Academic Catalog

D A 51B: INTERMEDIATE CLINICAL DENTAL ASSISTING

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2026
Units: 3
Hours: 2 lecture, 3 laboratory per week (60 total per quarter)
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: CSU
Grade Type: Letter Grade Only
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate proficiency in RDA orthodontic functions, including placing and removing orthodontic bands, brackets, and archwires under supervision. (75% or better)
  • Identify and describe common periodontal and oral surgery procedures, including scaling, root planing, extractions, and implants. (75% or better)

Description

This course provides students with entry-level skills for working in periodontal, oral surgery, and orthodontic specialty practices. Students will learn the allowable duties for the Registered Dental Assistant in specialty practice settings, including an introduction to the specific instruments and equipment used. Preclinical skill development is integrated into the laboratory sessions to prepare students for clinical practice experiences and to care for patients across the lifespan. Intended for students in the Dental Assisting Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the program.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

Dental Assisting Theory and Practice Competency

  1. Identify the oral conditions commonly treated in specialty practices.
  2. Identify and describe appropriate instruments, equipment, and materials for periodontal, oral surgery, and orthodontic procedures.
  3. Describe the role of the dental assistant in periodontal, oral surgery, and orthodontic settings.
  4. Demonstrate competency in dental assisting skills for periodontal, oral surgery, and orthodontic settings.
  5. Demonstrate appropriate removal of non-absorbable sutures and provide the appropriate patient education.
  6. Demonstrate knowledge of tooth movement and types of malocclusion using Bolton's table.
  7. Perform orthodontic assessment procedures and record accurate intraoral measurements on diagnostic models.
  8. Demonstrate competency placing and removing orthodontic separators, bands, archwires, and ligatures.
  9. Evaluate and competently remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth using hand instruments.
  10. Describe the use of fixed and removable orthodontic appliances.
  11. Explain the sequence of orthodontic appointments, including comprehensive patient instructions and including oral hygiene practices.
  12. Capture and manage intraoral and extraoral digital photographs for case documentation.
  13. Respond appropriately to dental and medical emergencies using established protocols.

Infection Control and Hazardous Waste Management

  1. Demonstrate the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in periodontal, oral surgery, and orthodontic environments.
  2. Demonstrate decontamination, disinfection, and sterilization procedures in compliance with the Minimum Standards for Infection Control and OSHA requirements.
  3. Safely manage hazardous waste and sharps in clinical and laboratory settings.
  4. Prevent cross-contamination and ensure a safe patient care environment during all aspects of patient care.

Ethical and Legal Principles

  1. Apply ethical and legal principles within the dental office to support HIPAA compliance and respectful patient and interprofessional collaboration.

