Download Dental Assisting - San Jacinto College

Dental Assisting
(4DENT)
Fast Facts About
the Program
Type: Technical
Degree/Certificate:
Certificate of technology
Duration: Three terms
Program Objectives
The dental assisting program is a scienceoriented skill development curriculum.
The method of instruction includes lecture,
laboratory, and clinical practice.
The San Jacinto College dental assisting program
consists of fourteen dental assisting courses
spread over three college semesters. The
program will prepare the graduate for licensing
as a Registered Dental Assistant with the Texas
Board of Dental Examiners. Also, upon successful
completion of the dental assisting program,
students are awarded a 39 semester credit hour
dental assisting certificate of technology.
The dental assisting program is a full-time course
of study. Courses are held on varying days and
times according to course (lecture, lab, clinical)
scheduling.
Upon entering the dental assisting program,
students are required to submit current health
care provider CPR, drug screening, criminal
background check, proof of immunizations, and
a physical.
Job Opportunities
Job prospects in the dental field are predicted
to be excellent because of an expected increase
in public demand for dental care. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics projects a 31 percent upward
Revised 6/2013
change between 2010 and 2020 in employment
in dental offices. Socrates projects a 27.5 percent
change in the market in Texas during this period.
This relates directly to the rapid growth in the
elderly population. There is a greater awareness
of the importance of good dental hygiene, and
the advances in the dental industry have been
phenomenal. People are taking better care of
their teeth. They are having more procedures
done to sustain their natural teeth. Therefore,
more people are entering middle age and older
with retention of their natural teeth.
Dental assistants are an integral part of the
dentistry team. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
reports that dentists will hire more assistants
to perform more of the routine dental tasks
which will allow them to have more time to
perform more difficult procedures. Today the
staffing pattern of most dental offices consists
of one dentist, one dental hygienist, and one or
more dental assistants. This ratio is expected to
increase. Perhaps, because of the multi-role of
the assistant, in the future, there might be a ratio
of two, three, or more dental assistants to one
dentist in the office.
For More Information
Call Center: 281-998-6150
General Email:
[email protected]
San Jacinto College
Central
8060 Spencer Hwy.
Pasadena, Texas 77505
Contact: 713-754-8423
Earnings are also projected to increase in health
care in the ten year period between 2010 and
2020. Currently the average dental assistant’s
salary is $33,470. The national range is $23,550 $47,580. The average wage for this occupation in
Houston is $32,700.
An equal opportunity institution
Dental Assisting (4DENT)
Certificate of Technology
First Term
Credit
DNTA 1411 Dental Science .................................................................... 4
DNTA 1305 Dental Radiography .......................................................... 3
DNTA 1245 Preventative Dentistry ..................................................... 2
DNTA 1415 Chairside Assisting ............................................................ 4
DNTA 1401 Dental Materials ................................................................. 4
Subtotal 17
Second Term
Credit
DNTA 1447 Advance Dental Science .................................................. 4
DNTA 1349 Dental Radiology in the Clinic ....................................... 3
DNTA 1251 Dental Office Management ............................................ 2
DNTA 1453 Dental Assisting Applications ........................................ 4
DNTA 1167 Practicum (or Field Experience)
Dental Assisting/Assistant ............................................................... 1
DNTA 1341 Dental Laboratory Procedures ...................................... 3
Subtotal 17
Third Term
Credit
DNTA 2267 Practicum (or Field Experience)
Dental Assisting/Assistant ............................................................... 2
DNTA 1102 Communications and Behavior in the
Dental Office ........................................................................................ 1
DNTA 2230 Seminar for the Dental Assistant .................................. 2
Subtotal 5
Certificate of Technology Total 39
Capstone DNTA 2267
Note: For complete program descriptions, please refer to the San Jacinto Community College District Catalog online at www.sanjac.edu/catalog.
281-998-6150
www.sanjac.edu
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