Dental Assistant Diploma

Graduates of the Dental Assistant program will have specialized knowledge, critical thinking and decision-making skills and will have developed and mastered all the technical, professional and interpersonal skills needed to perform within their clinical and administrative scope of practice. Working as part of a dental team students will learn how to assist with dental procedures, provide quality oral care, maintain equipment and supplies manage patient records and ensure that clinical and office procedures run efficiently and effectively. This program has been designed to meet the regulations governing certified dental assisting practices as defined by the College of Dental Surgeons of B.C. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to write the National Dental Assisting Board examination. Program graduates will be able to work in general and specialty dental practices, hospital dental clinics, community health agencies and educational institutions.

Learning Objectives

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

• Support a dental practice by providing a variety of supportive and direct patient care dental procedures
• Understand and work within the bylaws associated with provincial regulations.
• Prepare and support patients for treatment by practicing universal precautions and infection control, organizing armamentarium, attending to patients’ comfort and collecting and updating health histories
• Assist with preventative, orthodontic, and prosthodontics intraoral procedures
• Provide oral self-care, disease prevention, post-operative care, nutritional counselling and health education to patients and constituent groups
• Work collaboratively as part of a team to provide quality oral care for dental patients
• Perform routine maintenance of instruments and equipment so that patient care is delivered safely and effectively
• Perform fundamental practice management procedures including inventory control of dental supplies, patient bookings, and payment collection