Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Students must be formally admitted to the Dental Assisting program or have department permission to attend.

1. Recognize the proper uses, limitations, and characteristics of the dental materials used in the practice of general dentistry.
2. Apply knowledge of dental materials and safety principles in the laboratory setting.

DA 131:

1. Attendance
2. Laboratory projects
3. Comprehensive final exam

COURSE CONTENT:  COCEPTS, THEMES AND ISSUES:

• Safety in the laboratory, OHSA training in the handling of hazardous materials.
• Manipulation of alginate impression materials.
• Manipulation of gypsum products-plaster and stone.
• Manipulation of dental amalgam
• Manipulation of composite resins
• Manipulation of high performance elastomeric impression materials.
• manipulation of dental cements
• manipulation of dental acrylics.

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

1. Understand the concepts of laboratory safety and acquire the habits to ensure your safety and that of others working with you.
2. Describe and adhere to laboratory policies and safety standards.
3. Locate and identify all emergency and safety equipment available in the lab.
4. Locate, identify and operate all safety equipment in the lab.
5. Demonstrate work habits designed to promote a safe environment and prevent desease transmission in the laboratory.
6. Describe and demonstrate the use, manipulation and placement of dental amalgam on a typodont using a prep retention.
7. Recognize the characteristics of and demonstrate the mixing, handiling and placement of a variety of synthetic resins on a typodont using prep retention.
8. Describe the characteristics, handling and storage of alginate impression materials and demonstrate the procedures necessary to take an alginate impression.
9. Describe the characteristics of and demonstrate the mixing and handling of various high performance elastomeric impression materials.
10. Describe the characteristics, handling and manipulation of reversible hydorcolloid
11. Recognize the variety of gypsum products used in dentistry and demonstrate the use and manipulation of each.
12. Describe the characteristics of dental polymers and demonstrate the mixing and handling to fabricate a custom tray.
13. Describe the characteristics of dental cements and demonstrate the mixing and handling of various cements..