Dental Assisting

The Foothill College Dental Assisting Program is accredited by the American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation, hereafter referred to as "the Commission." The Commission is a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the Council on Post secondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. The Commission conducts the accreditation and site visit process and recommends re-accreditation. The most recent accreditation took place for the Foothill Dental Assisting Program in June of 2018.

The minimum qualifications are:

• a high school graduation/diploma or equivalent i.e. GED certificate.
• minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0
• compliance with the technical standards

The Foothill College Dental Assisting Program is a Board-approved Registered Dental Assistant Program. You need to provide evidence that you have graduated from a Board-approved registered dental assisting educational program by submitting one the following items:

• A copy of the diploma or certificate of completion issued to you by the Board-approved program.

• A letter signed by the program director, on school letterhead, that includes the name of the student, course title or program, date of graduation, and signature of school official. The letter must have a digital signature or stamped seal.

• A completed Certification of Board Approved Registered Dental Assisting Program Completion (RDA) form. The form must include a written or digital signature and must have a school stamp or a school seal. 

For more information, please visit the Dental Board of California website:

https://www.dbc.ca.gov/applicants/become_licensed_rda.shtml

You will be required to work in a dental office as part of your training. Students work one day a week as a dental assistant in Fall quarter. In Winter quarter, the students work two days a week as a dental assistant at the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry. In Spring quarter, the students work two days a week as a dental assisting "intern" in a general dental office or in a specialty dental office. This is an unpaid internship required to maintain our accreditation.

Although the program prepares our graduates for seeking jobs i.e. resume writing, front and back office training, etc., we have found that it is not necessary to assist students with finding jobs. The Foothill College Dental Assisting program has an excellent reputation in the dental community, and our students do not have trouble finding job opportunities. In fact, many students are offered jobs while they are still in the program, either at the dental school rotation or in their "internship" rotation. Graduates and students can access the Job Posting Board on this website.

 For information on financial assistance, scholarship and grants, contact the Foothill College Financial Aid Office or see the Online Financial Aid Guide.

Contact Foothill College Admissions and Records or see the Online Registration Information.

Click below link  for all California approved RDA (Registered Dental Assisting) program pass rates.

https://www.dbc.ca.gov/applicants/rda_exam_stats.shtml