Program Description
This course prepares current dental assistants to learn expanded orthodontic dental assisting functions as approved by the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners (MBDE) and prepares them to take the Maryland Dental Assisting Expanded Orthodontic Functions Examination. These expanded functions are advanced tasks that require increased skill and responsibility. Students must be employed in an orthodontic office where their orthodontist will sign off on their clinical skills. Course topics include: preparing, fitting and cementing orthodontic bands; placing and removing arch wires; and isolating, etching, bonding and placing brackets.
Program Outcomes
CCBC Credential:
Students will be awarded a Continuing Education Workforce Training Certificate, and will have access to a Continuing Education academic record (transcript). Students will be prepared to take the Maryland Dental Assisting Orthodontic Expanded Functions Examination.
Certifying Organization:
Dental Assisting National Board (DANB)
www.danb.org
Maryland Board of Dental Examiners
https://health.maryland.gov/dental/Pages/home.aspx
Financial Aid and Payment Options
Partial Payment Option (through Nelnet Business Solutions)
Tuition Waiver for those who qualify
Employer/Sponsor Paid Tuition
Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)
Local Office of Workforce Development
Students may apply for a career training scholarship through Central Scholarship (http://www.central-scholarship.org/)
Prior Learning Assessment
This program has no options for obtaining course waiver(s) for prior learning.
Program Requirements
High School Diploma or GED. Letter from your current dental employer stating their willingness to supervise and assess your skills.
Application Process
Provisional Entry: Verification from current dentist agreeing to supervise and perform skills assessment. Contact CEHealth@ccbcmd.edu for information about upcoming course options.
Program Course Sequence
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Course Number
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Course
Title
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Course Hours
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Textbook Information
(approximate cost; subject to change)
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Costs
T=Tuition/F=Fees
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AHL 868
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Orthodontic Expanded Functions
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42
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Modern Dental Assisting; 12th edition; written by Bird & Robinson; published by Elsevier; ISBN 9780323430302; $103.07
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$879
T-$264/F-$615
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Additional Information
Skills for Success:
See Technical Standards at the end of this document.
Career Coach
Research your career interests, explore live job postings, take a career assessment, discover which companies in the Baltimore region are hiring, and more. View a brief tutorial video on how to use Career Coach at: https://youtu.be/C7KpznbPYfA . Explore career and training opportunities at: https://ccbcmd.emsicc.com/.
Technical Standards
Technical Standards for CCBC’S Dental Assistant Training Series
The primary goal of The Community College of Baltimore County’s Dental Assistant Training Series is to adequately prepare students for an entry-level position as a chair side dental assistant in a dental office. The duties of a dental assistant require the ability to stand or sit for long periods of time, in sometimes awkward positions, while constantly being focused on the task at hand. Dental assistants need to exercise safe practices while exposed to unpleasant sights, odors, materials, and communicable diseases. Their duties also require them to be detail oriented and to work accurately and quickly. A high level of manual dexterity, psychomotor skills, and integrity are vital. Following is a partial listing of the types of skills typically required for adequate job performance:
Physical Requirements:
A. Sufficient strength and mobility to:
- Work quickly to meet deadlines and/or production requirements
- Keep hand and arm steady while performing a task with the other hand and arm.
B. Fine motor coordination sufficient to perform precise tasks such as:
- Handle delicate instruments with precision
- Safely handle sharp instruments
- Handle instruments and equipment that may be costly to replace if damaged
- Quickly and precisely adjust controls on equipment
- Perform basic repairs to instrumentation
- Clean and assemble instrumentation
C. Adequate vision to:
- Read and interpret digital or traditional radiographs
- Adequate distinction of colors to read and interpret sterilization indicators
- Read instruction sheets and computer screen
Interpersonal Skills and Professionalism:
- Have the ability to:
- Work in a professional manner under sometimes stressful situations
- Pay close attention to detail and recordkeeping
- Commitment to learning and understanding new technologies, instrumentation, and procedures
- Commitment to following approved standards, guidelines, policies, and procedures
- Interact in a professional manner with many personalities and attitudes and with people from many different backgrounds
- Respect and protect patient rights and confidentiality without regard to personal beliefs and judgments
- Maintain proper certifications required to perform the duties of the profession
- Accurately utilize all resource material available to remain current in the profession,
- Maintain a conscience/professional morality in the application of infection control techniques
- Willingness to precept (train) others
B. Sufficient communication skills to:
- Give and receive accurate written and verbal instructions
- Carry out all written and verbal instructions
- Follow proper channels of communication
- Communicate in a calm and professional manner
- Communicate clearly and effectively to any team members regarding issues that may be difficult to address (i.e. problem with machinery that could affect sterilization; admission of own errors, etc.)
Intellectual Ability and Emotional Stability To:
- Ability to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Exercise independent judgment to properly perform tasks at hand
- Accurately utilize all resource material available to perform the task at hand
- Perform duties while exposed to communicable diseases and unpleasant sights, odors, and materials
- Accept feedback from others
Environment Requirements:
The dental assisting profession involves risks and/or discomforts that require special safety precautions including, but not limited to:
- Wearing gowns, caps, masks, gloves, and eye protection
- Working in an environment that exposes one to potentially hazardous materials, such as cleaning agents and chemicals and blood-borne pathogens
- Providing proof of recent immunizations against infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella
- Receiving Hepatitis B vaccine and annual testing for exposure to tuberculosis
- Submitting to periodic drug screening
