Dental Assisting Technician Program

To qualify for this program, you need to have earned your high school diploma or have an equivalent like a GED or HiSet. You should also possess a 10th grade English reading level.

Your tuition includes an e-book, course support, and the NWCA (DACC) exam.

Yes. You may reach out to Learner Support to ask course content questions. Please visit the Learner Support center to look through Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that address the most common Learner issues. Here, you can also submit a Support Ticket that will be assigned to a Learner Support team member and we'll get in touch right away to help. If you need help immediately, please contact us at 877-261-1484 or info@edu2.com.

The online portion of the course is approximately 60 hours and most students will complete their certification in 8-16 weeks. If you want to finish the online portion of your studies in 8 weeks, be prepared to spend a minimum of 7.5 hours per week persisting in the course. If you want to complete it in 16 weeks, then you are looking at spending about four hours per week studying. The more hours you spend studying in the course per week, the sooner you will finish. This does not account for in-person lab times and externship.

While neither the in-person lab nor the clinical externship is required, they are both beneficial. We highly encourage taking advantage of both. Or you may choose to do one of the two.

• Professional written and verbal communication with patients, dental personnel, 3rd party payers, and vendors and suppliers
• Knowledge of general anatomy and physiology, infection control, and the ability to counsel patients on oral health and nutrition
• Assist in the daily delivery of oral health procedures while maintaining a safe and moisture free environment in the oral cavity
• Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, and intake or insurance forms
• Expose and develop high quality radiographs or digital images and work with dental instruments and materials
• Handle dental records with attention to HIPAA privacy requirements
• Follow the common procedures of the dental specialties
• Assist in emergency care situations

A credential from National Workforce Career Association (NWCA) demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of an entire content area, industry or area of expertise. An NWCA credential indicates to prospective or current employers that an earner has passed an extensive, rigorous exam which thoroughly tests the competency and skills of the earner.

The Dental Assistant Clinical Certification (DACC) credential is appropriate for a dental assistant, and all others who participate in the daily delivery of oral health care of a dental office practice. This credential documents the knowledge and skills of a Dental Assistant. The certification will test the knowledge of the assistant in areas anatomy and physiology, ethics and law, patient records, examination and treatment planning, infection control, radiography, dental materials and instruments, the dental specialties, and assisting in emergency care.

You will need to contact Learner Support.

Please visit the Learner Support center to look through Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that address the most common Learner issues. Here, you can also submit a Support Ticket that will be assigned to a Learner Support team member and we'll get in touch right away to help. If you need help immediately, please contact us at 877-261-1484 or info@edu2.com

Exam Structure Overview Number of Questions in Exam: 60

Total Time: 90 minutes

Overall Passing Score: 70%

(All sections require an individual passing score of 70%)

No. It does not. Although the Dental Assisting course covers dental radiography, dental film and processing procedures, intraoral radiographic procedures, and extraoral and digital radiographic procedures, it does not offer the radiology exam. The course prepares you to sit for two exams: NWCA and Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) Radiology Health and Safety (RHS) Examination. Your tuition includes the NWCA exam and you would request to take this exam via Learner Support and they will set it up for you.

To take the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) – Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam you must be Dental Assistant Trained on the Job (OJT) and complete a course in radiological techniques and safeguards. Since the course you are taking covers radiological techniques and safeguards, you are good with this. In many states, including Massachusetts, DANB-RHS certification is required to work in dental radiography. Examinees must register separately for this exam and pay out of pocket. To fulfill the OJT requirement you must already be employed at a dental practice.

For additional information about the DANB RHS exam, please visit the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. website at https://www.danb.org/en/Meet-State-Requirements/State-Specific-Information/Massachusetts.aspx. There is a link located on the right hand of the page titled, The DANB  RHS  exam application packet. This packet includes applications for the following exam: Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) DANB.

The exam fee is $270 as listed in the application.

No. Once you complete the Dental Assisting course you can work as a dental assistant. However, to do the radiation you will have to sit for the RHS exam.

Upon successful completion of the Dental Assisting course, you will earn an e-certificate from BHCC.  This is evidence that you have completed your course at the college.

Then, when you take and pass the NWCA Dental Assisting Clinical Certification exam, included in your course tuition, you earn a national certification. 

A certification denotes that someone has met certain professional requirements and passed a certification exam. The NWCA credential documents development of knowledge and skills related to the procedures used in assisting the dentist.  This credential is appropriate for a dental assistant, and all others who participate in the daily delivery of oral health care of a dental office practice.  For details about this credential, visit https://nwca.edu2.com/product/1569/dental-assisting-clinical-certification

Demonstration of success on the NWCA exam will result in the achievement of the digital badge and will be available for display on the earners’ digital portfolio on CampusEd.

You may apply for dental assisting jobs upon successful completion of the course and pass the NWCA exam. If the dental practice requires a CPR certification, you may ask if the practice offers CPR training to help you obtain your certification. Or, you may access the training from the Red Cross here: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr

Yes. Infection control is covered in lesson #5, “Oral Pathology and Infection Control” in your e-book, Comprehensive Dental Assisting, Enhanced First Edition.

If the dental practice where you are seeking employment asks if you possess the Infection Control certificate, you may say that the course you took covered “Oral Pathology and Infection Control”, and that the course includes the NWCA Dental Assisting Certification exam, which tests the knowledge of the assistant in several key areas, including Infection Control and Radiography. You may add that, with the support from the Dental practice, you will take the ICE exam after you are hired and gain some work experience.

Whether you earn certification as a general dental assistant or expand your skills with certification in specialty areas, a professional credential can boost your employment options and career opportunities.

The Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) is the nationally recognized certification organization for dental assistants. DANB offers several certifications for all stages of your career, from entry-level to advanced. Some DANB certifications are made up of different component exams, which you can take together or separately. When you pass all the exams, you will earn the certification.  It’s common for dental assistants to begin with earning DANB’s NELDA or CDA certification before continuing on to earning specialty certification. Please visit https://www.danb.org/certification/earn-dental-assistant-certification for description of each certification you may earn throughout your dental assisting career journey.

For information about DANB’s Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam, please visit https://www.danb.org/exams/exam/rhs-exam.

For information about DANB’s Infection Control (ICE) exam, please visit https://www.danb.org/exams/exam/ice-exam.

Please note: Bunker Hill Community College does not offer any assistance in helping you apply for any of the DANB exams you choose to pursue.  You will need to follow the steps to apply reflected on the DANB application.  You may also contact Learner Support at info@edu2.com for guidance surrounding preliminary information about DANB.

Completion of the Dental Assisting course at Bunker Hill Community College will not enable you to obtain a dental assisting license in Massachusetts. The college does not offer assistance in helping you with your application when you apply. To pursue a license and to determine if you meet the qualifications prior to applying, please visit https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-a-dental-assistant-license.

Each state has different requirements for dental assistants. Visit https://www.danb.org/state-requirements/detail/massachusetts-state-requirements to see the links to all the information you need to understand the requirements for dental assistants in this state. View the different dental assisting levels, along with the requirements for each. You can also view the allowable duties at each level. 

For Radiography Requirements, please visit https://www.danb.org/state-requirements/massachusetts-radiography. 

For Requirements for Dental Assistant Trained on the Job, visit https://www.danb.org/state-requirements/massachusetts-dental-assistant-trained-on-the-job

Please visit https://www.mass.gov/dental-assistant-licenses

Note: Bunker Hill Community College does not offer assistance in helping you apply for your Dental Assisting license. The dental assisting course does not automatically qualify you for a Dental Assisting license in Massachusetts.