Trade Schools
If you want to start a career as an assistant to a dentist, this page is for you.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pennsylvania dental assistants earned $47,470 on average.
To prepare for a career in this profession, you have to learn how to complete tasks such as:
- Ensuring patients are comfortable in the dental chair
- Preparing patients
- Greeting patients
- Scheduling appointments
- Keeping patient records
- Assisting dentists during a variety of dental procedures
- Obtaining vital signs
- Taking dental radiographs
- Teaching patients about appropriate oral hygiene strategies
- And more
Some programs combine self-paced online training with hands-on experiences, to allow students to keep a full-time job while preparing for a new career.
To help you choose the program and the format that best meets your learning style and career aspirations, on this page, we have compiled information about the best dental assistant schools in the state of Pennsylvania.
1Cornerstone Dental Assistant Academy
Cornerstone Dental Assistant Academy prepares students for careers as dental assistants in as few as 13 weeks.
The course is held in a practicing dental office.
Classes are held every Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The curriculum is taught through classroom lectures and hands-on training.
During weeks 6-12, students are required to complete a 60-hour externship.
Cornerstone Dental Assistant Academy, LLC is licensed by the PA State Board of Private Licensed Schools.
Courses Offered
Students learn skills such as:
- 3D scanning
- Proper charting
- Dental terminology
- Infection control and sterilization
- Preparing the dental operatory for dental procedures
- Identifying dental instrumentation
- Performing dental radiographs
- Patient education and home care
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 36 N Main Street Washington, PA15301
- Phone: 412-779-2843
- Website: https://www.cornerstonedentalassistantacad.com
2Lehigh Valley School of Dental Assisting
Lehigh Valley School of Dental Assisting offers lectures, labs, and dental treatment areas to allow students to have the ultimate learning experience.
The program includes hands-on training.
The school’s state-of-the-art facility includes a fully functional dental studio, a dental lab, and a dedicated sterilization area directly on site.
Courses Offered
The curriculum includes the following classes:
- Initial Clinical Orientation
- Dental Anatomy & Physiology
- Dental Charting
- Sterilization & Infection Control
- Dental X-Ray Techniques
- Instrumentation
- Dental Materials
- Advanced Clinical Procedures
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 881 3rd Street, Suite A-3, Whitehall, PA 18052
- Phone: 610-266-9550
- Website: https://www.learndentalassisting.net
3Contemporary Health Career Institute
Contemporary Health Career Institute offers a Dental Assisting program designed to prepare students for a new career in just 10 weeks.
The 80-hour training program is $2,895 which includes a $150 registration fee, textbooks, and all necessary supplies.
Contemporary Health Career Institute is licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools.
Courses Offered
The curriculum includes courses such as:
- Intro to Dentistry & Assisting
- Assisting with Operative Dentistry
- Basic Assisting Needs
- Assisting for Prosthodontics
- Radiology
- Dental Specialties
- And more
Students learn a variety of skills, including:
- Defining key terms and describing the use of dental imaging
- Explaining what happens during ionization
- Discussing the risks versus the benefits of dental imaging
- Understanding proper patient preparation
- Explaining infection control requirements
- Describing the components of a quality assurance program
- Properly describing the procedure for exposing and developing digital and traditional radiographs
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 101 John Robert Thomas Drive, Exton, PA 19341
- Phone: 610-363-9170
- Website: https://www.chcicareer.com
4Smile Systems School
Smile Systems School offers its students the opportunity to train in the latest technology, hands-on learning, and externship opportunities in one of 14 practices in the Bucks/Montgomery/Philadelphia areas.
Students receive professional training in just 13 weeks: two days per week of lectures and labs.
They also gain 50 hours of dental assistant externship opportunities with a practicing dentist.
The school provides students the opportunity to participate in externships throughout the training.
Classes are taught by passionate and experienced Certified Dental Assistants/Expanded Functions Dental Assistants/ Dental Hygienists.
Students receive preparation for the Radiation and Health and Safety certification test.
Courses Offered
They learn a variety of skills, including:
- Assisting the dentist during a variety of treatment procedures
- Taking and developing dental radiographs
- Asking about the patient’s medical history and taking blood pressure and pulse
- Helping patients feel comfortable before, after, and during treatment
- Taking impressions of patient’s teeth for study casts
- Helping dentists provide direct patient care
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 575 Horsham Road, Suite B12, Horsham PA 19044
- Phone: 888-551-9369
- Website: http://www.smilesystems.org
5Shark Dental Academy
About the School
Shark Dental Academy is a hands-on dental assistant school.
The school is located in a dental office.
Students learn from real dental assistants, dental receptionists, and dentists on real patients.
The school has a 100% graduation rate and 90% employment rate.
Classes are limited to 4-6 people.
Courses Offered
The program covers skills such as:
- Assisting with dental procedures
- Taking and pouring dental impressions
- Preparing patients for surgery
- Operating equipment and monitors
- Talking with patients
- Cleaning up after procedures
- Sterilizing equipment
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: Old York Rd. Abington, PA 19001
- Phone: (215) 583-0057
- Website: https://sharkdentalacademy.com
6Coys Dental Academy
About the School
Coys Dental Academy is a trade school that teaches students dental assistant skills.
