This program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation Canada (CDAC).
As a student in the Dental Assisting (Distance) program, you will learn to assist the dentist in all dental procedures performed in a general dental practice. As well, you will learn to administer individualized patient education and treatment as outlined under the scope of practice for dental assistants practicing in Nova Scotia.
The Dental Assisting (Distance) program consists of online, clinical instruction, and a work term placement throughout the program. Successful completion of online, clinical, and work term components of the program will qualify the student to receive their CBBC Career College diploma. Students will be required to write, and successfully pass, the National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) Examination. If the Dental Assisting Program (Distance) does not receive accreditation status, students will be required to take the NDAEB Clinical Practical Exam (CPE) to receive provincial licensing. However, if the Dental Assisting Program (Distance) does receive accreditation status, students will only be required to write the National Dental Assisting Examination Board (NDAEB) Examination to receive provincial licensing.
The Dental Assisting Program (Distance) consists of 50 weeks of highly structured, full-time/instructor-paced education, using a combination of online, on-campus clinical training, and practicum placement. This 50-week program consists of two days per week in a work-term placement at a dental practice, as well as three days per week of highly structured, remote, and instructor-led online learning. Students also spend five weeks at CBBC’s dental clinic.
Students must secure a clinical placement at a general or specialty dental office for two days (14 hours) per week for the duration of their studies. The Dental distance curriculum is designed with these two-day clinical placement experiences throughout the program in order to help reinforce and enhance the course content. CBBC Career College will confirm these mandatory clinical placement hours regularly throughout the program. In addition to the two days per week placement at a dental office, all distance students spend a mandatory five weeks at CBBC Career College’s Dental Clinic. These five weeks are broken down into 2 two-week sessions and 1 one-week session of clinical skills.
The online theory courses use the MOODLE learning management system that includes learning activities, self-assessments, study questions, assignments, tests, and final exams performed online. All clinical courses (five weeks in total) are conducted on-site at CBBC Career College’s Dental Clinic. Clinical competencies are developed in sequence on manikins (Dexter), peer-to-peer, and patients.
With the CBBC Career College Distance Learning Model :
Total program length: 47 weeks (including practicum)
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This course will introduce students to the career opportunities available to dental assistance, as well as licensing, the need for continuing education and duties of each member of the dental health care team. This course provides the students with the ability to effectively communicate with their patients and co-workers. It will also look at the professional code of conduct expected of a dental assistant and it allows the students, through classroom role playing experiences, to experience real life situations that require effective communication and ethical decision making, as well as how to deal with difficult conflicts by taking the course Non-Violent Crisis Intervention. This course will also help students develop a professional resume and cover letter that they may use and update as new skills are learned.
Students will be introduced to the clinical setting, proper clinic protocol, and procedure. Students will be familiarized with chair side skills. This will be introduced to the student by using textbooks, pictures, and videos via Moodle. These skills will be reinforced when students participate in DA-600 Dental Office Practicum.
This course will provide the students with the ability to effectively communicate with their patients and co-workers. It will also look at the professional code of conduct expected of a dental assistant and it allows the students, through classroom role-playing experiences, to experience real life situations that require effective communication and ethical decision making. It will also demonstrate the proper procedures required to effectively operate the front office of a dental practice and it will emphasize the importance of the front office staff. Students will be exposed to insurance forms, claim procedures, basic information regarding account management, as well as being exposed to some of the specialized computer software and programs used in the dental office setting.
This DA-206 module will offer the student online instruction regarding impression taking, model/cast pouring and trimming, and custom tray fabrication.
The students will be placed for 71 days (497 hours) at a dental office for this Module. This practicum placement will commence during week 5 and continue for 2 days per week (sometimes 1 day per week depending on statutory holidays) for the duration of the 47-week program. It is the student’s responsibility to secure this placement prior to admission to the program.
The dental assistant’s skills for this practicum are broken into 2 categories. Category one, Chairside skills; category two, intra-oral skills.
The student’ s chairside skills (Category one) portion of this DA Program will be introduced from the beginning of this Dental Assisting program. Students will initially observe and then perform these chairside skills at the dental office practicum. It isn’t until the student completes Module DA-205 (A) after week 24 that the students observe and then perform intra-oral skills (Category two).
Throughout this entire DA-600 Module, the students will be required to observe and perform those skills learned in all modules of the online and on-site clinic components of the program to gain practical experience and enhance knowledge in both chair side and intra-oral skills.
This placement is mandatory. Attendance will be taken daily at the dental office where the student is placed. The student will have a Competency Assessment Tool (CAT), which breaks down all the skills that are required by Registered Dental Assistants (RDA) to perform. This CAT will be a tool that records both observation and hands-on chairside and intra-oral skills.
CBBC’s Dental Assisting instructor will randomly visit the student’s practicum placement a minimum of 5 times during their student’s Dental Office Practicum.
This course will encompass the study of basic dental terminology, introductory anatomy and physiology with special emphasis on head and neck anatomy, the natural dentition, and the occlusion and development of the teeth, as well as an introduction to the oral cavity and its structures in a healthy normal state. This course will allow the student to identify abnormal dental conditions caused by oral diseases or systemic diseases with oral manifestations.
