Dental Assisting Program

Mission Statement:

The primary educational mission of the Dental Assistant Program is to graduate caring and skilled dental assistants who are well prepared to enter the healthcare workforce.  Graduates value life long learning and apply evidence-based methods to clinical practice.  They provide competent and compassionate, patient-centered care in a professional manner with sensitivity to the diverse personal and cultural contexts in which dental care is delivered.

Our Program:

The Dental Assisting Program is a ten (10) month, full-time program with didactic and clinical experience components starting September through June at the School of Dental Medicine.  External rotations include the Mobile Oral Health Clinic, Long Island State Veteran’s Home and Shinnecock Indian Health Center.

Dental Assistants are employed in various careers such as: private dental offices,  private and government hospitals, state and local public health departments, dental schools, dental laboratories, administration and industry.

According to New York State Education Law Article 133, Part 61, all dental assistants after February 1, 1996 must be licensed and certified to perform supportive services under the direct personal supervision of the licensed dentist in order to perform the following supportive services;

• Providing patient education
• Taking preliminary medical histories and vital signs to be reviewed by the dentist
• Placing and removing rubber dams
• Selecting and prefitting provisional crowns
• Selecting and prefitting orthodontic bands
• Removing orthodontic arch wires and ligature ties
• Placing and removing matrix bands
• Taking impressions for study casts or diagnostic casts
• Removing periodontal dressings
• Removing sutures placed by a licensed dentist 
• Placing, condensing, and carving amalgam restorations;
• Placing, condensing, and finishing non-metallic restorations; 
• Assisting in management of dental and medical emergencies; 
• Applying topical agents to the teeth.