Want to take on more clinical responsibility? The Dental Restorative Functions Endorsement is a great way to add a new dimension to your dental career.
The job
When you receive your Dental Restorative Functions Endorsement in Oregon, you are able to place, finish, and polish amalgam and composite restorations with clinical competency.
The program
Dental Restorative Functions Endorsement is an introduction to the study of the materials used in restorative dentistry, including amalgam and composite. Laboratory and patient care activities are designed to reinforce course content and to prepare the student to take the WREB restorative exam. Participants will learn restorative techniques on WREB-approved Dentoforms and provide a variety of restorative experiences on patients at a competent skill level under the indirect supervision of clinic faculty. Completion of the course allows participants to take the Western Regional Examining Board Restorative Exam. PCC’s course curriculum has been approved by the Oregon Board of Dentistry.
Requirements
Students must have a license to practice dental hygiene in Oregon or Washington; or must have a current EFDA certificate.
The investment
This course exceeds the hours required by the Oregon Board of Dentistry and consists of 18 hours of didactic (16 online, 2 in person), 40 hours of lab, and 24 hours of patient experience.
Didactic information will be accessed through Desire2Learn, an online method to deliver education. Additional literature, assignments, and quizzes are used outside the classroom to enhance course materials; PowerPoint handouts and other course materials will be posted online.
The “lecture” portion of the course is 16 hours completed online in the comfort of your home prior to the face-to-face lab. The face-to-face portion of the course is a total of 8 days, 8 hours per day with a lunch break. To accommodate working professionals, the course is held over a series of weekends (Saturdays and/or Sundays). We have found this format allows participants the greatest opportunity to practice their skills outside of the course time improving their ability to pass the WREB exam. However, to complete the course you must attend all face-to-face labs.
Before the hands-on portion of the course begins, participants are required to complete online learning modules covering dental material and restorative concepts and pass the quizzes at 75%. The first four days of the hands-on portion of the course will be labs where participants will learn on dentoform, followed by three days of patient care. The final day will be a Mock Board Examination to prepare participants for the WREB exam.
Registration usually opens a few weeks before the class begins. Please check the Health Topics page, click on Dental Health Education, then follow the link for the Dental Restorative 80-hour program for current information. If information is not yet posted, you may contact Stacy Kimsey, there is a link on the page for her information. To register, contact the Registration Office at 971-722-8888 and select option #2 to enroll as a non-credit student.
Yes, as part of the course fee, prepared dentoform restorations are provided for participants to practice with during lab. If participants would like to practice outside of lab hours, they will need to purchase their own prepped teeth and related materials.
While there is no final exam for completing the course, there are quizzes in the online portion of the course that participants are required to pass before beginning the clinical portion of the course. Participants are also evaluated on the restorations they complete on both dentoforms and patients as part of their learning.
Please bring a copy of your Dental Hygiene License or EFDA certificate – this is required for you to treat patients. Participants may bring to labs any reference materials, drawings, or notes from the online portion of the course. A clean lab coat, eye protection or loupes, and clinic-appropriate shoes are required at all times. PPE in the form of masks and nitrile gloves is provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own if they require special brands.
While we provide sets of instruments for use during the course, we encourage participants to bring instruments that they plan to take their board exam with so they are accustomed to working with them. High-speed and slow-speed handpieces are available for use during labs and patient care if participants do not have their own.
The Western Regional Examining Board (WREB) requires the Acadental ModuPro ® One dentoform for their Restorative Exam. Participants will need to purchase this dentoform and bring it to the first day of class. This model can be purchased at acadental.com. Previous participants have purchased additional teeth for practicing outside of the course time as well as additional “virgin” teeth for their exam. This will be discussed further during the course. Participants are encouraged to purchase an extra set of gums for their board exam.
Yes, part of the course is direct patient care in coordination with a clinical dentist. Participants will assist each other and the dentist during restorative procedures as well as place amalgam and/or composite restorations on patients.
The course will teach all the skills participants need to be successful at the WREB exam. However, due to the complex nature of the skill being learned, participants are strongly encouraged to find time outside of the course to practice their skills.
No, WREB charges their own fee to take the Restorative exam that is paid directly to them when participants register for an exam. Visit wreb.org and click on Hygiene Exams (even if you’re an EFDA) for more information on the restorative exam.
Since the course was re-started in the fall of 2014, 84% of participants have passed their WREB exam. The national WREB passing average in 2016 was 89%.
There are several hotels nearby, Comfort Suites is around the corner from the college. To review all of your options, the physical address of the college is 12000 SW 49 Ave., Portland Oregon.
It is recommended that you check your email regularly after registering for the course to ensure you receive any pertinent information pertaining to the course. Again, you must bring a copy of your Dental Hygiene License or your Expanded Functions Dental Assistant certificate to the first day of class.
Online: Visit the Continuing Education registration page. If this is your first time registering, create an account. If you are a returning student, click on “Register in MyPCC”.
