Skip To Main Content

Dental Assisting

Dental assisting students 2024
Dental assisting 2024
Dental Assisting Chair
Dental assisting students 2024
Dental assisting student 2024

Dental assistants are in great demand.  It is a career with security, variety, prestige and respect – factors you value in the workplace. An aging population keeping their natural teeth and an increased focus on preventative dental care for younger generations create this increased demand for dental services. Job opportunities can be found in private and group practices, clinics within local hospitals, in the armed services, or as an instructor in a dental assistant program. Dental assistants are members of the dental care team who perform a wide variety of tasks requiring both interpersonal and technical skills. Under the supervision of a dentist, the dental assistant prepares all instruments, materials and equipment used in dental procedures, takes dental radiographs (x-rays), assists the dentist in all procedures, provides oral care instruction to patients and performs office administration tasks. The dental assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678. The Commission’s web address is: http://www.ada.org/en/coda.

The Dental Assisting National Board (DANB, www.danb.org) is the nationally recognized premier certification and credentialing agency for dental assistants. The DANB examinations are required or recognized as meeting regulatory requirements in more than thirty states. McCann graduates of our 1,250 hour program are eligible to take the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) examination as administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc., 444 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60611-3985, tel. 1-800-FOR-DANB. This examination is not a graduation requirement.

Department Faculty

Michelle Racette, CDA, RDH
Program Coordinator
mracette@mccanntech.org
Phone: (413) 663-5383 ext. 183


Lisa Kowal, BA
Adjunct Faculty
lkowal@mccanntech.org

Program Information

For information on labor market trends and job outlooks in the Dental Assisting field click here.