Dental Assistant Degrees: Associate, Bachelor & Online Training Info

[drsushant]

 Studying Dental Assisting: Associate’s and Bachelor’s Degrees at a Glance

 Studying Dental Assisting: Associate’s and Bachelor’s Degrees at a Glance

While dentists run the operations in a dental office, numerous staff members assist them with clinical and administrative duties. As a dental assistant, you may be responsible for preparing patients for procedures, sterilizing instruments, educating patients, keeping records, scheduling appointments and processing x-rays. If you’re interested in becoming a dental assistant, you can pursue an associate’s degree in dental assisting. However, if you want to continue your education at the bachelor’s degree level, dental assisting programs are not available; instead, you can enroll in a bachelor’s degree program in dental hygiene. Dental hygienists are more involved in patient care and are responsible for cleaning and examining teeth. In addition, dental hygienists must be licensed in every state, while only some states require dental assistants to be licensed or certified. The BLS projected that from 2010-2020, employment of dental assistants would grow 31%, and employment of dental hygienists would grow 38%.

 

Associate’s Bachelor’s

Who is this degree for? Individuals who want to work as dental assistants Individuals who want more dental responsibilities and want to work as dental hygienists

Common Career Paths (with approximate mean annual salary) Dental assistant ($35,000) *

Dental hygienist ($70,000) *

Time to Completion 2 years, full-time 4 years, full-time

Common Graduation Requirements – About 20-24 courses 

– Practicum – About 40-48 courses

– Internship 

Prerequisites High school diploma High school diploma or associate’s degree

Online Availability Yes Yes

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2011 figures).

 

Associate’s Degree in Dental Assisting

An associate’s degree program in dental assisting combines classroom instruction, hands-on practice and experience in dental offices. In addition to administrative duties, students learn how to perform various dental procedures, including polishing teeth, taking x-rays, applying fluoride and making impressions. Students will be prepared to work in both solo and group dental offices or in dental specialty practices. Prospective students should look for programs accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA). Though an associate’s degree program can be completed in only two years, it may still be overkill as most dental assisting programs take only one year to complete and lead to a certificate or diploma.

 

Pros and Cons

Pros

 

Opportunity to help improve patients’ dental health

Both part-time and full-time positions are common

Faster-than-average job growth (31% from 2010-2020)*

Cons

 

Advancement is limited without continuing education or moving into a dental hygiene career

Depending on your office’s hours of operation, weekend and evening work may be required

May be exposed to infectious diseases

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2011 figures).

 

Courses and Requirements

Students in dental assisting associate’s degree programs must complete both general education requirements and dental assisting courses. Dental assisting courses cover topics involving dental sciences, dental materials, dental radiology and dental management. You’ll also learn about dental sealants, implants and epidemiology. The program also requires you to complete a practicum in an office setting and work as part of a dental team. Even though you’d complete formal training through your associate’s degree program, employers often require that you also complete on-the-job training, since each dental office has its own way of doing things.

 

Online Course Options

If you’re interested in earning your dental assisting associate’s degree online, you will find colleges offering the program in a hybrid format. Hybrid programs allow students to complete didactic courses online, while laboratory courses will need to be completed on-campus. Students will still need to participate in a practicum at a dental office to graduate from the program as well.

 

How to Stand Out

Even if your state does not require licensure or certification, you could still earn voluntary certification to set yourself apart from your peers. Certification demonstrates a certain level of knowledge and skill in the field. Certification is offered through the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB), and dental assistants are generally eligible to take the exam after graduating from an accredited program and earning CPR certification. While licensure may not be required for every dental assistant in some states, it may be required if you want to perform certain advanced tasks, such as coronal polishing. Having the ability to perform these tasks could make you more appealing to potential employers.

 

Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene

Dental assistants who have earned an associate’s degree and want to continue their educations can enroll in a dental hygiene program at the bachelor’s degree level. While some programs are designed for recent high school graduates, many require students to earn an associate’s degree in dental assisting or dental hygiene prior to being admitted to the program. In any case, the first two years of the program will be similar to that of an associate’s degree program, and the final two years will feature more advanced courses related to dental procedures and care. However, if your goal is only to become a dental assistant, a bachelor’s degree program is not necessary nor is one available.

 

Pros and Cons

Pros

 

Higher salary potential*

Additional responsibilities

Job outlook is strong (38% increase from 2010-2020)*

Cons

 

May be exposed to infectious diseases and radiation

Must become licensed

Work requires long periods of time spent leaning over

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2011 figures).

