Dental Assisting
Dental Assisting
AAS degree, 63 credits
Diploma, 48 credits
The M State Dental Assisting program educates students to be essential members of dental health care teams. Students learn skills necessary to:
- Work closely with dentists during direct patient care, including diagnostic, preventive and operative procedures
- Manage business office responsibilities such as appointment scheduling and billing procedures
- Perform dental lab procedures
- Provide expanded functions authorized by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry such as taking digital dental x-rays, polishing teeth, placing dental sealants, fabricating temporary crowns, administering nitrous oxide sedation and orthodontic duties
The curriculum includes general education courses; biomedical and dental science courses; on-campus lab and clinical practice at our Moorhead campus; and off-campus clinical affiliations in general, community and specialty dental practices.
Graduates are eligible to write the:
- Dental Assisting National Board Certification Exam
- Minnesota State Board of Dentistry Licensure Exam
- Minnesota Board of Dentistry Jurisprudence Exam
How to apply
2. Review the Dental Assisting program admission requirements
3. Apply to the Dental Assisting program* (The fall 2024 application deadline is May 15.)
4. Review the Dental Assisting Application Assessment
* You must be accepted to M State to access the Dental Assisting program application.
Program accreditation
The M State Dental Assisting program is approved by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry and is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The program has been granted the accreditation status of Approval without Reporting Requirements.
CODA can be contacted at 312.440.4653 or 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. Its web address is http://ww.ada.org/en/coda.
