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DentalAssistantsOccupational Profile forCUNY Kingsborough Community CollegeSUMMER 2016What is Dental Assisting? Dental assistantsTop employers. Because most dentists’ officesperform many tasks, ranging from patient careand taking x-rays to record keeping and schedulingappointments. They work under the supervision ofa dentist and work closely with dental hygienists.are small, their capacity for job openings is alsolimited. Individual offices may be the largestemployer of dental assistants collectively, butindividual firms will not rank among the topadvertising employers. Rather, employers whoposted the most ads online over the last 12months include major health and higher educationinstitutions. These include the New York CityHealth and Hospitals Corporation, ColumbiaUniversity, Lutheran Healthcare Group,Montefiore Medical Center and NYU LutheranMedical Center, to name a few.8Dental Assistant by the numbers:The median pay in NYC is 33,900.1There are 7,071 jobs in New York City.2Between 2012 and 2022, these jobs areprojected to grow by 19.2 percent.3 There were 343 job advertisements postedonline within the last 12 months.4 135 (39 percent) of these ads specifiededucation requirements. Of those thatdid, 2 percent asked for an associatedegree and 98 percent required a highschool diploma or vocational training.5 Top titles. Just one – Dental Assistant. Unlikeother fields of work where job titles may vary byemployer, this job title is largely embraced by theindustry. There may be areas of specialization, likean Orthodontic Assistant, but these are much lesscommon among online job postings.6Where do they work? More than four in five(83%) dental assistants work in dentists’ offices.About one in 20 (5.7%) find work through tempagencies, which likely place clients with dentists’offices. They also work in hospitals, doctors’offices, outpatient care centers and highereducation institutions, but these settings are muchless common.71“Dental Assistant,” SOC 31-9091, New York StateDepartment of Labor (NYSDOL), OccupationalEmployment Statistics (OES), 2015.2Dental Assistant, NYSDOL OES.3Dental Assistant, NYSDOL, Long-Term OccupationalEmployment Projections, New York City region, 20122022.What are some of the core functions of the joband how do they vary? Certified dental assistantsare licensed by the State to provide patienteducation, take patient medical histories andvitals, provide a limited range of clinical care (e.g.,placing and removing dental dams, orthodonticwires and ligatures, taking impressions, removestitches) and provide other dental supportiveservices. All of these services are performed whilethe supervising dentist is onsite. Dentists’ officesderive great value from certified dental assistantsbecause these staff are able to assist with bothclinical and administrative duties.Without certification, dental assistants may notperform patient services independently or anytasks that are within the scope of practice of any4Period ranges from April 19, 2015 to April, 2016.Geographic scope is confined to New York City’s fiveboroughs. Source: Burning Glass Technologies, LaborInsights.5Labor Insights.6Labor Insights.7NYSDOL, Staffing Patterns, 2015.8Labor Insights.The New York City Labor Market Information ServiceCenter for Urban Research CUNY Graduate Center 365 Fifth Avenue, Rm. 6202 New York, NY 10016212.817.2031 nyclmis@gc.cuny.edu www.gc.cuny.edu/lmis

A Profile on Jobs In Dental Assistinglicensed profession.9 However, unlicensed dentalassistants may support the dental health team inother ways, such as in preparing patients fortreatment, preparing instruments and other toolsto be used, decontaminating and sterilizinginstruments, keeping records of dentaltreatments, scheduling patient appointments andassisting with revenue management.What qualifications do they need?10Education and technical training. To become aCertified Dental Assistant, candidates mustcomplete a one-year, 24-credit Dental Assistingprogram approved by the State and then pass theCertified Dental Assistant (CDA) examadministered by the Dental Assisting NationalBoard (DANB). The exam tests radiation health andsafety, infection control and general chairsideassisting.Equivalent programs are also accepted by theState. These include one-year 24 semester-hourprograms from a degree-granting institution orBOCES program with instruction in biomedicalsciences, professional dental assisting content,clinical content, coursework in oral and writtencommunications and basic behavioral concepts,and at least 200 hours of clinical experience.11The State also accepts an alternative course ofstudy in dental assisting that includes courseworkin biomedical sciences, professional dentalassisting content and the clinical services contentareas; and at least 1,000 hours of relevant workexperience under a licensed dentist's directpersonal supervision.12Page 2permitted to practice as a Certified DentalAssistant for one year under a limited permit.There are dental assistant programs that are notapproved by New York State. People who graduatefrom these programs can still find work in thefield, but employers ultimately give preference tolicensed candidates since they are permitted abroader scope of practice. The