Registered Dental Assisting Program (RDA)

The Registered Dental Assisting Program (RDA) curriculum is structured based on a minimum of one hundred and sixteen (116) hours instructional hours. The course will include fourteen (14) hours on the subject of dental radiology. The program will provide detailed knowledge of the tasks and skills needed for dental assisting in a dental setting. The program includes a didactic section and a clinical section. The courses will be completed online, with one day at the CDM facilities for in-person, hands-on instructions. Clinical experience is provided under the supervision of qualified faculty. Students will be evaluated for competency.

Apply for the LMU-CDM Registered Dental Assisting Program HERE.

Program Goals

The purpose of the Registered Dental Assisting Program is to provide the community with Registered Dental Assistants who can work with the dental team to attain the shared goal of providing optimum care for patients. The program is committed to providing students opportunities to gain knowledge and develop skills while utilizing critical thinking as an integral part of the process as well.

RDA Program Prerequisites

Students must be 18 years of age or older before admittance into the program and must have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Any conviction must be explained to the Board of Dentistry with their application for registration and all court documents regarding the conviction must be submitted. The Board of Dentistry reviews submitted court documents with the application for registration and may deny registration or require an appearance before the Board of Dentistry before deciding to issue or deny the registration.

Program Completion

Upon completing the course, the student MUST pass the competency examination on the material covered each week before continuing to the material for the next week. Remediation will be offered to students who do not pass the competency before the start of the next week.

Contact

For more information about the program, contact Dental Assisting Program Director Jessica Lovely at [email protected]

Course Objectives

I. Upon completion of the course the student will be able to:

1. Identify the members of the dental health team and describe the responsibilities of each member.
2. Identify and describe the dental office setting, including a review of equipment commonly found in treatment areas
3. Describe and discuss the ethics and jurisprudence associated with being a dental assistant
4. Discuss applied psychology used in a dental setting
5. List and describe communication skills needed in a dental setting
6. Identify and describe teeth and supporting tissues
7. List and describe the assistant’s role while assisting with soft tissue oral examination
8. List and describe the assistant’s role while assisting with dental charting
9. Describe and discuss the microbiology associated with the dental setting
10. Describe and discuss the dental assistant’s role pertaining to oral pathology
11. To identify and describe the use and care of various dental materials
12. List and describe the dental assistant’s role in preventive dentistry
13. Identify and discuss methods of disease transmission and infection control
14. Describe the dental assistant’s role with special needs and disabled patients
15. Identify and discuss medical emergencies that may occur in a dental setting and how to manage them
16. Describe the use of pharmacology and pain control
17. Identify and describe the purpose and use of dental instruments
18. Describe and demonstrate the dental assistant’s role in delivering dental care and moisture control during a dental appointment
19. Discuss the proper use and method for using the dental dam
20. Describe and demonstrate the dental assistant’s role in oral diagnosis and treatment planning
21. Define and discuss what is meant by general dentistry and restorations and describe the dental assistant’s role
22. Define and discuss what is meant by pediatric Dentistry and describe the dental assistant’s role
23. Define and discuss what is meant by orthodontics and describe the dental assistant’s role
24. Define and discuss what is meant by periodontics and describe the dental assistant’s role
25. Define and discuss what is meant by endodontics and describe the dental assistant’s role
26. Define and discuss what is meant by fixed prosthodontics and describe the dental assistant’s role
27. Define and discuss what is meant by removable prosthodontics and describe the dental assistant’s role
28. Define and discuss what is meant by oral surgery and describe the dental assistant’s role

II. The student upon completion of the program content will be able to describe, discuss, and demonstrate the dental assistant’s role in the following dental assisting skills and functions:

1. Maintaining patient treatment records
2. Reviewing and recording medical and dental histories
3. Taking and recording vital signs
4. Seating and dismissing patients
5. Preparing tray set-ups for operative procedures
6. Managing infection and hazard control protocols consistent with current guidelines
7. Operating oral evacuation systems and air/water syringes
8. Maintaining a clear field of vision including various isolation techniques
9. Performing a variety of instrument transfers
10. Utilizing appropriate chairside assistant ergonomics
11. Providing patient preventive education and oral hygiene instruction
12. Identifying and responding to medical and dental emergencies
13. Providing pre-and post-operative instructions prescribed by a dentist
14. Applying topical anesthetic and desensitizing agents
15. Placing and removing a rubber dental dam
16. Applying fluoride agents
17. Applying bases, liners, and bonding agents
18. Fabricating, placing, and removing provisional restorations
19. Placing and selecting matrix retainers, matrix bands, and wedges
20. Removing excess cement
21. Fabricating bleaching trays, mouth guards, and custom trays
22. Taking preliminary impressions (alginate impressions)
23. Placing and removing retraction materials
24. Removing sutures
25. Performing pulp vitality tests
26. Placing and removing the periodontal dressing
27. Performing orthodontic functions as stated in Rule 0460-04-.08

III. The certification course shall admit only those registered dental assistants who are currently registered pursuant to Rule 0460-04-.01 (2). It is the responsibility of the course owner/director to ensure that only currently registered dental assistants are admitted to the course.

The dental radiology portion of the RDA program includes instruction in all the following subject matters:
1. Expose and evaluate
a. Select appropriate radiographic technique.
b. Select an appropriate radiographic film to examine, view, or survey conditions, teeth, or landmarks.
c. Select appropriate equipment for radiographic techniques
d. Select patient management techniques before, during, and after radiographic exposures.
2. Radiation Safety
a. Patient
b. Operator
3. Quality Assurance
a. Identify exposure errors and ways to avoid these errors in future exposures.
b. Identify processing errors and ways to avoid these errors.
c. Correctly mount and label radiographs for diagnostic assessment
Grading

The program will have four (4) examinations - one (1) covering general dental assisting knowledge material, one (1) covering the dental assisting skills and functions, one (1) covering dental radiology information, and one (1) comprehensive examination.

Upon completion of the course, students shall be evaluated by four (4) written examinations. The passing grade shall be seventy percent (70%). If the student initially fails the comprehensive written examination, the exam may be taken no more than two (2) additional times before the course must be retaken and the exam retaken. The examinations shall determine competency in dental radiology and the other stated dental assisting skills and knowledge.
Cost
Program cost: $3,500