CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation)

Effective Winter Quarter 2025, RTC will no longer participate in the voluntary CODA accreditation process for the new Winter start in January 2025.

The incoming Fall 2024 cohort will move to a “teach-out” phase which will be complete in December 2025. The program will remain in full compliance with all CODA accreditation standards until that time. Successful students will be eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) examination(s).

The enrollment period for Fall has begun and we are now accepting students for this CODA accredited program. Please contact advising@rtc.edu.

The enrollment period for Winter begins in Fall 2024.

The entry points for the dental assistant program are in Fall & Winter quarters each year.

Due to the high demand for dental assistants and the need for shorter programs, the Administration and Faculty at RTC have decided to create a comprehensive dental assistant program which will enable successful students to be gainfully employed sooner.

RTC is committed to high quality, hands-on training and retaining experienced faculty and staff.

With over 33 years of experience in dental assistant accreditation and training, students can be confident they will receive the best dental assisting education and experience RTC has to offer. We will continue to provide hands-on experience in our community dental clinic and support students through a six-week internship in the 4^th quarter.

Employers can continue to depend on RTC to provide excellent, comprehensive training to interested students. Job placement from the RTC dental assistant program continues to be 100%.

Upon completion of program coursework, successful students will be eligible to take the National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA) Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) examination.

Third-Party Comments

This announcement is for soliciting third-party comments from students and patients that pertain to the standards of policies and procedures used in the Commission’s accreditation process.  Third-party comments are to be published at least 90 days prior to the site visit in April, 2019.  Any comments are due in the Commission’s office no later than 60 days prior to the site visit.  Comments must pertain only to the standards for the particular program or policies and procedures used in the Commission’s accreditation process.  Comments will be screened by the Commission staff for relevancy.  For comments not relevant to these issues, the individual will be notified that the comment is not related to accreditation, and, where appropriate, referred to the appropriate agency.  For those individuals who are interested in submitting comments, requests can be made to the Commission office for receiving standards and/or the Commission’s Evaluation Policies and Procedures.

A copy of the appropriate accreditation standards and/or the Commission’s policy on third-party comments may be obtained by contacting the Commission at the address below, or by calling 1.800.621.8099, extension 4653.

Third-Party Comments may be sent to:

Commission on Dental Accreditation
Division of the American Dental Association
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL  60611-2678

Site Visit Dates: April 24 & 25, 2019

To be admitted to the Dental Assistant Program, a prospective student must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum age: 18 years at time of enrollment
• High School Diploma/GED (or equivalent) at time of enrollment (Running Start high school students may apply)
• Directed Self Placement (DSP): COMP 100 or ENGL& 101
• English Fluency (verbal and written)

Upon invitation and acceptance to the Dental Assistant Program, students must provide confirmation of an account established with CastleBranch.com and pass a nationwide criminal background check (Crimes Against Persons list).

•  Castlebranch website
• Package code: RR67
• Cost: $113.99 (do not create an account prior to invitation and registration to the program)

Screening and Tracking Requirements

After invitation to the program, students must meet vaccination and program-specific health requirements in compliance with the Center for Disease Control Healthcare Provider immunization guidelines, including the submission of original lab results, x-ray reports and immunization records, which must be dated and signed by their healthcare provider.

Immunization Timeline Table

*Vaccinations must be current while on externships

• Annual Tuberculosis skin test
• Annual seasonal Influenza vaccine
• Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Tdap) vaccine within last 10 years
• Hepatitis B vaccine (series of three vaccines and immunity titer)
• Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine (two vaccines or proof of immunity titer)
• Varicella vaccine (two vaccines or proof of immunity titer)
• Annual background-check through CastleBranch.com
• Personal health insurance upon entry and for the duration of the program
• Current (within one year) physical evaluation by a physician or nurse practitioner to ensure student and patient safety. The evaluation should address the following areas in respect to the student's ability to perform the laboratory skills and clinical responsibilities related to becoming a Dental Assistant:
  • Ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds and to reach overhead
  • Ability to stand or walk for long periods

Are you new to health care? Please consider taking our Bridge to Health and Human Services class to help you set up for success! You will get an introduction to subjects taught in health care programs, learn about different medical careers, learn about background check and immunization requirements, as well as information about how to pay for the program and the steps to register. Check out the flyer. Email askccp@rtc.edu or talk to an entry advisor to register!