Course Content

Dental Assisting Theory and Practice

  1. Periodontal conditions
    1. Periodontal diseases
      1. AAP (American Academy of Periodontology) type
    2. Periodontal abscess
    3. Pericoronitis
    4. Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis
    5. Hyperplasia
  2. Instruments and equipment
    1. Explorers
    2. Probe
    3. Scalers
      1. Sickle scalers
      2. Hoe scalers
      3. File scalers
    4. Curettes
      1. Universal curettes
      2. Gracey curettes
    5. Surgical knives
      1. Kirkland knives
      2. Orban knives
      3. Goldman-Fox knives
    6. Pocket marker
    7. Bone file
    8. Ultrasonic scaler
    9. Mouth props and tissue retractors
    10. Surgical suction
    11. Suture material, needle, and scissors
    12. Hemostat and needle holder
    13. Scalpel and scalpel handle
  3. Assistant's role and periodontal procedures
    1. Dental Practice Act
      1. Dental assisting duties 
      2. Registered Dental Assisting duties
      3. Registered Dental Assisting with extended functions I and II duties
      4. Dental Sedation Assistant duties
      5. Orthodontic Assistant duties
    2. Non-surgical treatment
      1. Dental prophylaxis
      2. Scaling and root planning
      3. Gingival curettage
      4. Locally delivered antibiotics
    3. Surgical treatment
      1. Osteoplasty and ostectomy
      2. Gingivectomy and gingivoplasty
      3. Periodontal flap surgery
      4. Laser surgery
  4. Post-surgical dressing and patient instructions
    1. Control of bleeding
    2. Control of swelling
    3. Periodontal surgical dressing
      1. Armamentarium
      2. Mixing
      3. Placement
      4. Removal
      5. Patient instructions
        1. Verbal
        2. Written
  5. Oral surgery conditions
    1. Impacted teeth
    2. Intra and extra oral neoplasms
      1. Squamous cell carcinoma
    3. Teeth requiring extractions
  6. Instruments and equipment
    1. Elevators
      1. Straight elevators
      2. Root tip picks
    2. Forceps
      1. Universal
      2. Maxillary
      3. Mandibular
    3. Surgical curette
    4. Rongeur
    5. Bone file
    6. Chisels and mallet
    7. Surgical burs
  7. Scope of practice in oral surgery procedures
    1. Patient sedation
      1. Monitoring devices
        1. Capnography
        2. Pulse oximeter
        3. EKG
    2. Excisional and incisional biopsy of impacted teeth
    3. Removal of impacted teeth
    4. Single removal or multiple removal of teeth
    5. Treatment of alveolitis (dry socket)
    6. Post-surgical patient instructions
      1. Control of bleeding
      2. Control of swelling
  8. Suture removal
    1. Types of sutures
      1. Absorbable
      2. Non-absorbable
    2. Armamentarium
    3. Placement and removal procedure
    4. Patient instructions
      1. Verbal
      2. Written
  9. Principles of tooth movement
    1. Periodontal ligament and tooth movement
    2. Passive and active movement with appliances
      1. Fixed appliances
      2. Coiled springs
      3. Elastics
  10. Malocclusion
    1. Classes of malocclusion
      1. Class I
      2. Class II
      3. Class III
    2. Crowding
    3. Overjet
    4. Overbite
    5. Open bite
    6. Cross bite
    7. End-to-end and edge-to-edge bite
  11. Assessment procedures
    1. Radiographs
    2. Study models
    3. Cephalometric radiographs
    4. Intraoral and extraoral photographs
  12. Intraoral measurements
    1. Armamentarium
    2. Tooth size discrepancy
    3. Arch width and circumference
    4. Overjet, overbite, crossbite, closed and open bite
  13. Orthodontic equipment, materials, and instruments
    1. Orthodontic scaler
    2. Ligature director
    3. Band plugger
    4. Bite stick
    5. Bracket placement tweezers
    6. Boone and Boley gauge
    7. Pliers
      1. Bird-beak pliers
      2. Contouring pliers
      3. Weingart utility pliers
      4. Three-prong pliers
      5. Pin-and-ligature cutter
      6. Howe pliers
      7. Wire bending pliers
      8. Ligature-tying pliers
      9. Distal end cutters
      10. Elastic separating pliers
      11. Band removing pliers
    8. Appliances
      1. Fixed appliances
        1. Palatal expander
        2. Bands: buccal tube, headgear tube, hooks, buttons
        3. Traditional and self-ligating brackets
        4. Archwire: stainless steel, Nitnol, copper Nitnol, beta titanium, Optiflex
        5. Jasper jumper/Herbst appliance
        6. Space maintainer
  14. Placement and removal of orthodontic separators
    1. Types
      1. Elastic
      2. Brass wire
      3. Spring
    2. Armamentarium
    3. Procedures
    4. Patient instructions
  15. Sizing orthodontic bands
    1. Types
    2. Armamentarium
    3. Procedure
  16. Placement and removal of orthodontic archwires
    1. Types
    2. Armamentarium
    3. Procedures
    4. Patient instructions
  17. Ligation and removal of elastic and metal ligature ties
    1. Types
    2. Armamentarium
    3. Procedures
    4. Patient instructions
  18. Cementation and removal of orthodontic cement from bands
    1. Types of cements
      1. Mixing cements
    2. Armamentarium
    3. Procedures
  19. Checking for loose bands
    1. Armamentarium
    2. Procedures
  20. Fixed and removable orthodontic appliances
    1. Retainers
      1. Hawley retainer
      2. Lingual retainer
      3. Spring retainer
    2. Removable appliances
      1. Headgear
      2. Orthodontic positioner
    3. Functional appliances/activator
      1. Bionator
      2. Frankel
      3. Palatal expanders
      4. Lower lingual archwires
    4. Removable aligners
      1. Invisalign
  21. Nature and sequence of orthodontic appointments
    1. Phase 1
    2. Phase 2
    3. Full treatment
    4. Partial treatment
  22. Patient instructions for orthodontic appliances
    1. After separator placement
    2. After bracket/band and archwire placement
    3. Oral hygiene instructions with fixed and removable appliances
    4. Care of removable appliances
    5. After removal of fixed appliances
  23. Extraoral and intraoral photography
    1. Extraoral photography
      1. Types
    2. Intraoral photography
      1. Types
    3. Armamentarium
  24. Dental and medical emergencies
    1. Dental emergencies
      1. Periodontal abscess
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Responsibilities of the dental assistant
      2. Endodontic abscess
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Responsibilities of the dental assistant
      3. Alveolar osteitis
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Responsibilities of the dental assistant
        3. Assemble armamentarium
        4. Chairside assisting
      4. Avulsed tooth
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Responsibilities of the dental assistant
      5. Fractured tooth syndrome
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Responsibilities of the dental assistant
      6. Cut or bitten tongue, lip, or cheek
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Instructions for the patient
      7. Broken orthodontic fixed appliances or wires
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Instructions for the patient
      8. Traumatic inclusion
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Responsibilities of the dental assistant
      9. Extrusion and lateral luxation injuries
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Responsibilities of the dental assistant
      10. Locked TMJ
        1. Signs and symptoms
        2. Instructions for the patient
    2. Medical emergencies
      1. Dental staff responsibilities
        1. Syncope
        2. Hyperventilation
        3. Asthma attack
        4. Allergic reaction
        5. Epileptic seizure
        6. Hypoglycemia