This section of the dental assisting course will provide the students with a series of lectures, seminars and office rotations offered by dental professionals who specialize in various areas of dentistry. The role of the dental assistant in the areas of Pedodontics, Orthodontics, Periodontics, Endodontics, Prosthodontics, and Oral Surgery will be discussed.
Students will be educated in the importance of proper aseptic technique from basic hand washing procedures to disinfection and sterilization techniques. They will also be introduced to common microorganisms present in the oral cavity and their role in the prevention of patients’ oral health as well as their role in infectious diseases and understanding standard precautions. This course will also include WHMIS and OH&S.
This course will provide the student with the basic knowledge and skills required to successfully assist in all clinical procedures. The students will be expected, in a clinical situation to practice and demonstrate such intra-oral skills as placement and removal of a rubber dam, placement of cavity liners, and insertion and removal of matrices and wedges etc. The student will be expected to demonstrate proper infection control when practicing all procedures. This DA 205 (B) theory module comes after the DA-205 (A) Intra-Oral Procedures/Rad/Lab Skills (Clinic 1). This DA-205 (A) clinic module introduces the hands-on skills before the theory DA-205 (B) theory is introduced.
This course will provide the student with the basic knowledge and skill required to successfully assist in all clinical procedures. The students will be expected, in a clinical situation to practice and demonstrate such intra-oral skills as placement and removal of a rubber dam, placement of cavity liners, and insertion and removal of matrices and wedges etc. The student will be expected to demonstrate proper infection control when practicing all procedures. This DA 205 (B) theory module comes after the DA-205 (A) Intra-Oral Procedures/Rad/Lab Skills (Clinic 1). This DA-205 (A) clinic module introduces the hands-on skills before the theory DA-205 (B) theory is introduced.
The student will be educated in the theory and technique regarding dental radiographs. The course will emphasize the importance of dental radiographs, proper radiograph techniques and methods, common technique and processing errors, safety precautions, and proper use of radiograph and processing equipment. 17 hours of this DA-202 80-hour module occurs before DA-205 (A) Intra-Oral Procedures/Rad/Lab Skills (Clinic 1) and 33 hours of DA-202 Module will occur after the DA-205 (A) Intra-Oral Procedures/Rad/Lab Skills (Clinic 1).
This course will provide students with the knowledge and skills to properly prevent, assess, and handle medical emergency situations. Students will learn about different medical conditions, the emergencies that can arise as a result and the proper ways to manage the emergency. The course will also provide knowledge of common drugs used in dentistry and the effects of certain drugs as relevant in dentistry. Students will also be required to research and present a medical condition and how this relates to dental health.
The students will be placed for one day at a dental office. This placement is an observation only and will take place in early October. At this point in the program students will have gained limited knowledge and concepts with infection control, dental terminology and some chair side topics. Students are not permitted to perform any activities on this placement, only to observe. This will provide the student with a beneficial opportunity to gain a better perspective and appreciation for the profession. It is the student’s responsibility to find this placement for DA-405. This dental office placement will be the same dental office placement location as DA-600, which is also the student’s responsibility to find.
This is a hands-on clinic where students will provide care for real patients from the community in a supervised clinical setting. This will allow the student to bring together all aspects of the curriculum and demonstrate their competency, knowledge and acquired skills. The lecture portion will simply be a time to reflect on the students’ clinical experiences for that week and work out any issues of concern involving the clinic.
Oral Health Education and Nutrition will educate the students in all aspects of oral health and oral care. The students will learn the progression of oral disease and how to identify oral concerns. The course will allow the students to properly educate and direct their patients in proper oral care and oral hygiene techniques, including detection and prevention of oral disease. This course will also encompass the effects and importance of nutrition on oral health and by use of Canada’s Food Guide will allow the students to provide basic nutrition counseling in relation to oral health concerns.
Students will complete online assignments and online tests based on the sections covered.
This course will cover the importance of keeping a detailed and thorough patient record. The student will be educated in the importance of reviewing and maintaining an accurate health history for the patient, proper charting technology, how to read, interpret and explain the contents of a dental chart, as well as the legal aspects associated with the patient record and chart. 23 hours of this DA-106 50-hour module occurs before DA-205 (A) Intra-Oral Procedures/Rad/Lab Skills (Clinic 1) and 27 hours of DA-106 module will occur after the DA-205 (A) Intra-Oral Procedures/Rad/Lab Skills (Clinic 1).
Due to the rising number of dental practices across Nova Scotia, there is now a shortage of dental assistants in the province. According to jobbank.gc.ca, the outlook for dental assistants projects growth for the next number of years.
“This program prepared me and gave me the confidence to enter the real business world. The close knit atmosphere CBBC has, made me very comfortable. Each and every staff member at CBBC was extraordinarily helpful on my journey in obtaining a full-time Administrative Assistant position in Cape Breton.” Courtney MacPhail Administrative Assistant / Offshore Technical Services