Dental Assistant, AAS

90 CREDITS

Admission Dates: Fall, Spring

Program Mission: The Dental Assistant AAS degree prepares students with the necessary background, knowledge, and specialized skills for a career in the field of the dental professional.

Students learn theory and skills from classroom lectures, laboratory practice, and hands-on practice in the Lake Washington Institute of Technology Dental Clinic. Additional experiences in private dental practices are part of the four to six week required internship phase of training. Upon completion of this American Dental Association (ADA) accredited program, students will be eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) Dental Assisting Certification Examination.

Dental Assistant AAS degree graduates will:

• be prepared to obtain an entry-level position in their field
• perform four-handed chairside dentistry on general chairside procedures
• perform expanded functions such as rubber dam isolation, sealant placement, coronal polish, fluoride application, oral hygiene instruction, fabricate provisional restorations and crown, cord packing, radiographs, matrix system, alginate impressions and pouring study models
• apply appropriate sterilization and infection control techniques
• perform basic dental front office skills
• be prepared to become a registered dental assistant
• be prepared to take the Certified Dental Association (CDA) exam
• demonstrate critical thinking, teamwork, communication, intercultural appreciation, and information literacy skills
• meet Social Science, Humanities, Written Communication, and Quantitative Reasoning distribution area outcomes

Lake Washington Institute of Technology does not offer every course each quarter. It is the student’s responsibility to consult the Class Schedule and work out an individual schedule with an adviser or counselor. Any developmental coursework a student may be required to complete may increase the program length