Why choose Dental Assisting?

Chemeketa's Dental Assisting program prepares graduates to sit for their national Certified Dental Assistant exam. Chemeketa offers the training you need to enter this rewarding field. Our program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Accreditation and is partnered with Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) to provide a Bachelor's degree option in Dental Hygiene. 

What will you learn?

Our experienced faculty will teach you the skills to meet our program outcomes –

• Perform basic and expanded chairside functions to facilitate the completion of restorative and advanced operative procedures
• Manipulate dental materials to support chairside and laboratory procedures
• Perform basic office procedures necessary to assist in managing a dental practice
• Demonstrate proficiency in exposing, processing and mounting dental radiographic images
• Practice professional behaviors as applied to the workplace environment
• Manage asepsis, infection control and hazard control protocol to promote a safe work environment

What will you do?

Dental assistants perform tasks in a dental office ranging from patient care to record keeping. Their duties vary by state and by the dentists’ offices where they work.

The Dental Assisting program prepares you to –

• Help patients feel comfortable with upcoming treatments and procedures
• Prepare the work area and instruments for patient treatment
• Assist dentists during procedures
• Instruct patients in proper dental hygiene
• Process x-rays and do lab tasks under the direction of a dentist
• Keep patient records of dental treatments

Program Goals

The program goals are for each student to –

• Successfully complete the program
• Obtain his/her professional credentials
• Find satisfying employment in dentistry 

Here is more information about a career in dental assisting.