About the CareerDIPLOMA IN EXPANDED DUTY DENTAL ASSISTING
About the CareerThe Extended Duty Dental Assistant (EDDA) is the dentist’s right arm, taking significant responsibility as a member of the dental health care team. Assistants greatly increase the efficiency of dentists in delivering oral health care.
The duties of the dental assistant are among the most comprehensive and varied
in the dental office. Extended duty dental assistants perform a wide range of
tasks requiring both interpersonal and technical skills. This may include:
Performing preliminary oral examinations,
Assisting dentists in a number of procedures,
Taking and developing X-rays,
Making impressions of a patient’s teeth,
Preparing filling materials,
Performing office management tasks.
Many dentists employ two or three extended duty dental assistants and employment in this field is broad.
Employment opportunities in South Carolina include private practice, for example, as chair-side dental assistants, treatment coordinators, OSHA compliance specialists, dental laboratory assistants, secretarial assistants and office managers. There are also opportunities in public health settings, hospital dental practices, prison dental clinics and insurance companies.
Related careers include dental product sales representative, infection control consultant for private dental office, dental office business manager and dental assisting education.
About the ProgramThe 48-credit Extended Duty Dental Assisting program includes instruction in restorative dentistry and preventive oral care, including teaching clients oral self-care, applying sealants to the grooves of clients’ teeth, producing diagnostically acceptable intraoral radiographs (X-rays), polishing teeth and fillings, assisting the dentist, preparing the filling materials, scheduling clients and managing health information.
Students will rotate through private dental offices and clinics in the immediate area for practical experience in extended duty dental assisting.
This program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Graduates are eligible to be credentialed as Certified Dental Assistants upon satisfactory completion of the three examinations administered by the Dental Assisting National Board.
