In the Dental Assistant program, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills to become an important member of a professional health team in a dental office or clinic. You may earn a Dental Assistant Diploma or an AAS Degree. A dental assistant performs many duties at chairside, including assisting the dentist during patient treatment. The assistant must also be skilled in related office and laboratory procedures, as well as the MN State Board of Dentistry, expanded functions.
Dental Assistant graduates are employed in many areas of dentistry, including general dentistry as well as dental specialties such as pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, endodontics and periodontics, and more.
The Dental Assistant program at Hennepin Technical College is approved by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry, www.dentalboard.state.mn.us.
The program in Dental Assisting is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of Approval without Reporting Requirements. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. The Commission’s web address is http://www.ada.org/en/coda.
To begin the Dental Assistant program, please apply to the college and review additional steps under the Entry Requirements section below.
Requirements for some awards and certifications will change effective June 1st, 2022. Please call OneStop at 952.995.1300 or email onestop@hennepintech.edu, to see how this might affect you.
Class Time: Day
Semester: Fall Semester
Campus: Eden Prairie Campus & Brooklyn Park Campus
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Placement Testing for Business
Personal qualities considered essential for this occupation are the ability to work well with others, the desire to be a part of a professional team, manual dexterity, good communication skills, and the ability to follow direct supervision.
Program first semester registration requirements:
Students are also required to complete the following prior to the first semester:
Important information while in the program:
You will apply to the Dental Assistant program in your DNTL 1121 Dental Science class. No paper applications will be accepted. Please email Sarah Cornelius at sarah.cornelius@hennepintech.edu with any questions.
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Wages/Outlook/Advancement
Wage and Job Outlook information for this program are available at CAREERwise. Dental Assistants are employed in private and group practices, government public health clinics, dental sales, insurance companies, educational facilities, and the armed forces.
The Dental Assistant program at Hennepin Technical College is approved by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry, www.dentalboard.state.mn.us.
The program in Dental Assisting is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of Approval without Reporting Requirements. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. The Commission’s web address is: http://www.ada.org/en/coda.
Hennepin Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Institution of Higher Education, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602-2504, 1-800-621-7440.
*Students have the opportunity for membership in the ADAA and MDAA as student members.
All faculty are members of the American Dental Assistants Association, MN Dental Assistants Association, MN Educators of Dental Assistants (MEDA) and are certified by the Dental Assistant National Board (DANB).
The purpose of the Dental Assistant Advisory Committee is to promote a partnership between career and technical education, business labor and the communities they serve. Advisory committee members provide input on program structure, curriculum, technology, and student preparation. Become an Advisory Committee Member. For more information contact Lori Laabs at 952-995-1403
Employers: Post a job on the Career Services website.
Equipment & Supplies Donation: Contact Susan Thaemert at 952-995-1593.
Hennepin Technical College builds cooperative relationships and partnerships with other educational institutions, business, and industry to help position HTC graduates to compete in a global markerplace. These business and industry connections help make HTC one of the leaders in education for employment.
Advisory Committee Affiliations:
The Hennepin Technical College Dental Assistant curriculum is designed to help prepare students to sit for the professional licensure exam for Minnesota. At this time, Hennepin Technical College is unable to make a determination if the Dental Assistant program meets the licensing requirement for any state or US protectorate besides Minnesota. You will want to contact the licensing board in which state you intend to pursue licensure for their requirements, below we provide a link to a list of each states licensing board. If you have further questions about licensure for Dental Assistants please feel free to reach out to Susan Thaemert, Dental Assistant Program Director (susan.thaemert@hennepintech.edu), and we will be happy to help you.
For more information on state licensing boards and their contact information for Dental Assistants click here
Last reviewed 02/16/2022
Contact the OneStop Navigator today:
Mai See Yang
Brooklyn Park
onestop@hennepintech.edu
952.995.1300
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