WARREN — The Northern Pennsylvania Regional College, in partnership with the Potter County Education Council (PCEC) and the Community Education Center of Elk and Cameron Counties (CEC), is offering a Dental Assisting course.

The 60-hour program prepares students for entry level positions in one of the fastest growing health care positions – Dental Assisting. The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with all areas of pre-clinical dental assisting and provide training in the professional skills required to function as an assistant in the dental practice.

This course covers these key areas and topics: Administrative Aspects — The history of dentistry and dental assisting; introduction to the dental office; the legal aspects of dentistry; policies and guidelines. Clinical Aspects — Introduction to oral anatomy; dental operatory; dental equipment; introduction to tooth structure; primary and permanent teeth; the oral cavity and related structures; proper patient positioning; dental hand-pieces; sterilization and other areas.

This course will meet at the PCEC’s Port Allegany office at 219 Edison Bates Drive, Port Allegany, for live instruction and at the CEC office at 4 Erie Avenue, St. Marys, for interactive video conferencing from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 26 through Dec. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. This course is also ideal for students interested in pursuing a future as a Dental Hygienist.

All students are required to attend at the Port Allegany location on Tuesday, Nov. 30. The cost of the program is $1,699 per person and includes 60 instructional hours plus a required 40-hour internship.

There are a limited number of scholarships available for eligible students. For more information about scholarships, contact Kristie Bennardi at kriben@keystoneruralhealth.com.

This program meets the necessary requirements to take the Dental Assisting National Board Radiation Health and Safety Examination. The DANB Radiation Health and Safety exam fee is included in the cost of tuition. Students can sit for the exam upon successful completion of the course and with instructor recommendation.

Students need to be a high school graduate or GED holder and 18 years old prior to taking the certification exam. The registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 25.

To register for the Dental Assisting Program or for more information call the Northern Pennsylvania Regional College’s Workforce Development Office at (844) 350-7729 or email workforcedev@rrcnpa.org.