Dental Assisting

AAS degree, 63 credits

Diploma, 48 credits

The M State Dental Assisting program educates students to be essential members of dental health care teams. Students learn skills necessary to:

Work closely with dentists during direct patient care, including diagnostic, preventive and operative procedures
Manage business office responsibilities such as appointment scheduling and billing procedures
Perform dental lab procedures
Provide expanded functions authorized by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry such as taking digital dental x-rays, polishing teeth, placing dental sealants, fabricating temporary crowns, administering nitrous oxide sedation and orthodontic duties

The curriculum includes general education courses; biomedical and dental science courses; on-campus lab and clinical practice at our Moorhead campus; and off-campus clinical affiliations in general, community and specialty dental practices.

Graduates are eligible to write the:

Dental Assisting National Board Certification Exam
Minnesota State Board of Dentistry Licensure Exam
Minnesota Board of Dentistry Jurisprudence Exam

How to apply

Apply to M State
Review the Dental Assisting program admission requirements
Apply to the Dental Assisting program (The fall 2024 application closed on May 15.)
Review the Dental Assisting Application Assessment

Program accreditation

The M State Dental Assisting program is approved by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry and is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The program has been granted the accreditation status of Approval without Reporting Requirements.

Contact CODA at 312.440.4653, CODA | Commission on Dental Accreditation, or 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-2678.