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If you have an interest in helping others in an oral health care setting and becoming a valued member of a dental team in your community, this may be the profession for you. Students will acquire knowledge, skills and training in the professional behavior necessary to work as a Level II dental assistant, providing education and care in a variety of dental settings.
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To help students succeed in programs with remote learning requirements, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified minimum technology recommendations. While these are not program requirements, these suggestions will help ensure students have the right tools to support a quality remote learning experience.
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This one-year Ontario college certificate program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada. It provides access to academic studies, clinical experience and current radiography techniques. You will finish the program by completing a field placement experience within the community to further prepare you to work effectively as a Level I and II dental assistant as part of an oral health-care team.
You will also learn:
Your academic and clinical studies will be based on the most current theory of dental assisting practice including:
Graduates are eligible to write the National Dental Assisting Board Exam and are also eligible for certification by the Ontario Dental Assistants Association.
The courses listed below are for incoming students. If you are a current student, please refer to your program of study for the year you began your program. Your program of study can be found on MyDC.
Courses, course descriptions and delivery formats are subject to change.
More than 75% of this program is delivered in-person.
The rest of the coursework will be delivered using hybrid, flexible or online formats. Students will come to campus to complete in-person learning requirements. Detailed schedules, with course-specific delivery information, will be available after registration. Courses, course descriptions and delivery formats are subject to change.
Clinic practice is an opportunity for students to extend learning and apply practical skills before entering their field placement experience. Field placement allows students to gain experience beyond the clinical environment within a general dentistry setting in the community. This is a consolidation period, where further development of knowledge, skills, and attitude will occur with continued hands-on learning opportunities. The 96-hour field placement in a general dental office occurs at the end of Semester 2 and will run for approximately one month.
There are costs associated with Electronic Requirements Verification (ERV), immunizations, lab tests, and certifications. Be sure to keep all of your receipts for income tax purposes. These costs include:
It is required that students have completed the ERV with Verified to be eligible for the clinic practice component of this program. You must (at your expense) provide:
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Please visit our pathways page to learn more about how you can transfer your credits towards a degree.
To help students have the best remote learning experience possible, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified technology recommendations for each program based on course needs and software requirements. While not required, students may want to consider these suggestions if they are purchasing a computer or laptop for the upcoming academic year.
Processor: i3 RAM: 4GB Storage: 256GB SSD Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional or Education x64 SP1 Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 11 or Google Chrome (newest version) or Firefox (newest version) Network Adapter: 802.11ac 2.4/5 GHz wireless adapter Camera: Webcam/built-in camera Internet connection
Questions regarding technology recommendations can be directed to the IT Service Desk or the school office.
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