Dental Assistant Certificate at College of New Caledonia

Certified dental assistants (CDAs) are educated, licensed and regulated members of an integrated dental healthcare team that provides oral care services to patients. There are approximately 26,000 to 29,000 dental assistants in Canada. The practice of dental assisting involves collaboration with patients, other healthcare professionals and society to achieve and maintain optimal oral health and overall health and well-being.

Certified Dental Assistants work alongside of the dentist. Specific duties include:

• Preparing and maintaining dental instruments and equipment
• Maintaining appropriate infection control
• Assisting the dentist
• Preparing dental materials such as dental composites, amalgams and cements
• Providing patient education and comfort
• Performing patient care procedures such as taking health histories; assisting in patient assessment; exposing of dental images; patient charting; treatment planning; polishing teeth and delivering preventative fluoride applications.
• Carrying out office administration services, including management of dental records

Careers

Our graduates are career-ready and are highly employable. Certified dental assistants are employed in a variety of practice settings including:

• Dental offices
• Specialty practices such as children's specialist, orthodontics, or oral surgery
• Hospital dental clinics
• BC Cancer Agency
• Community health clinics and public health facilities
• Residential care facilities for seniors and the disabled

Employment opportunities also exist in education, research, sales and marketing of dental products, and dental insurance company administration.