Expanded Functions Dental Assistant

Objective

The Expanded Functions Dental Assistant’s (EFDA) role is critical to the delivery of quality dental health care. Advanced technologies and the increasing demand for dental services have resulted in dramatic growth in the industry. The objective of the Expanded Functions Dental Assistant program is to provide quality career education that prepares students not only for seeking entry-level employment in the dental field but also for life-long learning and personal and professional growth.

Description

Expanded Functions Dental Assistants perform a variety of patient care, office, and laboratory responsibilities. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, EFDAs perform coronal polishing; apply matrix bands, wedges, cavity liners and bases; place amalgam/composite restorations and including temporary restorations; place sealants, place and remove dental dams; take impressions of patients for study models, to create mouth guards, and bleaching trays from diagnostic casts, and fabricate provisional coverage under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist. Additionally, an EFDA will perform all Dental Assisting functions to include, taking various types of radiographs, sterilizing and disinfect instruments and equipment, preparing and set up of the instruments and materials required to treat each patient, and obtaining and updating patients' dental records. EFDAs make patients comfortable in the dental chair and prepare them for treatment. The EFDA curriculum provides a basic foundation and understanding in health sciences and hands-on training in using the technology necessary to perform tasks typically performed by an Expanded Functions Dental Assistant.

Externship

A 12-week externship component is included in this program to provide students with the opportunity to apply their dental and EFDA knowledge and skills to real-life situations in a dental setting. EFDA students are required to complete the required externship hours and other related learning activities prior to graduation. Students are not paid for work performed at the externship site.

Credentialing Exams

Graduates of this program will be prepared and are eligible to register for the National Board’s (DANB) Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) Examination, and the EFDA Pennsylvania State Board Certification Examination.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Expanded Functions Dental Assistant Program are prepared to seek entry-level employment in the office of a licensed dentist performing any task, as deemed appropriate by the dentist, and allowable under the state’s dental practice act.

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible for graduation, students must have:

1. Accumulated, with passing grades, the required number of credit hours within the student’s program of study by the last day of the graduating term or within the timeframe prescribed in the incomplete grade policy.
2. Achieved a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 2.0
3. Completed the program within 1.5 times the program’s length as published in the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress policy in this catalog.
4. Verified satisfactory completion of all program criteria for graduation with the Dean of Education, Registrar, Financial Aid, and Career Services.
5. The student has made satisfactory arrangements with the Business Office to meet all financial obligations to the School.