Dental Assisting, Associate of Science
Career Pathway: Health Sciences
Location(s): General education courses are available at all BC locations. Program specific courses for this program are offered at the A. Hugh Adams Central Campus
Program Entrance Requirements: Students must have graduated from a Florida CODA accredited Dental Assisting Applied Technology Diploma (ATD) program.
Program Description: The Dental Assisting program is a degree completion option for students who have completed a CODA accredited Dental Assisting Applied Technical Diploma (ATD) within the state of Florida. Visit program’s website for additional information.
Additional Program Information
Students must complete all required coursework with a grade of “C” or higher and earn a minimum degree grade point average of 2.0.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MGF1106 | FOUNDATIONS OF MATHEMATICAL REASONING (Recommended) | 3.00 |
| AMH2020 | HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1877 | 3.00 |
| or POS2041 | NATIONAL GOVERNMENT | |
| Elective | Elective Course | 1.00 |
| CHM1032 | CHEMISTRY FOR HEALTH SCIENCES | 3.00 |
| BSC2085 | HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I | 3.00 |
| BSC2085L | HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I LABORATORY | 1.00 |
| SYG2000 | PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY | 3.00 |
| or HSC1531 | MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY | |
| GE Course | General Education Humanities Core | 3.00 |
| ENC1101 | COMPOSITION I | 3.00 |
| GE Course | General Education Speech | 3.00 |
| Apply to the Program (Open Ended) | ||
| Required Core Courses | ||
| DEA1000 | INTRODUCTION TO DENTAL PRARCTICE/ASSISTING | 3.00 |
| DES1020 | DENTAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY | 3.00 |
| DEA1030 | PRE CLINICAL | 4.00 |
| DEA1030L | PRECLINICAL LABORATORY | 2.00 |
| DES1100 | DENTAL MATERIALS | 2.00 |
| DES1100L | DENTAL MATERIALS LAB (ATD) | 1.00 |
| DES1840C | PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY | 2.00 |
| DES1200 | DENTAL RADIOGRAPHY | 3.00 |
| DES1200L | DENTAL RADIOGRAPHY LAB | 1.00 |
| DES1832 | EXPANDED FUNCTIONS I | 1.00 |
| DES1832L | EXPANDED FUNCTION I LABORATORY | 1.00 |
| DES1833 | EXPANDED FUNCTIONS II | 2.00 |
| DES1833L | EXPANDED FUNCTION II LAB | 1.00 |
| DES1805 | CLINICAL PROCEDURES I | 2.00 |
| DES1805L | CLINICAL PROCEDURES I LAB | 1.00 |
| DEA1940L | CLINICAL PRACTICE I | 2.00 |
| DEA1131 | ALLIED DENTAL THEORY | 2.00 |
| DES1502 | DENTAL OFFICE MANAGEMENT | 2.00 |
| BSC1084 | BASIC ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY | 3.00 |
| or DES1404 | BASIC ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY | |
| DEA1155 | DENTAL PSYCHOLOGY | 2.00 |
| DEA1936 | DENTAL SEMINAR | 1.00 |
| DEA1941L | CLINICAL PRACTICE II | 3.00 |
| Total Credits | 70 | |
Notes:
See General Education course information here.
In accordance with Florida Statute and Florida Administrative Code, students may need to satisfy the Civic Literacy Graduation Requirement. Visit the Civic Literacy Graduation Requirement page at broward.edu/civic-literacy.
Students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor to create a personalized educational plan.
Program Highlights
Credit for Prior Learning
Accelerate your path to completion with these options:
- Credit by exam
- Earned industry certifications
- Prior Learning Assessment
- And much more…
Related Industry Certifications
Upon completing this program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the following industry certifications/licenses:
- Certified Dental Assistant (CDA)
Get an Internship
After completing your first year of coursework make sure to visit Employment Solutions for internship opportunities and helpful tools like virtual job shadow, to help take your career to the next level!
Median Wage and Job Growth Outlook
Broward College has Career Coach! It is designed to help you find a good career by providing the most current local data on wages, employment, job postings, and associated education and training.
Fund Your Education
This program is Financial Aid eligible. Scholarships may be available. This program is part of the Career Source Broward ITA List.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates from this program will:
- Demonstrate competence in assessing the treatment needs and providing dental hygiene care for a diversity of patient types including children, adolescents, adults, geriatric, and special needs patients.
- Demonstrate competence in assessing oral health, analyzing assessment findings, establishing a care plan for optimal health, providing patient-centered treatment and evidence-based care, and documenting all relevant treatment.
- Demonstrate competence in providing dental hygiene care for all periodontal classifications, from gingivitis to severe periodontal disease.
- Demonstrate competence in interpersonal and communication skills to effectively interact with diverse population groups and other members of the health care team.
- Demonstrate competence in assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the effectiveness of community-based oral health and disease prevention programs.
- Demonstrate competence in providing appropriate life support measures for medical emergencies that may be encountered in dental hygiene practice.
- Demonstrate competence in the application of the principles of ethical reasoning, ethical decision-making, and professional responsibility as they pertain to the academic environment, research, patient care, and practice management.
- Demonstrate competence in applying legal and regulatory concepts to the provision and/or support of oral health care services.
- Demonstrate the instrumentation proficiency required of an entry-level dental assistant.
- Perform a full mouth series of dental radiographs.
- Demonstrate proficiency with professionalism in terms of service, clinical outcomes, and safety.
- Competently communicate with clarity to a group of his / her peers.
- Demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills needed to accomplish team goals and objectives for clinical procedures.