Allied Dental Programs

Dental Assisting - Indianapolis

Overview

Indiana University’s Indianapolis-based dental assisting program is one year in length (two semesters) and is composed of 15 mandatory courses encompassing approximately 1,000 hours of lecture, laboratory, and clinical instruction. Students who successfully complete the program receive a certificate and are eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board Examination.

Applicants may choose between two types of programs to earn a certificate in dental assisting: a traditional full-time on-campus program in which students receive all of their training at the School of Dentistry, or a full-time distance-learning program in which students complete most of their nonclinical courses online while receiving clinical experience in community dental offices.

Graduates can continue their education at IUPUI by pursuing one of four bachelor's degrees that accept the dental assisting course credits. Contact the Dental Assisting Office for more information.

Distance Learning Program

The IU School of Dentistry distance-learning dental assisting program was established in 2007 as an alternative to the campus program to help make a dental assisting education more accessible to candidates who are not conveniently located near campus or who are trying to obtain a college education while managing full-time work and/or family responsibilities.

This program is the first to be offered in Indiana and one of only a very few in the United States. Like all of the School of Dentistry’s other programs, it is fully accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. Enrollment is currently limited to 12 students per year.

The program uses Indiana University’s online course management system to teach nonclinical subjects, and students may access the courses at a time that is convenient to them. Students should anticipate devoting about two hours a day to their online studies, which will include reading, writing, and video assignments.

Students must also spend at least one or two Saturdays a month throughout the school year on site at the dental school to complete laboratory assignments and take examinations.

Clinical training is provided primarily in the second semester by a sponsoring general dentist of the student’s choice. Students will receive a minimum of 300 clock hours of clinical practice.

While every attempt is made to provide accurate and current information in this bulletin, Indiana University reserves the right to change without notice statements in the bulletin series concerning rules, policies, fees, curricula, courses, or other matters.