What’s the Best Dental Assistant School in Central Florida?
Are you ready to attend the best dental assistant school in central Florida? Before deciding where to go, you should know about the best programs available in the area.
Below we compare the Greater Orlando Dental Assisting School, LLC, Florida Dental Assistant Training Schools, and the Dental Assisting Academy of Central Florida.
Greater Orlando Dental Assisting School, LLC
GODAS is a dental assistant school in central Florida offering a dual-teaching environment of classroom lectures and hands-on training. The program only takes ten Saturdays from 8:00 am-5:00 pm to complete.
Students clock in 38 hours in Theory, 42 in the Lab, and 32 in an Externship at a dental office after hours in Fruitland Park. All students also must complete a minimum of a 32-hour internship within four months from completing the course to graduate. GODAS can help find an office for your internship, or you can choose your own with the school’s approval.
Tuition is $2,500, including all required materials.
The program includes training in:
- Theory and terminology
- Four-handed assisting
- Radiology
- Impressions and model trimming
- Sterilization techniques
- Job interview techniques and externship
See this page for more information on schools in Orlando.
Florida Dental Assistant Training Schools
The FLDATS in Winter Springs offers eight terms of training throughout the year, with each term running 12 weeks.
Classes are held once a week on Saturdays from 8:00 am-5:00 pm or Monday and Wednesday from 6:00 pm-10:00 pm.
The program totals 176 hours:
- 36 Theory hours
- 60 Lab hours
- 80 Externship hours
Tuition is $4,400, including all required books and supplies.
Credentials upon program completion are:
- Expanded Functions Dental Assistant Certificate—awarded after achieving 75% or higher in the program and the written and clinical exam
- Radiology Certificate—awarded after completing course work and exam with a 75% or higher and spending three months under the supervision of a licensed dentist
Dental Assisting Academy of Central Florida
Located right outside of Universal Studios in downtown Orlando, this accelerated program covers 16 lectures and labs in just ten weeks.
Class sizes are limited to ten students, with lectures, labs, and hands-on training in Dr. Gabriel Sangalang’s office. This program offers flexible scheduling, including online and night classes.
The tuition is all-inclusive, totaling under $4,000.
The DAACF offers hands-on training to prepare students for a future in the career field, with education in all required areas, including:
- Infection control
- Radiography
- Dentition
- Oral Pathology
- Surgery
Anytime during or after the program, students have access to the school’s placement assistance.
The Verdict
Hopefully, this guide gives you some insight into three of the best dental assistant schools in central Florida. GODAS is the cheapest with the most hands-on training, FLDATS has the most extended but most flexible schedule, and the DAACF provides hands-on training in the office of the chief instructor.
For the best dental assistant schools in Florida, see this page. See also dental assisting training programs in Orlando.