Program Overview

Pre-Tertiary Certificate in Dental Surgery Assistance

The Pre-Tertiary Certificate in Dental Surgery Assistance is a one-year course that provides students with thorough theoretical knowledge, skills, and competences associated with knowledgeable, caring, and professional behavior in a variety of health settings where the dental team operates.

Course Overview

The course consists of two parts, each of a year's duration; the Pre-tertiary Certificate and the Diploma Course, provided students successfully complete the former. The course aims to deliver the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge underpinning the practice of dental assistance.

Course Objectives

The objectives of this course are to:

• Deliver the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge underpinning the practice of dental assistance
• Provide a sufficient body of knowledge to enable students to undertake their prescribed work with care, safety, and responsibility
• Recognize the full scope of their remit

Eligibility

Eligibility to the Diploma course is through:

• The successful completion of the Pre-tertiary Certificate for Diploma in Dental Surgery Assistance
• Evidence of DSA qualifications

Admission Criteria

General Entry Requirements:

• Refer to the list of country-specific qualifications Special Course Requirements:
• Either:
  • Passes in the Secondary Education Certificate Examination at Grade 5 or better in the following:
    • Any TWO subjects from English Language, Mathematics, or Maltese
    • Any ONE subject from Chemistry or Biology
    • Any other subject
• Or:
  • The MCAST Diploma in Applied Science
  • The MCAST-BTEC Diploma in Health and Social Care

Tuition Fees

• Fee per academic year for non-EU applicants: Eur 10,800

Career Opportunities

As a graduate in this course, students will have career opportunities within the private sector and in the government health services. If students are in possession of a Diploma in Dental Surgery Assistance (Second Class or better), they will be able to progress to the Bachelor courses offered by the Faculty of Dental Surgery.

Program Structure

The course is structured into two semesters, with compulsory units in each semester. The units include:

Semester 1

• DSG0002: Introduction to Dentistry - The Role of Dental Assistant
• DSG0003: Clinical Orientation for Dental Assistants
• ORC0001: Public Health - The Role of the Dental Surgery Assistant in Health Promotion
• RDN0001: An Introduction to Dental Instruments and Equipment
• COU0901: Basic Communication Skills for Dental Surgery Assistants
• DNS0001: An Introduction to Human Biology and Anatomy
• DNS0002: Anatomy and Physiology of the Oral Cavity
• LIN1063: Academic Reading and Writing in English
• ORC0002: Health, Safety and Infection Control for Dental Surgery Assistants

Semester 2

• DNS0003: Clinical Medical Sciences for Dental Assistants
• LIN1065: Academic Speaking in English
• ORC0003: Clinical Ethics
• PHB0305: Introduction to Dental Biochemistry and Cell Physiology
• RDN0002: Dental Materials

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program of study, students will be able to:

• Describe the basic principles of oral/general health and disease, and demonstrate the importance of public health and oral health education
• Safeguard patients' legal and ethical rights in a clinical and community-based setting, using legal and ethically acceptable policies
• Ensure health and safety precautions of patients in clinical settings using clinically acceptable policies
• Assist as part of a dental team in clinical procedures associated with treatment of dental disease
• Perform instrument/equipment sterilization techniques and educate patients on basic oral prophylaxis techniques
• Report basic clinical data of patients in treatment records, as instructed by dental clinicians, by using clinically acceptable indices