The Dental Programs at Doña Ana Community College consist of both, the Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene programs. Information for each program is provided on the right side under degrees and certifications, program roadmaps, and catalog. The additional information section contains important information about accreditation, specific program information, the application for each program and the link to sign up for a program information session.
The dental assisting program at Doña Ana Community College offers a certificate of completion in dental assisting. The dental assisting profession is both challenging and rewarding. Dental Assistants are professionals who enjoy helping others, work closely with patients and work collaboratively with other members of the dental team. Dental assistants are oftern referred to as the dentists' "other set of hands".
There is no lack of variety in the types of tasks that dental assistants perform. They prepare equipment, materials, and instruments for patient care; perform sterilization and disinfection procedures; provide patients with instructions for dental procedures; create temporary crowns; provide coronal polishing and placement of sealants; take impressions of teeth; create study casts (molds); take and review patient medical histories; expose and develop radiographs; and perform a variety of other duties. They may also be responsible for administrative tasks, such as billing, patient verification, scheduling of various types of treatment appointments, and material inventory.
Assistants may work in a general-practice office where a dentist provides multiple types of treatment, including restorative/operative work (fillings), prosthetics (crowns, bridges, and dentures), and perhaps some surgery. They may want to specialize for work in periodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pedodontics, or orthodontics.
In the state of New Mexico, dental assistants can become certified to perform the following expanded duties: radiology (taking x-rays), coronal polishing (polishing of teeth and removal of stains), fluoride treatments (the act of placing fluoride on a patient’s teeth), and sealant placement (used to prevent decay). These certifications are obtained through the State Dental Board and are a portion of the Dental Assisting National Board Certification Exam.
The Program is committed to creating an educational environment that will foster the development of learning as a life-long process, providing students with the cognitive knowledge, psychomotor skills and overall framework of affective values to provide dental hygiene care for a diverse, dynamic population.
The Program will develop and implement a premier educational program incorporating creative, scholarly activity, outstanding service and continuing professional development for students, faculty, staff and the community we serve.
There are five (6) specific goals for student learning outcomes in the Dental Hygiene Program.
Goal 1: Effectively communicate with individuals and groups from diverse populations verbally, non-verbally and in writing.
Goal 2: Use computers, and other resources to locate information related to the practice of dental hygiene and to present information to others.
Goal 3: Apply ethical standards of conduct to personal life professional roles and assuming responsibility for self-assessment and lifelong learning.
Goal 4: Promote patient health and wellness using critical thinking and problem solving in the provision of evidence-based practice.
Goal 5: Provide relevant, individualized, quality education, preventive strategies and therapeutic services that will enhance both oral and systemic health.
Goal 6: Promote the prevention of diseases and conditions affecting oral and general health.
NOTABLE COURSES: Periodontology, Dental Pharmacology, Dental Anatomy
REQUIREMENTS: C or above is required in all relative courses to graduate
DURATION: 8 Semesters / 4 Years
NOTABLE COURSES: Dental Assisting, Dental Radiology, Human Nutrition
REQUIREMENTS: C- or above is required in all relative courses to graduate
DURATION: 5 Semesters / 2 and a half years
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