Dental assistants play an integral role in the flow and efficiency of dental care.
Dental assistants not only help the dentist during dental procedures, but they also prep the patient, sterilize and disinfect instruments, set up instrument trays, prepare materials during procedures and support office management.
MCC's Dental Assisting program is the most established program in the area and accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation in the KC area. It has a good reputation for quality graduates and consistent 100% success rates on the national dental assisting board exam.
Program highlights
- The only affiliated program with UMKC Dental School. Our students have a unique opportunity to work in integrated clinical setting alongside dental students as well as faculty members.
- Trains DA students in Missouri permitted advanced chairside skills
- Expanded Functions in Restorative I (placing amalgam & composite fillings)
- Orthodontics (placing and removing bands, brackets etc)
- Removable Prosthetics and Fixed Prosthetics courses.
- Hands-on training to operate state-of-the-art Dental Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) which is an extraoral dental radiography machine.
- Classes and hands-on preclinical training are held at the MCC-Penn Valley Health Science
Institute and 300+ hours of hands-on clinical training
- By rotations through UMKC School of Dentistry (during the fall semester) through specialty areas (orthodontics, endodontics, periodontics, oral surgery and pediatric dentistry), and
- through community-based and private-practice clinics throughout Greater Kansas City MO and KS areas (during the spring semester).
Learn more about
MCC's Dental Assisting program with these options:
Information session
Join us at one of our monthly informational session about MCC-Penn Valley’s Dental Assisting Program. You will learn about admission requirements, pre-requisite courses, the duration of the program and more!
Register for an information sessionObserve a lecture or lab
Join MCC Dental Assisting program students in class and observe an in-class lecture or lab. Open sessions are available in most dental assisting classes and labs.
DENA 100 - Introduction to Dental Assisting
This introduction course introduces students to basic dental terminology, the roles of the dental assistant and members of the dental health team, scope of dentistry, and the legal and ethical responsibilities of a dental health care worker.
Program admission
Additional steps are required for acceptance into this program beyond the standard MCC admission application. The program accepts a new cohort of students every spring that begins during the summer semester.
Admission instructionsProgram accreditation
The program in dental assisting is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements.”
The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at 312.440.4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission’s web address is: coda.ada.org.
The Dental Assisting Program is a three-semester program that begins in June and accepts approximately 18 students per class.
Careers
According to the O-Net online, annual wages for entry level dental assistants is $59,200. A certified dental assistant who have passed national board exam can practice as Expanded Function Dental Assistants in Missouri can receive more salary annually than entry-level DAs due to their advanced skills sets.
Bright outlook for Dental Assistants in the Kansas City area
Visit Occupational Information Network (O*NET) to view salary information, employment outlook and personal characteristics needed for this career.
Past students
Class of 2023
Class of 2022
Class of 2021
Class of 2020
Class of 2019
Class of 2018
Class of 2017
Class of 2016
Class of 2015
Class of 2014
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Students will sit for the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exam offered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) as part of the program.
The Infection Control (ICE) and Radiation Health Safety (RHS) examinations are taken at the end of the fall semester, and the General Chairside (GC) examination is taken at the end of the spring semester.
Successful completion of this examination allows program graduates to use the professional credentials CDA, Certified Dental Assistant
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Scholarship application deadlines: October 15 for Spring awards and February 15 for Fall awards.
MCC provides plenty of sources to fund your education, including federal aid, loans, state aid, veterans benefits and more. For information, contact the MCC-Penn Valley financial aid office at 816.604.1000. Apply for financial aid 6-10 months prior to enrollment. MCC scholarship application deadline for the fall semester is March 1.
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Tuition DA CERTIFICATE 55 credit hours W/FEES ** In-district
$121/credit hour$6,655 Out-of-district/Metro rate
$237/credit hour$13,035 Out-of-state/International
$320/credit hour$17,600 TUITION DA AAS 75 CREDIT HOURS W/FEES ** In-district
$121/credit hour$9,075 Out-of-district/Metro rate
$237/credit hour$17,775 Out-of-state/International
$320/credit hour$24,000 Program Fees* DeaA CERTIFICATE Textbooks (used/new) $500 - $850 Safety Glasses (2 sets) & Uniforms (2 sets) $112-$125 CBC/FCSR/Drug Screen/Document Services $116 Immunizations Costs vary ADAA student insurance membership with insurance $45 *Approximate subject to change.
** Course fees ~2850 (Tier 3 disciplines - automotive technology, dental assisting, utility lineman and surgical technology - Tuition plus $150 program fee per course)
Total Approximate Cost of the Dental Assisting Program (In-District):
DENA AAS=$9,075
DENA Certificate=$6,655 -
Time frame Student Data Number of Qualified Applicants Number of Students Enrolled Goal Class Size=18 Number of Students Enrolled Number of Graduates (Completers) Completers Required=15 Retention
Percentage Retention Required= 80%June 2020 - May 2021 2021 completers 23 18 16 14 88% retention June 2021 - May 2022 2022 completers 23 18 16 14 88% retention June 2022 - May 2031 2022 completers 17 17 10 10 100% retention Time frame Graduate data *Job Placement Percentage
(to include related
field or continuing education)
Required percentage=Not for DA acced.*TSA Pass Rate Results (Certification/Licensure) Number of Students
Who Took the Exam/ Number of Students
Who Passed
the Exam Required
NO pass rate on the CSTTSA Results (Average Scores) *Employer Survey Return Rate Required= 50% *Graduate Survey Return Rate Required= 50% Year one
June 2020 - May 2021Class of 2021 Employed related 100% RHS 14/14 = 100%
ICE 14/14 = 100%
GC 13/14= 93%Program Average= 100%
National Average=80%
3 segments combined80% RETURN RATE
90%Employer satisfaction99% Return Rate
~95% graduate satisfactionYear two
June 2021 - May 2022Class of 2022 Employed related 93% RHS 14/14 = 100%
ICE 14/14 = 100%
GC 14/14= 100%Program Average=100%
National Average=82%
3 segments combined90% RETURN RATE
90% Employer satisfaction92% Return Rate
~90% graduate satisfactionYear three
June 2022 - May 2023Class of 2023 Employed related 100% RHS 14/14 = 100%
ICE 14/14 = 100%
GC 14/14= 100%Program Average=100%
National Average=81%
3 segments combinedCollection in progress 100% Return Rate
~95% graduate satisfaction