In the spring semester, dental care students gain experience in chair assistance by working as external assistants in a local general dentistry office and then in a specialized office. Students visit dental offices two days a week for 18 weeks, 14 weeks in a general office and 4 weeks in a specialized office. This course accompanies DAS 117 and includes the clinical experience requirements necessary to complete the Dental Assistant Rapid Track (DART) program. Students work as a team with professors, dental students and dental residents to provide comprehensive dental care at the Center for patients with special needs.
Pitt Dental Medicine dental hygiene students gain valuable clinical experience while rotating through internal clinical departments. This may be a stupid question, but I have been working as an orthodontic dental assistant for about a year and a half. Students, along with pediatric dentistry residents, provide preventive dental services to patients aged 12 months to 21 years. I started when I decided that I was no longer interested in medical school, but now I'm at a stage where I'm seriously reconsidering myself (and physician assistant school).
Students travel to local elementary schools with the Allegheny County Health Department dental team to provide classroom education and assist in applying sealants and fluoride varnishes to patients' teeth. Students work as a team with dental students and pediatric dentistry residents to provide fluoride treatments and oral hygiene instructions to children and adolescent patients. Students collaborate with dental and medical health professionals to provide dental hygiene services to a diverse patient population. University of Pittsburgh B-82 Salk Hall School of Dental Medicine, 3501 Terrace Street Pittsburgh, PA 15261. Students gain valuable clinical experience in the dental hygiene clinic and through rotations within the school and at various health centers in the zone.
