• Several universities teach students how to become expanded function dental assistants.Dentist at work in dental room image by Vladimir Melnik from Fotolia.com
  
  Dental assistants help dentists with oral care procedures and typically complete on-the-job training, one-year diploma programs or two-year associate degree programs. Expanded function dental assistants are legally able to perform a wider scope of clinical duties after completing continuing education courses. Employment of these professionals is projected to increase 36 percent through 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Expanded function dental assistants in 2010 earned between $28,976 and $40,542, reports Payscale.com. Several universities offer programs for an expanded function dental assistant.
  
  

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

• Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis offers an expanded functions for dental auxiliaries certification program that provides 52 hours of instruction. Students must be employed and have a certified dental assistant degree, be a dental assistant with at least two years of hands-on experience or be a board-certified dental hygienist. Students in the program learn about rubber dam techniques, dental terminology, anatomy, resin restorative placement techniques, amalgam restorative techniques and matrix techniques. Between eight-hour classes held every other Saturday, students must be able to practice these skills in their offices of employment. Students also are graded on exams.
  
  Indiana University School of Dentistry
  Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
  1121 W. Michigan St.
  Indianapolis, IN 46202
  317-274-7957
  iusd.iupui.edu
  
  

University of Florida

• The University of Florida College of Dentistry in Gainesville, Florida, offers an expanded functions for dental auxiliaries certification course. Students in the course must have at least one year of experience as a general practice chair-side dental assistant or hygienist. Students must demonstrate their competency with various procedures and complete written tests. The program teaches students how to take impressions for study models, place and remove rubber dams, place and remove periodontal dressings, apply fluoride and remove sutures. Other expanded functions include placing provisional restorations, placing bases and liners, packing and removing retraction cord, polishing clinical crowns, and obtaining cytological specimens. The program is 36 hours and includes instruction from Friday to Sunday.
  
  University of Florida
  College of Dentistry
  1600 SW. Archer Road
  Gainesville, FL 32610
  352-273-5251
  dental.ufl.edu
  
  

University of Tennessee

• The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis offers both a restorative and prosthetic course that teach expanded functions for dental auxiliaries. The 96-hour restorative course consists of three weekly sessions, while the prosthetic course features two weekly sessions. The restorative course teaches students how to place amalgam, glass ionomer and composite resin restorations in teeth prepared by a dentist. The prosthetic course teaches students how to pack retraction cord, fabricate/place provisional restorations and obtain impressions for fixed and removable prosthetic appliances. Only licensed dental hygienists or registered dental assistants with at least two years of full-time experience can complete the courses.
  
  University of Tennessee
  Health Science Center
  920 Madison Ave.
  Memphis, TN 38163
  901-448-5500
  uthsc.edu/dentistry