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Hagerstown Community College / HCC

Academic Catalog

2019-2020 Catalog 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2019-2020 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Dental Assisting, Certificate


The Dental Assisting program is designated as a Health Manpower Shortage Program; therefore, some residents of Maryland enrolled in this program of study on the first day of the term may be eligible for in-county tuition rates for courses required for program completion.

Purpose: The purpose of the Dental Assisting Program is to provide a program of study for students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to become an integral and qualified member of the dental team. This program, accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, also prepares students to sit for the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exam or the Maryland General Dental Assisting Expanded Functions (MDG) and Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exams, all administered by Dental Assistant National Board (DANB).

View the Dental Assisting, Certificate Fee Sheet. 

Curriculum: The curriculum is divided into several areas of study and consists of lecture, laboratory and clinical experience. Emphasis is placed on the knowledge and skills of the dental assistant to meet the needs of other members of the dental team and the needs of dental patients.

Program Outcomes: Graduates of the Dental Assistant Certificate Program will be able to: 

  1. Provide a comprehensive curriculum that prepares Certified Dental Assistants to meet the needs of the Dental employers with our community.
  2. Furnish the community with a dental assistant who has developed entry level competency to assist the general and specialized dentist, and provide the knowledge of dental theory adequate for understanding the significance and implications of those procedures performed.
  3. Provide the student with knowledge, understanding, and working skills in dental laboratory procedures and business office administrative duties.
  4. Graduate students with the ability to demonstrate professional and ethical conduct as members of the dental team and to motivate the student to pursue lifelong professional growth and development through participation in professional organizations and continuing education.
  5. Graduate students competent to pass the Dental Assisting National Board Examinations in General Chairside, Infection Control, and Radiation Health and Safety, and expanded function.

Admission Requirements: 

  • A High School Diploma or GED
  • As a cohort program, students will be admitted to the dental assisting program each summer. The dental assisting program is limited to 24 students. This limit is based upon available lab space and externship sites.  
  • An orientation session will be held prior to the beginning of the first semester of the dental assisting program.  Attendance is mandatory.

Program Requirements: All dental assisting students must:

  1. Receive a minimum grade of 75 percent in each dental assisting course
  2. Meet program competency requirements for both the dental laboratory and externship experiences

Students who receive a final mark of unsatisfactory in the dental laboratory or externship experiences, despite a passing theory grade, will not be permitted to progress in the dental assisting program and will receive a final grade of “F” for the course.

Students who do not meet program or course standards that result from termination from the dental assisting program by the College are not eligible for readmission to the program. This includes students who cannot meet safety standards and students who violate the college’s Honor Code and Standards of Conduct, the dental assisting program’s Standards of Conduct and the American Dental Association’s Principle of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct.

Over the course of the Dental Assisting program, students may be required to participate in enrichment dental­-related activities, which are determined by the Program Coordinator.

Fact Sheet

Certificate Requirement (37 Credits)


Additional Program Requirements


Pathways


Pathway I - Student who has no dental background; completes all Dental Assisting required courses; receives certificate at completion of program; can take the Maryland General Dental Assisting Expanded Functions (MDG) exam and the DANB Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam through Dental Assistant National Board, Inc. (DANB).

Pathway II - Student who is currently working in a dental office and wants to be certified as a Qualified Dental Assistant (expanded functions in Maryland); student must prove at least one year full­-time or two years part-­time dental assisting experience in a dental office (letter from current employer); completes Dental Assisting II course only; can take the Maryland General Dental Assisting Expanded Functions (MDG) exam through Dental Assistant National Board, Inc. (DANB). Student may be accepted if there is an open seat in the DEN 110  course.

Pathway III - Student who is currently working in a dental office and wants to become certified as a Dental Radiation Technologist; student must prove at least one year of employment at a dental office (letter from current employer) ; completes Dental Radiology course only; can take the DANB Radiation and Health and Safety (RHS) exam through Dental Assistant National Board, Inc. (DANB). Student may be accepted if there is an open seat in the DEN 104  course.

Final Acceptance


Final acceptance into the program is contingent upon the following criteria. Students unable to meet these criteria will be withdrawn from the program..

  1. Students are required to attend a mandatory orientation session
  2. Successful completion of program requirements at the time of registration
  3. Students must be able to meet the program’s technical standards
  4. Satisfactory completion of a health examination record and all required tests and immunizations, along with a urine drug screen and criminal background checks. Prior criminal records may prohibit students from program externship and employment opportunities.
  5. Prior to the Dental Radiology course ( ), students must have a current American Heart Association BLS Provider certification or American Red Cross BLS for Healthcare Providers.

Externship Site Placement


Student placement in externship sites is determined at a designed semester.  Misconduct in the assigned externship site may result in loss of externship placement and/or recommendation for program dismissal.

Ionizing Radiation and Pregnancy


Reporting of pregnancy to program coordinator is voluntary on the part of the student. Regulatory Guide 8.13, Instruction Concerning Prenatal Radiation Exposure (www.nrc.gov) published by the United States Regulatory Commission provide information and guidelines.

Technical Standards


There are technical standards and skill requirements which students are expected to possess and demonstrate in order to be successful in this program. More information on these standards can be found on the Web page for this program.