Infection Control and Hazardous Waste Management

  1. Infection control for periodontic, oral surgery, and orthodontic offices
    1. PPE
    2. Disinfection of equipment and environmental surfaces
    3. Instrument decontamination and sterilization
  2. Infection control for intra/extraoral photography
    1. PPE
    2. Disinfection of equipment and environmental surfaces
    3. Instrument decontamination and sterilization
  3. Hazardous waste and sharps management
    1. Surgical sharps
    2. Orthodontic sharps
    3. Regulated and unregulated waste
  4. Avoiding cross contamination
    1. Overgloves
    2. Unit dose packaging

Ethical and Legal Principles

  1. RDA duties
    1. Dental Practice Act
    2. Level of supervision
  2. Documentation in the treatment record
    1. Required documentation elements
    2. Risk management
    3. Informed consent
  3. Professionalism
    1. Appearance and demeanor
    2. Patient centered treatment
    3. Ethical obligations
      1. HIPAA
  4. Teamwork
    1. Interaction with dentist and staff
    2. Cultural differences in the workplace

Lab Content

  1. Instrument identification
  2. Equipment identification
  3. Suture removal
  4. Place and remove periodontal dressing
  5. Place bonded orthodontic brackets
  6. Size and cement orthodontic bands
  7. Place and remove orthodontic separators
  8. Ligate orthodontic archwires
  9. Remove orthodontic archwires and fixed appliances
  10. Remove excess orthodontic cement
  11. Checking for loose orthodontic bands
  12. Intraoral and extraoral photography of the oral cavity
  13. Identify fixed or removable orthodontic appliances
  14. Perform intraoral measurements for orthodontic treatment planning
  15. Assemble armamentarium and assist for alveolar osteitis

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Dental operatory demonstration and practice units, laboratory facilities with individual student work areas.
2. Laboratory and clinical supplies to support demonstration and student practices activities.
3. When taught as a hybrid section, on-going access to computer with email software and hardware; email address.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Exams
Lab assignments
Preclinical assignments
Clinical assignments
Written assignments

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture
Cooperative learning exercises
Oral presentations
Laboratory
Preclinical
Clinical demonstration

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Bird, D.L., and D.S. Robinson. Modern Dental Assisting, 14th ed.. 2023.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Assigned chapter readings from the textbook
  2. Documentation in the treatment record

Discipline(s)

Dental Technology