the program must be completed with a grade of C or higher. 
• Additional Requirements:
  • Once a student begins the DA cohort they must enroll in all DA courses offered each term. In order to progress to the next term, the student must complete all DA courses with a “C” or better.

Sample Plan