Expanded Duty Dental Assisting Diploma

Program Start Date: Fall term
Minimum Program Length: 58 academic weeks; 4 consecutive terms day; 50 credits
Program ID:  DASC.DA
Curriculum Code: 15202

Program Description

Expanded duty dental assisting students develop skills to receive and to prepare the patient for treatment, to prepare dental instrument setups, and to assist a licensed dentist in the treatment of patients. As an office manager, the dental assistant is a liaison between the dentist and patients.

Practical Experience

Students work in a simulated dental office in the second and third semesters on campus to gain clinical skills. Clinical experience is gained during last semester by rotations in local dental offices.

Professional Opportunities

Chairside dental assistant, receptionist, oral surgery assistant, orthodontic assistant, pediatric dental assistant, endodontist assistant, periodontist assistant and office manager

Unique Aspects

A criminal background investigation (CBI) and drug testing are required at student expense for each Health and Human Services student who has been accepted into a Spartanburg Community College curriculum program of study. For more information, please visit the Criminal Background Investigations and Drug Testing Policy section of the SCC webpage.

Graduates will meet the eligibility requirements to take the Dental Assisting National Board Examination (DANB), a national certification exam to become certified dental assistants. The Expanded Duty Dental Assisting Program is accredited without reporting by: American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611, (312) 440-4653, www.ada.org

EEDA Career Cluster:

Health Sciences

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the ability to recall, apply, and analyze patient data.
2. Prepare instruments, materials and treatment rooms for use in general and specialty procedures.
3. Perform both professionally and ethically in direct patient care.
4. Demonstrate proficiency in the skills and procedures required of a dental assistant in a professional/clinical setting.
5. Demonstrate the ability to speak publicly, listen actively and respond effectively.

Course Requirements

• COL 101 - College Orientation
  (Note: Students who place into two or more developmental areas are required to take COL 103 in place of COL 101.)
• AHS 113 - Head and Neck Anatomy
• DAT 110 - Dental Terminology
• DAT 113 - Dental Materials
• DAT 115 - Ethics & Professionalism
• DAT 118 - Dental Morphology
• DAT 121 - Dental Health Education
• DAT 154 - Clinical Procedures I
• DAT 122 - Dental Office Management
• DAT 123 - Oral Medicine/Oral Biology
• DAT 124 - Expanded Functions/Specialties
• DAT 127 - Dental Radiography
• DAT 160 - Expanded Duties/Specialties
• DAT 164 - Clinical Procedure II
• DAT 177 - Dental Office Experience
• ENG 165 - Professional Communications

• MAT 160 - Math for Business and Finance
  or
• MAT 103 - Quantitative Reasoning

Psychology Course: 3 Credits

• PSY 103 - Human Relations
  or
• PSY 201 - General Psychology

Total Credits: 50

Semester Display

(Courses with *** are restricted and cannot be taken without permission of the department)

First Semester

• COL 101 - College Orientation
• DAT 110 - Dental Terminology
• ENG 165 - Professional Communications
• MAT 160 - Math for Business and Finance
  or
• MAT 103 - Quantitative Reasoning
• PSY 201 - General Psychology
  or
• PSY 103 - Human Relations

Second Semester

• AHS 113 - Head and Neck Anatomy ***
• DAT 113 - Dental Materials ***
• DAT 115 - Ethics & Professionalism ***
• DAT 118 - Dental Morphology ***
• DAT 121 - Dental Health Education ***
• DAT 154 - Clinical Procedures I ***

Third Semester

• DAT 122 - Dental Office Management ***
• DAT 123 - Oral Medicine/Oral Biology ***
• DAT 124 - Expanded Functions/Specialties ***
• DAT 127 - Dental Radiography ***
• DAT 164 - Clinical Procedure II ***

Fourth Semester

• DAT 160 - Expanded Duties/Specialties ***
• DAT 177 - Dental Office Experience ***

Total Credits: 50

General information about the EDDA application process:

• Admission to the Expanded Duty Dental Assisting Program is selective and requires a separate application in addition to general admission to the college. You must be accepted into Spartanburg Community College before applying to our program.