 

Courses and Requirements

Bachelor’s degree programs in dental hygiene include both core courses and electives. Core courses cover dental hygiene education concepts, advanced ethics in dental hygiene, advanced periodontics and dental hygiene practice management. Elective courses will give you an opportunity to specialize in specific dental and healthcare areas, such as healthcare risk management, health information systems, customer relationship management, mental health issues and disease prevention. You’ll also focus on areas in dental leadership and research. Finally, you may be required to complete an internship before you can graduate.

 

Online Course Options

Students who have already earned an associate’s degree in dental hygiene have the option to complete a bachelor’s degree program online. All courses can be completed online; however, you may be required to meet on campus a few times throughout your program. Technical requirements include a computer with Internet access, and communication will take place through chat rooms, e-mail and discussion boards.

 

How to Stand Out

Because an associate’s degree is the minimum requirement to work as a dental hygienist, earning a bachelor’s degree is going to help you stand out in the field. Having a bachelor’s degree brings additional employment opportunities. For example, you’ll be able to conduct research, teach or work at a public health clinic. If your interest is teaching or conducting research, you could look for opportunities to get involved in research projects or teaching assistantships while completing your bachelor’s program to gain valuable experience. You could consider participating in the American Dental Hygienists’ Association’s National Student Presentation Competition, where you’d compete for cash prizes by researching and presenting a current dental hygiene theory. If you want to work at a public or school clinic, you may look for volunteer or internship opportunities in these areas.

        

[Drsumitra]

Dental therapists provide quality care while improving access to care in a cost-effective way, according to a global literature review presented at the recent American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting in San Francisco.

In addition, their participation in school-based programs is linked to declines in the rate of caries in several countries, the survey found.

Kavita Mathu-Muju, DMD, MPH, a pediatric dentist and an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, presented an analysis of the survey during a session on "Emerging Trends in the Dental Workforce."

Jay Friedman, DDS, MPH, a former clinician and researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, co-authored the review. He has studied the New Zealand dental therapist (DTs) model, which requires two to three years of training after high school.

The U.S. has relied on a fragmented, market-driven, private-sector approach to resolve a public health issue, Dr. Mathu-Muju said of the access-to-care issue.

“The global literature indicated that dental therapists improve access to care.”
— Kavita Mathu-Muju, DMD, MPH,
University of British Columbia
DTs in most countries work in school-based clinics under indirect supervision by a dentist, she noted.

A review of more than 1,100 studies regarding DTs by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation released earlier this year documents evidence that they can effectively expand access to dental care, especially for children, and the care they provide is technically competent, safe, and effective, Dr. Mathu-Muju noted.

Another study, done in 1993 by Gordon Trueblood, MPH, PhD, a specialist with the Canadian medical services department, analyzed 1,799 dental restorations placed by dental therapists and dentists in Canada. The quality of restorations placed by DTs was equal to but more often than not better than those placed by dentists, he concluded

Trueblood based his analysis on data from a 1989 study by P. Ralph Crawford, DMD, and Bradley W. Holmes, DDS, both past presidents of the Canadian Dental Association, who were contracted by the Canadian government to assess the technical aspects of dental restorations placed by DTs and dentists.

 

        

[Drsumitra]

Case Western Reserve University is bringing students from its nursing school into its school of dentistry as part of a three-year test project, the university announced. The Collaborative Home for Oral Health, Medical Review and Health Promotion (CHOMP) is bringing students from the university’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing together with School of Dental Medicine students to offer interprofessional care to patients.

The nursing school received a $265,000 grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration for the program. Its purpose is to seek out innovative ways for collaboration between health science professions, according to the university. The grant will cover the cost of heath screenings and immunizations for patients paying for dental care. Screenings include cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, red and white blood cell counts, and an option for HIV. Nurses will also be enabled to administer immunizations and prescribe medications for certain acute health issues and nonchronic illnesses.

The program will debut in late January at the Case Western Reserve dental clinic. If successful and economically viable, the program could expand to five days a week.

 

        

[Drsumitra]

A new educational initiative will have nursing and dental students at the University of Louisville collaborating to better identify and manage systemic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease that are sometimes linked to oral health.

The nursing and dentistry schools have received nearly $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration to support the project.

