Academic Catalog

D A 51C: ADVANCED DENTAL ASSISTING SKILLS

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2023
Units: 3.5
Hours: 2.5 lecture, 4 laboratory per week (78 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

  • The student will successfully remove stain and soft deposits from the majority of the tooth surfaces utilizing a selective coronal polishing technique.
  • All students will be able to fabricate a bleaching stent, and to demonstrate understanding of the basic concepts of dental bleaching material

Description

Continuation of techniques introduced in D A 51A and 51B to include pulp vitality testing, fluoride administration, intraoral/extraoral exam, polishing removable partial and full dentures, dental implants, and pedodontic procedures. Theory and practice of coronal polishing. 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:

  1. Dental Assisting Theory and Practice Competency: dental assisting students must be competent in applying the theory and practice of dental assisting for persons of all ages and abilities
    1. Perform, document, and report pulp vitality testing on a patient/partner
    2. Provide and document an in-office fluoride treatment on a patient/partner
    3. Perform and document a intraoral/extraoral exam on clinical patients
    4. Polish a removable partial or full denture using standard performance criteria
    5. Describe the types, indications, and contraindications for dental implants
    6. State the sequence of implant placement
    7. Cite appropriate implant oral hygiene aids and uses
    8. State the objectives for coronal polishing of the teeth
    9. Identify the various types and etiology of common stains by color and describe them clinically
    10. Describe tooth morphology and anatomy of the oral cavity and relationship to plaque stains and polishing techniques
    11. Discuss the principles of disclosing materials as to composition, clinical application, and contraindications
    12. Define "abrasive" and list the four factors which affect the rate of abrasion and the consequences of misuse of an abrasive agent
    13. Name four of the commonly used abrasive agents and describe their composition and use
    14. Demonstrate the appropriate technique for use of mouth mirror for indirect vision, illumination, and retraction when coronal polishing
    15. List the steps necessary in the care of the prophy angle and slow-speed handpiece
    16. List the armamentarium necessary for the completion of the coronal polishing procedure
    17. Disclose a clinic patient in preparation for oral hygiene instructions or coronal polishing
    18. Deliver appropriate oral hygiene instruction on a clinic patient based on the patient's age, amount and location of plaque, along with other periodontal disease indicators
    19. Acquire at least five patient experiences for coronal polishing using standard performance criteria
    20. Fabricate, deliver, and give instructions for a bleaching splint
    21. Fabricate a custom tray on a edentulous or partially edentulous model
  2. Infection Control and Hazardous Waste Management: dental assistants must possess the knowledge and abilities to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases
    1. Decide which PPE, decontamination, disinfect ion, and sterilization techniques are appropriate for the prevention of disease transmission for coronal polishing, extraoral/intraoral exam, pulp vitality testing, fluoride treatments, and polishing of a removable partial or a full denture
    2. Describe the infection control procedures that should be performed for coronal polishing, extraoral/intraoral exam, pulp vitality testing, fluoride treatments, and polishing of a removable partial or a full denture
    3. Perform appropriate hazardous waste and sharps management for coronal polishing, extraoral/intraoral exam, pulp vitality testing, fluoride treatments, and polishing of a removable partial or a full denture
    4. Describe how to avoid cross contamination when performing dental assisting duties
  3. Ethical and Legal Principles: dental assisting students must be competent in understanding ethical/legal principles as applied to the dental office
    1. Identify and describe the common dental procedures in which the registered dental assistant is directly supporting or directly involved in the procedure
    2. State the legal duties of a RDA and DA for coronal polishing, extraoral/intraoral exam, pulp vitality testing, fluoride treatments, and polishing of a removable partial or a full denture
    3. Cite the legal and ethical implications of performing duties that are not designated to the licensed RDA in the California State Practice Act
    4. Prepare and/or evaluate complete and accurate patient procedure records
    5. Demonstrate professional behavior and appearance in clinical and laboratory situations
    6. Demonstrate teamwork with assigned student-partner in classroom, laboratory, and clinical situations