• STEP 1:

  - Viewing/Printing an SCC Unofficial Transcript

  • Log into MySCC Portal.
  • Under Colleague Applications for Students, select Self-Service.
  • Clink on Student Planning.
  • Click the Graduation Cap (Academics) icon on the left.
  • Select Unofficial Transcript.
  • Click the Degree Audit Transcript link to view or print.

   

  You will need to save it to your computer and upload once requested on the application.

  *All prerequisites must be completed with a grade C or higher.

  STEP 2: (in addition to step 1 you must do step 2 if you are counting courses towards your degree that you took at a different college institution, if not skip to step 3).  Make sure you allow enough time for an official transcript to be requested by yourself, to be sent to SCC.  Sometimes this is a lengthy process so please allow at least a month. 
  - How to request an official college transcript from other college institutions to be sent to SCC.

  • You will be using “Parchment Exchange” to request your transcript from other institutions.
  • Click here to order a transcript.  https://www.sccsc.edu/students/registrar/transcripts.php
  • Create an account, then order your transcript.
  • Choose desired processing option:  1.  Now          2.  Hold for Grades           3.  Hold for Degree.
  • Enter the college name in the destination field (ex. Spartanburg Community College Admissions).  Select e-transcript (not paper) e-transcripts processes faster and are the cheapest.
  • Pay the $2.85 fee per transcript and you’re done!
  • Once SCC receives and processes the e-transcript you will receive an email stating that it has been received/processed.
  • You will then request a transfer equivalency report by email to records@sccsc.edu and they will send you a request form to be completed by you and emailed back to them.  The records office will then send you a transfer equivalency report so that you can upload it with your EDDA program application.  You must use your SCC school email account.

   

  Step 3: Complete Online Application for the SCC Expanded Duty Dental Assisting program.

  • Helpful Hint: Items the application will require: unofficial transcript and a transfer equivalency report (if receiving credits that only show a “TR” for grade on your unofficial transcript).
  • Program Acceptance Notification process – you will be notified that the program application has been submitted through your SCC email.
  • Applications will be open from September 1 and will remain open until December 11^th, 2023, for the spring 2024 start.
  • Once applications have closed for spring the next date for applications will begin March 1 and will remain open until May 8^th for the fall 2024 start.
  • Faculty will verify total submitted points and assign a ranking to each student based on the calculated scores from completed applications.

The EDDA Program accepts 22 students each fall and 12 each spring. This number is decided by the program’s accrediting agency, the Commission on Accreditation of American Dental Education Programs. It is based on the number of clinical sites affiliated with the program.

Spartanburg Community College’s EDDA program DOES NOT have a waiting list for admission into the program. Students are admitted in fall and spring terms. The application for non-accepted students are kept on file until the first day of the fall and spring term in the event that one of the originally accepted students declines his or her slot. Once the first day of fall or spring term arrives, all applications are destroyed. Interested students are encouraged to re-apply the following year. 

The student must have a curricular GPA of 2.5 or higher.

The application process for the EDDA Program occurs twice per year - once in the fall for spring start and once in the spring for fall start.

 There is no “magic” number of points for acceptance into the program. The applicant pool changes yearly, and therefore the high and low points change also. The student should work toward having as many points allowed for his or her situation.

The EDDA program is 12 consecutive months. Students beginning in August of one year will complete the program one year later, at the end of July. Students will attend fall, spring, and summer terms.

Students beginning in January will complete the program in December of the same calendar year. These students will attend spring, summer, and fall terms.

Yes, all students spend equal time at all clinical sites beginning summer term. Each clinical site offers a unique learning atmosphere.

 Many of our students have families, work and attend school. The students are apprised in orientation of the number of hours required for the curriculum and they adjust work hours each semester to accommodate their school schedules. Neither class nor clinical schedules will be adjusted for a work schedule.

Many students can “multi-task” and experience no problems balancing school, family and work. We advise students to remain disciplined and practice good time management skills during the 3 semesters of school.

SCC tuition and fees are very affordable. Our Financial Aid office will be glad to counsel with any student who needs advise to apply for grants, lottery or scholarships.

There are additional fees associated with the EDDA program such as uniforms, lab jackets, testing fees, etc. An estimate of expenses for the program can be found on this website.

 Yes, all students entering the health field are required by our clinical facilities to submit a background check and a drug screen. You will receive further information about when, where and how once or if you are accepted into the program.

Please see the list of community standards required to progress in the EDDA program.