Adult and family nurse practitioner students and dental students will take the Introduction to Interprofessional Education course. These students also will participate in a second shared course, Integrated Health Assessment. The combined courses will better prepare nursing students to conduct oral examinations, and dental students will broaden their knowledge on how oral health is connected to overall health. Students will also gain an understanding of each discipline’s roles and responsibilities.

Dental students are required to conduct a health history assessment with each new patient. If a patient has a health issue such as high blood pressure the day of the visit, dental care may be delayed and the patient referred to a primary care practitioner.

On a pilot scale, the work already is under way. Since 2011, instructor Dedra Hayden has worked two days a week at the School of Dentistry to teach students how to conduct patient health history reports. The adult and family nurse practitioner students have taken part in a rotation at the dental school to learn more about conducting oral examinations.

"As research continues to link oral health and general health, we understand the need for this type of education," said John Sauk, dean of the School of Dentistry. "Oral diseases, for example, can point to undiagnosed diabetes or poor nutrition. We know there is a correlation between a certain bacteria in the mouth and heart disease. This partnership can teach students in both disciplines how to manage oral systemic problems."

 

        

[Drsumitra]

Oral health has become an important component of a University of Colorado (CU) physician assistant program, reflecting a growing trend toward interdisciplinary collaboration among health professionals.

Physician assistants (PAs) are particularly useful for doing oral exams in children, especially for underserved populations and in rural areas, according to Mark Deutchman, MD, a professor in both the medical and dental schools at CU.

Dr. Mark Deutchman introduced an oral health curriculum in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and teaches medical topics to dental students.
The university began incorporating dental education into its physician assistant curriculum in 2009, largely through the efforts of Dr. Deutchman. The concept "has grown like wildfire" in the last few years, he told DrBicuspid.com.

He introduced an oral health curriculum in the medical school, teaches medical topics to dental students and developed the school’s Smiles for Life curriculum, which has been endorsed by the ADA. Dr. Deutchman also serves in the Delta Dental Frontier Center Project, which provides collaborative education, combining oral health and preventive practices in primary care.

The CU program includes comprehensive oral health courses that incorporate aspects of the Smiles for Life program, which teaches core areas of oral health relevant to medical clinicians.

"We’re training people to recognize that oral health is a component of your overall health," he said. "Number one, it’s a knowledge of the importance of oral health. Oral disease has an exacerbating impact on other diseases and vice versa."

Consider the oral impact of various medicines, Dr. Deutchman added. "If you put somebody on medications that dries up their saliva, you’re going to increase their risk of getting root caries," he said.

The physician assistant curriculum now includes classes on the oral-systemic connection and hands-on workshops for doing oral exams and oral cancer screening. Students are also taught how to check children’s teeth and apply fluoride varnish.

Emphasis on prevention

Oral health is a great match for physician assistants because they have always been involved in preventive care, according to Anita Glicken, former director of CU’s physician assistant program who now heads the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants Health Foundation.

She also helped start the National Interprofessional Initiative on Oral Health (NIIOH), a consortium of dentists, physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants working to improve oral health that was funded by the DentaQuest Foundation, the Washington Dental Service Foundation and the Connecticut Health Foundation.

“We’re training people to recognize that oral health is a component of your overall health.”
— Mark Deutchman, MD, University of
Colorado
"PAs are at the front and back end of the disease process and are often the first point of contact for patients, so it really makes sense to intervene at that level," she told DrBicuspid.com.

Also, they have traditionally worked with colleagues from other health professions, Glicken said. But the real impact of physician assistants the last couple of years has been identifying oral cancers, she noted. They are also particularly useful for screening early childhood caries.

"A large percentage of PAs work with underserved populations, especially in rural areas at federally qualified health centers and community health centers," Glicken noted. "PAs are providing care to patients that otherwise wouldn’t have access to that kind of trained intervention."

Some 46 of Colorado’s 64 counties are rural or frontier areas.

Since few pediatric dentists are located outside urban areas, one of the challenges is getting general dentists to work with young children, because they are unaccustomed to dealing with such patients, according to Dr. Deutchman. "You have to not be afraid the kid is going to holler because when he hollers it’s bad for the other patients. But when he hollers, guess what? His mouth is open," he laughingly noted.

Physician assistants and nurse practitioners do a lot of health maintenance and routine exams, Dr. Deutchman pointed out, so they are key to helping identify oral problems.

Referring patients to dentists and physicians is a core PA function, Glicken added, noting that the hardest part is often finding dentists to provide follow-up care.

"This is really an active partnership of building interprofessional competencies in oral health," she said.

 

        

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