same scenarioholds true for aspiring dental assistants that lackformal training.13Experience. Prior experience is preferred, but notrequired. For unlicensed dental assistants, it willhelp improve their ability to compete for work,plus it can help them work toward alternativelicensing requirements acceptable to the State.What other qualities do employers seek?14 Detail orientedDexterousStrong interpersonal skillsListening skillsOrganizational skillsWho enjoys working in dental assisting? Dentalassistants help patients achieve dental health andalleviate dental discomfort, which in turn willimprove their quality of life. Despite theseimportant benefits, it can be hard to motivatepatients to get the care they need because somepeople simply do not like to go to the dentist.To do this job well, dental assistants must possessa combination of technical and interpersonal skills.Dental assistants must be comfortable takingdirection, being a team player and following setPeople who have met the State’s educationalrequirements, but have not taken the exam, are9“Questions & Answers About Working as a DentalAssistant.” Dental Professions, New York State Office ofProfessions, New York State Department of st.htm10Payscale data and Table 1.11: Educational attainmentfor workers 25 years and older, U.S. DOL Bureau ofLabor Statistics, December 2015.SUMMER 201611“Education requirements.” Office of Professions, NewYork State Department of alic.htm12“Education requirements.” Office of Professions.13“Education requirements.” Office of Professions.14“Dental Assistants.” Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Outlook Handbook. Updated December2015. .htm#tab-4

A Profile on Jobs In Dental AssistingPage 3procedures and routines. They also preferpractical, hands-on work.dental assisting associate degree programregistered with the State.Dental assistants play a critical role in preparingpatients for procedures. This work would appealto people enjoy helping others. Many people arenervous going to the dentist, so the dentalassistant should be good at making people feel atease.The closest public institutions to offer Stateregistered dental assistant programs are in LongIsland and each is at least an hour’s drive fromKingsborough. Nassau County BOCES and SUNYStony Brook both offer non-credit bearingprograms.While there are many rewarding aspects to thejob, it is worth noting that this is not a job for thesqueamish. Given the nature of the work, dentalassistants must also be comfortable with whatsome in the industry term, “the ick factor” likeblood and unpleasant odors.Other public community colleges with Stateregistered dental assistant programs includeHudson Valley Community College in Troy (creditand non-credit bearing), SUNY Buffalo EducationalOpportunities Center (non-credit bearing),Monroe Community College (credit bearing andnon-credit bearing), and Niagara CountyCommunity College (credit-bearing).CUNY programs and degrees. Currently,Kingsborough Community College does not offer adental assisting program. Within the CUNY system,Lehman, Medgar Evers and York Colleges eachoffer a dental assisting certificate program, butnone are State-registered. For aspiring dentalhygienists, Hostos and City Tech both offerAssociate degree programs in dental hygiene (notdental assisting), and both are State-licensurequalifying.Regional capacity.15DENTAL ASSISTANT. There are 20 dental assistingprograms registered with the State. In New YorkCity, there are two dental assistant certificateprograms, one of which is credit-bearing. Both areoffered by private institutions (the Mandl Schooland the New York School for Medical and DentalAssisting). Access Careers also offers a certificateprogram in NYC, but it is not registered with theState. The St. Paul’s School of Nursing on StatenIsland, also a private institution, offers the only15This analysis is informed by the IntegratedPostsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Itconcerns postsecondary programs that activelyparticipated in federal student financial aid last year.Understanding there may be some relevant programsthat have since come online while others may haveFor details see the Appendix: Regional Programs and Offerings.DENTAL HYGIENIST. At the next level, there are sixassociate degree programs in dental hygiene. Eachis licensure-qualifying and four are offered bypublic institutions. Two of these are CUNYprograms (one with Hostos and the other with CityTech). Three others are located in Long Island(hosted by SUNY Farmingdale and BriarcliffCollege), and they are at least an hour drive fromKingsborough. NYU also offers this program, but itmay be inaccessible to students who are unable toafford a private school education.NYU and SUNY Farmingdale each offer bachelorprograms in dental hygiene. Dental hygienists donot need to pursue a bachelor-level education orbeyond unless they intend to work in research,teaching, or clinical practice in public or schoolhealth programs.16How to register a dental assistant programwith the State. In New York, the State Educationrecently closed, there may be other relevant offeringswithin CUNY that are omitted from this discussion.16“How to Become a Dental Hygienist.” BLSOccupational Outlook ygienists.htm#tab-4SUMMER 2016