The course available at the academy is 12 weeks long and is available in a blended format course that is lecture-based.
Students may complete the lecture portion of the course material on their own time.
They report to the facility three days per week for 12 weeks.
After completing the 12-week program, students begin the hands-on portion of the program.
They are required to complete a 150-hour externship with a licensed Pennsylvania dentist.
After completing the 12-week course and the 150-hour externship, students receive two Dental Assisting National Board State Certifications for Dental Assisting at no additional cost.
Contact Information
- Address: 100 E Penn Square, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19107
- Phone: 215-715-0701
- Website: https://coysdentalacademy.wixsite.com
7HACC
HACC became the first community college in Pennsylvania in 1964.
The college offers more than 100 programs across its five campuses and online.
HACC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Courses Offered
The Dental Assisting Certificate program at HACC can be completed in one year and prepares students to perform tasks such as:
- Assisting the dentist with a variety of treatment procedures
- Taking dental radiographs
- Developing infection control protocol
- Helping patients feel comfortable
- Providing patients with instructions after dental procedures
- Teaching appropriate oral hygiene strategies to patients
- Taking impressions of patient’s teeth for study casts
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: One HACC Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17110
- Phone: 800-ABC-HACC
- Website: https://www.hacc.edu
8Manor College
About the School
Manor College is a private Associate’s, and Bachelor’s degree-granting institution.
The college offers highly competitive, career-advanced programs.
Manor College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
The college provides a dental assisting program that is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
Manor College offers a Dental Hygiene program that specializes students in preventive oral care.
The curriculum includes courses such as:
- Preventive Oral Health Care
- Dental Materials
- Dental Anatomy
- Oral Pathology
- Medical Emergencies
- Head and Neck Anatomy
- Local Anesthesia
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 700 Fox Chase Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046
- Phone: (215) 885-2360
- Website: https://manor.edu
9Fortis Institute
About the School
Fortis Institute offers a Dental Assisting program in Wayne, New Jersey.
This program helps students acquire the skills and knowledge they need to demonstrate the competency required for licensing and getting started on a new career.
After completing the program, students are awarded a diploma and should be prepared for entry-level employment opportunities as dental assistants.
Students prepare for a variety of patient care, office, and laboratory duties.
The program provides students with hands-on strategies and techniques to work in the treatment or operation room directly with the dentist.
Trainees are shown how to work chair-side as dentists examine and treat patients, as well as dental specialty practices.
Contact Information
- Address: 201 Willowbrook Blvd, Wayne, NJ 07470
- Phone: (973) 837-1818
- Website: https://www.fortis.edu
10Harmony Dental Assisting School
About the School
Harmony Dental Assisting School helps students start a new career in just 13 weeks.
The course consists of 281 hours of lecture and lab.
The program includes lectures on the fundamentals of general dentistry and the basic skills, knowledge, and technical proficiency necessary to assist the dentist in the various operative procedures performed in a dental clinic.
The hours are as follows:
- Online Lecture Series Completed by Students: 25 hours
- Weekly in-person lab sessions: 56 hours
- Externship in an approved dental office: 200 hours
Contact Information
- Address: 250 N. Reading Rd., Ephrata, PA 17522
- Phone: (717) 466-6655
- Website: https://harmonydentalassistingschool.com
Regional Salary in Pennsylvania
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 980 | $47,410 | $22.79 | $56,840 | $34,670 |
| Altoona, PA | 80 | $43,360 | $20.85 | $49,800 | $35,610 |
| Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA | 80 | $45,280 | $21.77 | $57,910 | $36,240 |
| Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA | 120 | $45,880 | $22.06 | $62,350 | $37,240 |
| East Stroudsburg, PA | 100 | $44,890 | $21.58 | $60,080 | $36,760 |
| Erie, PA | 170 | $42,790 | $20.57 | $56,500 | $35,960 |
| Gettysburg, PA | 50 | $43,820 | $21.07 | $61,270 | $36,110 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 550 | $47,490 | $22.83 | $60,170 | $37,390 |
| Johnstown, PA | 90 | $40,640 | $19.54 | $45,450 | $35,590 |
| Lancaster, PA | 560 | $47,890 | $23.02 | $61,400 | $37,390 |
| Lebanon, PA | 70 | $46,030 | $22.13 | $56,140 | $36,610 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 5,580 | $49,400 | $23.75 | $57,320 | $35,860 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 1,710 | $47,350 | $22.76 | $61,190 | $37,050 |
| Reading, PA | 350 | $47,170 | $22.68 | $61,190 | $38,830 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA | 340 | $44,970 | $21.62 | $55,120 | $36,670 |
| State College, PA | 150 | $45,040 | $21.65 | $56,670 | $37,170 |
| Williamsport, PA | 70 | $43,710 | $21.01 | $49,700 | $35,820 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 280 | $45,700 | $21.97 | $64,390 | $35,580 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Final Thoughts
Pennsylvania is home to many schools that can prepare you for a dental assistant profession in only a few months.
Program costs and duration vary depending on the school.
Now that you have read our selection of the best training options available in your state, it’s time to continue the research and choose the program that best meets your needs.
