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Dental Assisting & Dental Hygiene

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Career Community:

Health Sciences

Start your path to a great job as a dental hygienist or assistant.

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What You’ll Learn

You will learn to prepare the operatory, take patient histories, note abnormalities, plan care, teach oral hygiene, clean teeth, take x-rays, apply preventive agents, complete necessary chart entries, and perform other procedures related to dental hygiene care.

Length: 5 Semesters

Credits to Graduate: 72

Locations: Lee

Curriculum Guide

Earning a Diploma in Dental Assisting takes less than one year and you’ll learn to work with instruments and materials to assist the dentist during treatment procedures. Good-paying jobs are available now with a diploma in dental assisting.

Length: 2 to 3 Semesters

Credits to Graduate: 46

Locations: Lee

Curriculum Guide

Why Study Dental Assisting & Dental Hygiene at CCCC

Get Clinical Experience

You’ll have a combination of lecture, laboratory, and clinical experiences and learn about infection/hazard control, radiography, dental materials, preventive dentistry, and clinical procedures.

Become Board Certified or Licensed

You can become eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board Examination to become a Certified Dental Assistant II or take the national and state/regional examinations for licensure required to be a registered dental hygienist. 

State-of-the-Art Facilities

The Raymond J. and Tina Tseng Dental Clinic is a fully operational clinic serving patients and students alike. Learn by doing in our incredible facility.

Get Started with a Dental Assisting or Dental Hygiene Degree at CCCC

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Vicky Wesner, chair of the Dental Programs at CCCC, walks you through what to expect when studying dentistry at our Lee Main Campus Keller Health Sciences Building.

Dental Assisting Helpful Links

Dental Hygiene More Helpful Links

Careers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over the last decade, the dental support staff employment rate has grown by nearly 20%.  As the link between oral health and overall health continues to cultivate, the need for dental hygienists and dental assistants working with patients both in and out of clinical settings will continue to rise. Work in the following fields will be in high demand.

  • General Dentistry
  • Oral Surgery
  • Orthodontics
  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Endodontics
  • Periodontics
  • Prosthodontics

Program Contact

  • Alt text

    Vicky Wesner

    Dental Hygiene and Assisting. Department Chair
    Dental Assisting

Accreditation Information

The dental hygiene and dental assisting programs have been granted the Accreditation Status of Approval without Reporting Requirements by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. The next site visit scheduled for the programs will be in 2030. A copy of the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting Accreditation Standards and CODA Policies and Procedures, including those for complaints, may be obtained by calling 1-800-621-8099. The Standards may also be found online at American Dental Association (ADA) or in writing at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.

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Transfer Programs

Credits from select courses within the program may transfer to four-year colleges and universities on a case-by-case basis.

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