Educational Requirements for a Dental Assistant in Texas
- Like all other states in the country, Texas has no hard and fast educational requirements for dental assistants. Unlike dentists, who require a doctor of dental surgery degree, and dental hygienists, who must have a minimum of an associate's degree in dental hygiene, dental assistants may have just a high school diploma and train on the job. Another difference between the dental assisting field and the others is that there are no licensing or certification requirements. Dental assistants do not have to pass any tests or exams.
- Dental assistants who do wish to pursue an education have nine American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation-accredited schools in the Lone Star State to choose from, including San Antonio College, Texas State Technical College at Waco, Texas State Technical College at Harlingen, Lamar State College and El Paso Community College. The dental assisting program lasts six months to one year and culminates in a diploma or certificate.
- Dental assisting programs focus pretty equally on a mix of dental-specific courses and administrative classes. In programs such as Grayson County College's dental assisting certificate, prospective dental assistants learn chairside assisting, dental materials, dental radiology, dental science, preventive dentistry, dental lab procedures, dental radiology and dental assistant applications. At El Paso Community College, dental assistants take classes such as orofacial anatomy, dental office management, dental assisting applications and advanced dental science.
- Dental assistants also receive schooling in topics such as dental office management at Grayson County College and El Paso Community College, plus general coursework such as introduction to computers, English composition, dynamics of group communication, dental community health and college math.