Dental Assisting Curriculum Schedule

Fall semester classes focus on building skills in basic science, dental materials, pre-clinical procedures (general and specialty), professional orientation, infection control and chemical/hazard communication. Students learn in the state-of-the-art dental clinical facility and dental materials simulation lab.

  • DEN 100 Basic Orofacial Anatomy
  • DEN 101 Preclinical Procedures (diploma-level course)
  • DEN 102 Dental Materials (diploma-level course)
  • DEN 111 Infection/Hazard Control

In Spring semester, students complete classroom studies in dental practice management, preventive dental health education, dental office emergencies, oral pathology, dental pharmacology and radiology. Students also participate in direct patient care two days each week, rotating through graduate prosthodontics, graduate endodontics, pediatric dentistry, "OFFICE" (third- and fourth-year DDS student clinics), special care/geriatrics, graduate orthodontics, graduate periodontics, graduate operative, graduate oral and maxillofacial surgery and central sterilization at the Adams UNC School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill. Students also receive clinical rotations at East Carolina School of Dental Medicine in Greenville, the Wake County Human Services Dental Clinic, the nonprofit Wake Smiles and the Dental Hygiene Department at Wake Tech. Direct, on-site supervision is provided by Wake Tech Dental Assisting faculty during clinical rotations.

  • DEN 103 Dental Sciences (diploma-level course)
  • DEN 104 Dental Health Education (diploma-level course)
  • DEN 105 Practice Management
  • DEN 106 Clinical Practice I (diploma-level course)
  • DEN 112 Dental Radiography

Summer term studies consist of a psychology course and weekly seminar sessions designed to share the previous week's clinical experiences. Topics also covered during seminar sessions include employment preparation (final resume production and mock interview), budgeting and current dental topics in the news. Students provide direct patient care three days per week in general and specialty practices that have an affiliation agreement with the college. Each clinical site received an orientation prior to student assignment. A Dental Assisting faculty member visits each clinical site per week. The identified supervising dental assistant serves as a mentor for the student during these clinical rotations.

  • DEN 107 Clinical Practice II

Curriculum by semester

Course number and title Class Lab Clinical Credit
First semester (hours per week)        
DEN 100 Basic Orofacial Anatomy 2 0 0 2
DEN 101 Preclinical Procedures 4 6 0 7
DEN 102 Dental Materials 2 4 0 4
DEN 111 Infection/Hazard Control 2 0 0 2
BIO 106 Intro to Anatomy/ Physiology/Micro 2 2 0 3
ENG 111 Writing and Inquiry 3 0 0 3
Total: 15 12 0 21
Second semester (hours per week)        
DEN 103 Dental Sciences 2 0 0 2
DEN 104 Dental Health Education 2 2 0 3
DEN 105 Practice Management 2 0 0 2
DEN 106 Clinical Practice I 2 0 12 6
DEN 112 Dental Radiography 2 3 0 3
COM 120 Intro Interpersonal Communications 3 0 0 3
Total: 13 5 12 19
Summer term (hours per week)        
DEN 107 Clinical Practice II 1 0 12 5
PSY 118 Interpersonal Psychology 3 0 0 3
Total: 4 0 12 8

Total graduation requirement: 48 semester credit hours

Graduates are eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board Examination to become a Certified Dental Assistant. As outlined by the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners, graduates are classified as a DAII and can perform all delegable functions within the state of North Carolina.

For all official curriculum schedules, see the college catalog.