The Dental Assistant major is designed to provide the student with the technical knowledge, manual skills, clinical experiences, communication skills, and positive attitudes toward work required to make the graduate a valuable member of the dental health care profession. The dental assistant may assist the dentist at chairside, perform expanded functions and dental laboratory procedures, or act as a receptionist or an office manager. The program prepares the student to function in both general and specialty dental practices.
Clinical experience is obtained in the technically current dental clinic.
Patients come to the dental clinic for tooth polishing, fluoride treatments, dental x-rays, pit and fissure sealants and personal oral care instruction. A dentist is on staff to aid in the direct instruction and supervision of students, along with dentists from the community who give guest presentations. In the summer semester, students will further their clinical experience through three assigned internships in different dental offices in southeastern Minnesota. Graduates of the Dental Assistant Program are eligible to take a national certification exam and a state registration exam to become a Certified and Registered Dental Assistant. Opportunities for employment include general or specialty dental practices, health clinics, dental schools, hospitals, and government agencies.