DENTAL SURGERY ASSISTANT

PROGRAMME INTRODUCTION

The Dental Surgery Assistant Certificate Programme has been designed to train students to become efficient and knowledgeable up-to-date clinical assistants to dental practitioners either in the private or public sector. Dental Surgery Assistants have become an integral part of the dental practices and they have contributed greatly to the efficiency and productivity of the dental practices.

MESSAGE FROM PROGRAMME HEAD

It is my pleasure to inform you that the Ministry of Higher Education has allowed us at Windfield International College to run a Dental Surgery Assistant Programme from August 2009. The programme has an approval code number of KA 8244. Dental Surgery Assistants (DSA) are a group of Health auxiliaries whose functions are to assist the dental practitioners when these professionals are treating patients in the dental surgeries. As such DSA have to be conversant and knowledgeable about the procedures under taken by the clinicians. These DSAs have become the other pair of hands to the professionals : thus the term 4-handed dentistry.

Traditionally DSAs have undergone on-the-job training but because of pressure of work practitioners do not have enough time to train these clinical assistants. Now these auxiliaries are following two-year training (theory and practical). There is a clause in the new Hospital Act that stipulates that it will become compulsory for dental clinical assistants to undergo a structured and formalized training. We have pre-empted this and started the DSA training programme. If you are interested in being DSAs, browse deeper into our website.

There are job opportunities. Every year about 600 students graduate from the Dental Faculties to become registered dental practitioners. A big number will go into the private sector setting up their own practices. These graduates need trained DSAs to work in their clinics. They will be looking for already trained DSAs to help them.

If you want to be trained as DSAs do communicate with us. Our first batch of students are already doing their practical attachment at Dental Faculty University Science Kubang Kerian and will be graduating in August 2011.