The Dental Assistant is also responsible for certain business and laboratory procedures. Importantly, the assistant is trained to expose and process x-rays which are used by the dentist in diagnosis and treatment planning. The curriculum content is the same as the full-time program, however, courses can be taken at the student's own pace and completed over a two or three year period. The part-time option is ideally suited to adults who are returning to school after a long absence, or to those students who must continue to work or maintain a family, or to a dental assistant currently employed but in need of the certification credential. The Dental Assistant Program, as well as most health career programs, is more expensive than other full-time programs.
Financial aid is available and there are also a number of dental assistant scholarships.
The Dental Assistant Program is small by design in order to give students individual attention in the clinical and laboratory portions of the curriculum. Students must attend a Dental Assistant Program Information Session which includes an interview with the program director, a questionnaire distributed at the Information Session, and a brief essay question. Applicants are also asked to bring two letters of recommendation with contact numbers to this information session. May. This will allow them to complete any tutorial courses over the summer prior to beginning the Dental Assistant curriculum. Failure to complete these English, Reading and Math prerequisites will not permit the student to complete the full-time program in nine months, therefore delaying graduation and the DANB examination.