Dental Office Assistant

Hours: 150 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Open, Mentor Supported
Retail Price: $1,595.00

Course Overview:

The Dental Office Assistant course delivers all the latest information and skill practice you need to succeed in the paperless era: technology, forms, and equipment in use today; up-to-date coding information; HIPAA and OSHA guidelines; functions of the dental business office; communication and critical thinking exercises; and in-depth instruction for completing common tasks such as scheduling, bookkeeping, electronic record regulations and insurance coding.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • Identify good communication skills, telephone techniques, and methods for maintaining patient relations.
  • Comprehend the role of the dental office assistant within the Dental Healthcare Team.
  • Recognize the requirements for managing dental office systems and dental patient records.
  • Identify the steps for managing dental office finances including insurance processing, financial arrangements, and collection procedures.
  • Identify the steps for bookkeeping procedures including accounts receivable and accounts payable.

Course Outline:

Dental Office Assistant Module 1
Introduction to the Dental Profession
  • Orientation to the Dental Profession
  • Good Personality Traits
  • Education
  • Members of the Dental Healthcare Team
  • HIPPA
  • OSHA
  • Professional Ethics
  • Legal Standards
  • Patients’ Rights
  • Professional Organizations
  • Basic Dental Office Design
  • Dental Anatomy
  • Dental Numbering System
  • Charting Methods
  • Dental Procedures
  • Chairside Dental-Assisting Duties
  • Infection Control
Dental Office Assistant Module 2
Communication Skills in the Dental Office
  • Interpersonal and Communication Skills
  • Barriers to Effective Communication
  • Improving Communication
  • Telephone Techniques
  • Written Correspondence
  • Letter Writing Style
  • Patient Relations
  • Psychology and Positive Image
  • Problem Solving
  • Providing Outstanding Customer Service
  • Dental Healthcare Team Communications
  • Dental Practice Procedural Manual
  • Organizational Conflicts
  • Staff Meetings
Dental Office Assistant Module 3
Managing Dental Office Systems Part 1
  • Computerized Dental Practice
  • Selecting a Software Package
  • Basic Operations of a Software Package
  • Role of the Administrative Dental Assistant
  • Daily Procedures with a Computerized System
  • Patient Clinical Records
  • Electronic Clinical Records
  • Collecting Information
  • Clinical Records Risk Management
  • Information Management
  • Filing Methods
  • Filing Equipment and Supplies
  • Preparing the Clinical Record
  • Preparing Business Documents
Dental Office Assistant Module 4
Managing Dental Office Systems Part 2
  • Dental Patient Scheduling
  • Mechanics of Scheduling
  • The Art of Scheduling
  • Making Appointments
  • Time-Saving Functions
  • Recall Systems
  • Classification of Recalls
  • Methods for Recalling Patients
  • Inventory Management
  • Types of Supplies, Products, & Equipment
  • Selecting and Ordering Supplies, Products, & Equipment
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Dental Office Equipment
  • Electronic Business Equipment
  • Telecommunications
  • Intraoffice Communications
  • Office Machines
  • Business Office Environment
Dental Office Assistant Module 5
Financial Arrangements, Collection Procedures & Insurance
  • Designing a Financial Policy
  • Financial Policies
  • Financial Policy Communications
  • Managing Accounts Receivable
  • Types of Dental Insurance
  • Insurance Coding
  • Organizing Insurance Coverage
  • Types of Insurance Information Required
  • Methods of Filing Insurance Claims
  • Insurance Payments
  • Insurance Tracking Systems
  • Secondary Coverage
  • Government Assistance
  • Completing a Dental Claim Form
  • Fraudulent Insurance Billing
Dental Office Assistant Module 6
Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivable
  • Bookkeeping Procedures
  • Organizing an Accounts Payable System
  • Verification of Expenditures
  • Check Writing
  • Reconciling a Bank Statement
  • Payroll
  • Payroll Services
  • Financial Records Organization
  • Billing
  • Managing Patient Transactions
  • Reports
  • Employment Strategies
  • Managing Your Career
  • Future Career Opportunities
  • Assessing Yourself and Your Career

All necessary materials are included.


System Requirements:

System Requirements:

Internet Connectivity Requirements:
  • Cable and DSL internet connections are recommended for the best experience.
Hardware Requirements:
  • CPU: 1 GHz or higher
  • RAM: 2 GB or higher
  • Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher
  • Speakers / Headphones
  • Microphone (Webinar / Live Online sessions)
Operating System Requirements:
  • Microsoft Windows 7 or 10 (Home, Pro)
  • Mac OSX 10 or higher.
  • Latest Chrome OS
  • Latest Linux Distributions

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:
  • Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
  • Latest Mozilla FireFox
  • Latest Microsoft Edge
  • Latest Apple Safari
Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):
  • Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
  • PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
  • Courses may require other software that is denoted in the above course outline.


** The course outlines displayed on this website are subject to change at any time without prior notice. **