Dental Occupations

Students in this class will explore the dental field, and will focus on specialized training to aid the dentist during examinations and dental procedures. In addition to the core curriculum, students learn to perform medical or dental office procedures, along with laboratory duties and selected chair-side patient care procedures.

The course offers a combination of health science academic topics and hands-on dental laboratory skills. Cooperative learning and teamwork activities are frequent, as students train in a modern dental laboratory complete with professional-level equipment.

The class delivers oral hygiene lessons to elementary schools during Children's Dental Health Month, partners with Smiles on Wheels and Jackson College's dental hygiene program, and visits specialty dental offices (orthodontists, oral surgeons, dental labs, etc.).

Students will learn health industry foundational skills including medical terminology, CPR, first aid, anatomy, vital signs, patient care skills, ethics, and OSHA health care standards (with a focus on how the dental industry incorporates these standards). Opportunities to further build student leadership skills are also available through membership in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) student organization.

Not sure if you are a good fit for this program? Each program has a list of recommendations to follow when placing students in classes called "SUCCESS INDICATORS". Students do best when their characteristics align with these recommendations.

Success indicators for all programs