Dental Assisting (Distance)

Become a Dental Assistant

Sydney Campus

Program Length:

47 Weeks

Program Hours:

1496

Upcoming Start Dates

Sydney:

January 8, 2024

June 3, 2024

Request Brochure

Become a Dental Assistant

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.

The tuition costs for the program include the cost of the written NDAEB examination.

What to expect

The Dental Assisting Program (Distance) consists of highly structured, full-time/instructor-paced education, using a combination of online, on-campus clinical training, and practicum placement. This 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 their studies. The Dental distance curriculum is designed with these two-day clinical placement experiences throughout the program 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 clinical skills session.

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 sequentially on manikins (Dexter), peer-to-peer, and patients.

You will be exposed to various dental offices and practice areas throughout the program. The dental assistant courses taught in this program cover areas such as:

Chair Side Procedures
Communications
Dental Office Administration
Dental Laboratory Techniques and Procedures
Dental Specialties like endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, and more
Dental Radiography
Microbiology and Infection Control

Are you looking to host a student?

Request a Student

Why choose the Dental Assisting (Distance) program?

The distance program will have you career ready in under a year
Hands-on experience at our dental lab
Get real-world experience right in the local community
No relocation needed
Career Services support including job search, resume writing, and interview skills
Over 90% pass rate on the first try of the NDAEB Board Certification Exam by our on-campus graduates in the past seven years

With the CBBC Career College Distance Learning Model:

You get firsthand observational experience in a dental office, two days a week
Gain hands-on experience during on-campus labs
Develop career experience through your Dental Assisting placement

Do you have questions?

Request more information below or contact us.

Job Market

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.

Program Outline

Please click on the course title to see the course description.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Admissions Requirements

Academic Grade 12 graduation consisting of a Grade 11 science or integrated Grade 10 science or GED
English Language Proficiency (TOFEL or IELT) for international students
A signed agreement (Dental Clinic Verification form) with a sponsoring dentist verifying two days (14 hours) per week clinical dental assisting experience in general dentistry or specialty dental practice for
the duration of the program
Admission interview either in person or phone call – Before any student can be accepted into the Dental Assisting Distance program, they must submit the following documentation to CBBC Career College:

Official transcripts and educational documents as required by their course or program
A Criminal Record Check (Vulnerable Sector) under the Criminal Records Review Act
Proof of a negative TB skin test
A current “C” certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)or paid proof of registration for this certification. It is the student’s responsibility to provide CBBC Career College with this certification upon completion.
A current certificate in Oxygen Administration or paid proof
of registration for this certification. It is the student’s responsibility to provide CBBC Career College with this certification upon completion.
A current resume

This program is an excellent fit for:

Anyone who is looking to upgrade their skills and become a licensed dental assistant.
Someone is a people person and has great customer service skills.
A person looking for a fast-paced and exciting career.

Why choose the Dental Assisting (Distance) program?

A combination of online and in-class learning.
Upgrade your skills and gain new opportunities if you already work in a dental office!
Lifetime support of career services!

Save time & money

Finish most programs and become job-ready in less than a year!
Get the skills you need to get hired with programs that cut the extras and give you the skills you need to get hired.
With career support for life with CBBC Career College, our experts will help find you employment no matter how long ago you graduated.
You don't need three to four years of school to enter the workforce with the skills to start a great paying career!

Your future is our priority

Start school NOW with most program intakes happening frequently (no need to wait!)
No waiting lists, even in our most-popular programs. We'll get you the job training you need to start your career ASAP.
We take a student-centric approach to learning, with small class sizes to empower you to collaborate with your peers and receive more attentive support from your instructors.

Career-relevant education

Our programs are programs aligned with real-world, in-demand occupations. We will get you job-ready!
Most CBBC Career College programs include practicum experience so you can hit the job search running with a great education AND experience.
We have real relationships with employers who are waiting to hire qualified CBBC Career College graduates!

Become a Dental Assistant

Sydney Campus

Program Length:

47 Weeks

Program Hours:

1496

Sydney:

January 8, 2024

June 3, 2024

Request Brochure

Become a Dental Assistant

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.

The tuition costs for the program include the cost of the written NDAEB examination.

What to expect

The Dental Assisting Program (Distance) consists of highly structured, full-time/instructor-paced education, using a combination of online, on-campus clinical training, and practicum placement. This 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 their studies. The Dental distance curriculum is designed with these two-day clinical placement experiences throughout the program 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 clinical skills session.

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 sequentially on manikins (Dexter), peer-to-peer, and patients.

You will be exposed to various dental offices and practice areas throughout the program. The dental assistant courses taught in this program cover areas such as:

Chair Side Procedures
Communications
Dental Office Administration
Dental Laboratory Techniques and Procedures
Dental Specialties like endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, and more
Dental Radiography
Microbiology and Infection Control

Are you looking to host a student?

Request a Student

Why choose the Dental Assisting (Distance) program?

The distance program will have you career ready in under a year
Hands-on experience at our dental lab
Get real-world experience right in the local community
No relocation needed
Career Services support including job search, resume writing, and interview skills
Over 90% pass rate on the first try of the NDAEB Board Certification Exam by our on-campus graduates in the past seven years

With the CBBC Career College Distance Learning Model:

You get firsthand observational experience in a dental office, two days a week
Gain hands-on experience during on-campus labs
Develop career experience through your Dental Assisting placement