Course Content

  1. Dental Assisting Theory and Practice Competency
    1. Pulp testing
      1. Pulp vitality testing
        1. Indications for pulp vitality testing
        2. Types of pulp vitality testing
          1. Cold test: ice, ethyl chloride
          2. Hot test
          3. Percussion
          4. Palpation
          5. Electric or electronic pulp testing: armamentarium, State Practice Act, patient instructions, procedure, documentation of findings in treatment record, infection control (including PPE, instrument decontamination, disinfection, and instrument sterilization)
          6. Radiographs
        3. Diagnostic findings from pulp testing
          1. Normal
          2. Pulpitis: reversible, irreversible
          3. Periradicular abscess
          4. Nectrotic tooth
    2. Fluoride treatment
      1. Indications and contraindications
      2. State Practice Act
      3. Armamentarium
        1. Fluoride gel/foam versus varnish
      4. Patient instructions
      5. Procedure
      6. Documentation in treatment record
      7. Infection control (including PPE, instrument decontamination, disinfection, and instrument sterilization)
    3. Extraoral/intraoral exam
      1. Purpose
      2. State Practice Act
      3. Armamentarium
      4. Patient instructions
      5. Procedure
      6. Documentation of findings in treatment record
        1. Size
        2. Shape
        3. Location
        4. Duration
        5. Color
        6. Infection control (including PPE, instrument decontamination, disinfection, and instrument sterilization)
    4. Polishing of removable partials or full upper dentures
      1. Indications and contraindications
      2. State Practice Act
      3. Armamentarium
      4. Patient instructions
      5. Procedure
      6. Infection control in the dental laboratory
      7. Documentation in treatment record
    5. Dental implants
      1. Types
      2. Indications and contraindications
    6. Sequence of placement and timeline
      1. Cost
    7. Oral hygiene instructions
      1. Brushing and flossing
      2. Alternative or supplemental plaque removal aids
    8. Coronal polishing
      1. Definition
      2. State Practice Act
      3. Purpose
      4. Medical history significance
      5. Prophylactic antibiotic premedication
    9. Stains
      1. Identifying types and etiology of stains
    10. Tooth morphology in relation to stains and plaque accumulation
      1. Tooth concavities
      2. Common areas of stain and plaque accumulation
    11. Disclosing materials
      1. Types and compositions
      2. Disclosing methods
      3. Indications and contraindications
      4. Armanentarium
      5. Patient instructions
      6. Procedure
    12. Abrasive agents
      1. Factors which affect the rate of abrasion
      2. Consequences of misuse
    13. Types
      1. Consequences of misusage
      2. Factors involved in misusage
    14. Mouth mirror usage
      1. Illumination
      2. Retraction
      3. Indirect vision
    15. Care of prophy angle and handpiece
      1. Cleaning and lubrication
      2. Assembly
      3. Use
      4. Coronal polishing technique
    16. Armamentarium
      1. Instruments
      2. Equipment
      3. Materials
    17. Patient disclosing
      1. Evaluation criteria
    18. Oral hygiene instruction
      1. Toothbrushing and flossing
      2. Supplemental aids
    19. Patient experience
      1. Fulcrum options
      2. Patient/operator positioning
      3. Disclosing
      4. Use of abrasive agent
      5. Selective polishing
      6. Interproximal polishing
      7. Polishing of facial, lingual, and occlusal surfaces
      8. Documentation in the treatment plan
    20. Bleaching splint
      1. Fabrication
      2. Delivery and patient instructions
    21. Custom tray
      1. Fabrication
  2. Infection Control and Hazardous Waste Management
    1. Prevention of disease transmission
      1. Guidelines by regulatory and advisory agencies
    2. Infection control (including PPE, instrument decontamination, disinfection, instrument sterilization)
      1. Instrument processing
      2. Set-up of unit
    3. Hazardous waste and sharps management
      1. regulatory vs. non-regulatory waste
    4. Prevention of cross contamination
      1. Overgloves, cotton pliers
      2. Barriers
  3. Ethical and Legal Principles
    1. Duties
      1. Dental practice act
      2. Coronal polish versus dental prophylaxis
      3. Ethical obligations
      4. Informed consent

Lab Content

  1. Pulp testing
  2. Polishing partials and dentures
  3. Fluoride treatment
  4. Intraoral and extraoral exam
  5. Coronal polishing

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Dental operatory demonstration and practice units, laboratory facilities with individual student work areas.
2. Clinical supplies to support demonstration and student practices activities.
3. When taught via Foothill Global Access, 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 (multiple choice, short answer, spelling, and instrument identification)
Laboratory assignments
Clinical assignments
Written assignments

Method(s) of Instruction

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

Lecture
Laboratory
Demonstration

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Bird, D.L., and D.S. Robinson. Modern Dental Assisting, 13th ed. (ISBN: 978-1-4377-2734-1). 2020.

Leicht, J.. Coronal Polishing Lecture Manual. 2021.

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

  1. Reading Coronal Polishing chapter from textbook
  2. Reading and reviewing course lecture/lab manual
  3. Documentation in the treatment record of vital signs, pulp vitality testing, medical history review, findings for intraoral and extraoral exams
  4. Writing reflection and competency papers

Discipline(s)

Dental Technology