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Dental Assistant Professional Diploma

Employment Opportunities

As a Dental Assistant, you will have the opportunity to work directly with dentists treating patients. You may also provide support to the dental office by working as a receptionist or a sterilization assistant. The average salary for Dental Assistant Professionals in Alberta is $28 per hour.

When you become a Registered Dental Assistant, you will unlock doors to careers in many different areas, including:

  • Public Health Dental Assistant
  • Dental Specialty Assistant
  • Dental Assistant Educator
  • Denturist Assistant
  • Clinical Float Assistant
  • Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Clerk (sterilization)
  • Continuing Care Coordinator
  • Dental Administrator/Receptionist
  • Financial Coordinator
  • Treatment Coordinator
  • Dental Hygiene Coordinator
  • Public Educator in Oral Health Prevention
  • Dental Lab Assistant
  • Dental Sales Representative
  • Dental Benefits Representative – Insurance Company

Ortho Module

Columbia College Dental Assistant Professional Diploma Program is excited to offer the theory portion of the Ortho Module to students in the DAPP who are in good academic standing in each Semester. Additional Ortho tutorials are offered to the students while in the program, and the clinical portion of the Ortho Module is offered once they have successfully written the NDAEB exam and become a Registered Dental Assistant.

Graduation/Employment Success

Compare these outcomes with other institutions:
2018 – 2019: 95% Graduation Rate
2018 – 2019: 92% Employment Rate

Among the BEST College in Canada
Columbia College is proud of the fact that its Dental Assistant Professional Program graduates, as a whole, have consistently scored higher than other colleges in Canada in their passing score on the National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) exam. We believe this independent assessment of our graduates is a testament to the quality of our faculty and staff, learning environment, students, and program.

Columbia College is excited to announce that on the most recent NDAEB exam in December 2019, 97% of Columbia’s Dental Graduates passed the national exam! We are very proud of our faculty and our graduates.

Typically our students are hired by their practicum office employer and begin to work as soon as they graduate.


Introduction

The Dental Assistant Professional Diploma Program is designed to provide you with the skills, technical knowledge, and clinical experience that are essential for you to become an effective member of the dental healthcare profession.

The curriculum provides the education needed by dental assistants who, as members of the dental health team, can assume responsibility for providing patient care in collaboration with other healthcare providers and in accordance with provincial regulations within the scope of practice of dental assistants in their province of registration and employment.

Columbia’s Dental Assistant Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada.

Employers of Graduates

The following is a list of organizations that have hired graduates of this program:

  • Group Calgary Orthodontics
  • Renew Dental
  • Millenium Dental
  • R Giles Professional Corporation
  • Summit Dental
  • Emergency Dental YYC
  • Outdoor Dental
  • All North Dental
  • Southpointe Dental
  • Family Braces
  • Sierra Centre for Dental Wellness
  • Welcome Smile Dental
  • Innisfail Dental Centre
  • Evanston Dental
  • Dr. David Chan Dental Clinic
  • Crowsnest Dental
  • Northern Hills Dental
  • Sundre Dental
  • Nose Creek Dental
  • Small to Tall Pediatrics
  • Birchland Dental Clinic
  • South Family Dental
  • West Airdrie Dental
  • Vista Landing Dental Clinic
  • Essential Dentistry
  • IDental
  • McCall Dental
  • Sylvan Lake Dental Centre
  • Urban Oasis Dental Studio
  • Signal Hill Dental
  • Alpine Dental
  • Alpen Dental
  • Core Dental Edmonton
  • Okotoks Orthodontics
  • Aurora Dental Group
  • North Calgary Pediatric Dentistry
  • Arbour Estates Dental Health
  • Railway Avenue Dental
  • InLine Orthodontics
  • Dr. Harry Penner and Dr. Bradley Low
  • Richmond Dental Clinic
  • Millrise Dental Clinic
  • Sorenson Dental Clinic
  • 16th Avenue Dental
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