Lewis & Clark Community College

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Dental Assisting

Dental practice has been changing rapidly, with more and more dentists employing chairside assistants and dental office administrators than ever before.  This trend is projected to continue through the decade.

Now is the perfect time to come on board as a dental assistant.

L&C’s program is the perfect place to learn: 100 percent of L&C graduates are placed in positions upon graduation.

Accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation, the program encompasses the most progressive trends in current dental practice. You’ll study clinical practices, disease processes of the head and neck, infection control, diagnostic and therapeutic practices, radiographic and laboratory procedures, dental terminology, ethics law, patient communication and office management, with supervised on-site clinicals during the final semester.

At the end of the program you will be ready and able to step confidently into your next position as a dental assistant. Most dental assistants work in dental offices for private or group practitioners. Additional opportunities are available in dental schools, hospitals and public health departments, nursing homes, prisons, military installations, and community clinics.

Or you may choose to continue your education in a related career such as dental hygiene, dental laboratory technology or dentistry. L&C provides one of the few unique career laddering programs in the U.S. from dental assisting to dental hygiene. All credits accrued in the dental assisting certificate program can apply toward L&C’s Associate in Applied Science degree in dental hygiene.

Notice to patients and potential dental assisting applicants:

Enrolled students and patients are exposed to bloodborne pathogens. These include (but are not limited) to pathogenic microorganisms present in human blood and have the potential to cause diseases such as Hepatitis HBV, Herpes, Tuberculosis and HIV. The Bloodborne Pathogen policy is available by contacting the Dental Assisting Program.