How to pick a dental assistant school
Education is vital to being a valuable member of the dental team. While it’s not required to graduate from a formal dental assisting program before entering the profession, many do take that route. If you’ve chosen this route, you may be wondering how to find the right school for you. After all, there are many dental assisting programs available, and determining the right one can be challenging. There are many factors to consider, and cost is always a concern.
To help you sort through all the choices, we’ve compiled some useful tips and resources to narrow down your decision.
Know your state’s dental assisting requirements
Learning your state’s dental assisting requirements is the first step in choosing the right educational path. Because the requirements vary from state to state, it’s critical to know what opportunities are available, the steps you need to take, and which education programs are recognized where you live or plan to work. For most states, no education or training is required to work as an entry-level dental assistant. However, many states have education, training, or exam requirements that dental assistants must meet to perform certain duties or earn state credentials, such as expanded functions.
Research the types of dental assistant schools
After researching your state’s requirements, the next step is to explore the types of dental assisting education programs that exist. There are a few types of dental assistant schools and programs out there.
CODA-accredited dental assisting programs
Some dental assisting programs are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). These programs are considered the “gold standard” for dental assisting education because they are of high quality. There are currently 214 CODA-accredited dental assisting programs in the country. CODA-accredited dental assisting programs are often recognized or required by state dental boards. Additionally, graduating from a CODA-accredited dental assisting program is one of the ways to be eligible to earn DANB’s Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) certification.
State-approved dental assisting programs
Some states also recognize dental assisting programs and courses approved by their dental board. To find out if your state approves other dental assisting programs or courses, look up your state dental assisting requirements.
Some state dental boards publish a list of state-approved courses and programs. To see if your state has a list like this, you can visit your state dental board website.
DANB-accepted dental assisting programs for NELDA certification
If you are new to dental assisting, you may be interested in earning DANB’s National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA) certification. Dental assistants who don’t have the education or work experience to earn CDA certification may be eligible to earn NELDA certification. If you’re interested, look into one of the DANB-accepted programs for NELDA certification.
Other dental assisting programs
If you cannot attend one of the programs listed above, make sure the school is accredited by a federal government-recognized agency. If you want to see whether a dental assisting school is accredited, the U.S. Department of Education has a handy lookup tool.
Additional considerations
Cost is, of course, a significant consideration when choosing a dental assisting program. In addition to researching financial aid and payment options, consider applying for scholarships that you can put toward your tuition. DANB and the DALE Foundation, along with organizations like the American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA), offer several scholarships throughout the year.
You might also want to seek out reviews for the program you’re considering. What kind of experience did former students and graduates have? Are there internship or externship opportunities? Does the school have a high job placement rate? A simple Google search may yield helpful information. You can check out the program’s social media profiles or post a question in a forum such as Reddit or a Facebook group to see what former students have to say. You could also reach out to a local dental office to see which programs they recommend and hire dental assistants from.