With the national increase in healthcare-related services, the need for dental assistants is growing substantially. A career in dental assisting ranks as the fourth fastest growing occupation in the healthcare technician field.

UNH Professional Development & Training has launched a new Dental Assistant program to teach students all areas of administrative and clinical dental assisting, focusing on the responsibilities required to function as an assistant in a dental practice.

This course will cover key areas and topics including introduction oral anatomy, dental operatory, dental equipment, tooth structure including primary and permanent teeth, the oral cavity and related structures, dental hand-pieces, sterilization, and other areas.

Instructor Lou Ann Grant is a Certified Dental Assistant and has been employed in the dental field for over 17 years. Her career includes general dentistry as well as specialty practices in periodontics and oral surgery.

The program runs Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 1 through July 27 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at 231 Corporate Drive in Portsmouth on the Pease Tradeport. The100-hour program is 60 hours of classroom course contact and 40 hours of clinical externship (optional) including help with placement for externship. The $1,999 tuition fee includes all textbooks and materials. For more information, visit training.unh.edu/dentalassistant or call (603) 862-7380.