4303 Diamond Head Road Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 734-9260
Tuition & Fees : $5,383
Trade Category :
Healthcare / Dental Care
Program Type :
Trade Program
Trade School :
Kapi'olani Community College
Purpose of Program : Leads to Employment
Program Length : CA: 28 credits - 2 semesters; CO: 15 credits - 1 semester
*Covid-19 Updates*
All information sessions will be held on Zoom. Courses will be a combination of online and in-person instruction.
For up-to-date information, please click here for the Campus Status of Kapi‘olani Community College or here for the updates from the University of Hawai‘i Covid-19 page.
(Click the roadmap to enlarge)
The Dental Assisting program (DENT) offered at Kapi‘olani Community College (KCC) leads to employment as a dental assistant. KCC offers two Dental Assisting certificates, the Certificate of Competence (CO) and the Certificate of Achievement (CA).
Certificate of Competence (CO)
All students will begin the program by first pursuing the Certificate of Competence. It is a 15-credit program that is usually completed in one semester, typically the Fall semester. The program is designed to prepare students for entry-level employment.
Certificate of Achievement (CA)
Students can choose to continue in the Dental Assisting program by pursing the Certificate of Achievement. The CA has an additional 13 credits making it a 28-credit program. It is usually completed in the Spring semester. The benefit of pursing the Certificate of Achievement is that students who complete the program are immediately eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board Examination (DANB) and become Certified Dental Assistants (CDA). This program is also designed to prepare students for entry-level employment as a dental assistant. The State of Hawai‘i does not currently require dental assistants to be certified, though it is a requirement for 38 states in the U.S.
Admissions Process
The application period for Fall Admission will be December 1- June 30.
There are several steps to the Dental Assisting admissions process and you can begin some of the steps before the next application period begins.
- Attend Mandatory Information Session
- All sessions will be held on Zoom due to Covid-19.
- For the dates of the information sessions, please go to the Dental Assisting website and click on the DENT Admissions and Advising link or click on Information Session Schedule to go directly to the pdf.
- Seek Advising with Health Careers Counselors
- In-person counseling is currently suspended. Phone or Zoom appointments can be scheduled by calling the Health Careers Counseling Center at (808) 734-9224 or emailing them at hlthsci@hawaii.edu.
- Take the ACCUPLACER WriterPlacer Placement Test
- You must receive a score of 5 or higher or qualification of ENG 100.
- Apply to the Dental Assisting Program
- Previously, all applications had to be submitted in person to the Health Career Counseling Center. But due to Covid-19, applications must now be submitted via UH File Drop.
- Find the application by going to the Dental Assisting website and clicking on the DENT Application link or by clicking on Dental Assisting Application to go directly to the pdf.
Accreditation
The Dental Assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). CODA is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE).
Kapi‘olani Community College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) which is a regional accrediting commission. The ACCJC is accredited by both the USDE and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
