Pit and Fissure Sealants Short Course
Recognizing the potential for our dental assistant students to enhance their career opportunities, Kaplan College now offers students and graduates the opportunity to earn the Pit and Fissure Sealant Certificate required to perform these specific dental assistant tasks. Our Pit and Fissure Sealants course is offered as part of our current Dental Assistant Diploma program and also as a stand-alone program.*
The Pit and Fissure Sealants course will be offered as a weekend course once a month. The course includes four lecture hours, four laboratory hours, and eight clinical hours, which are taught over two consecutive, eight-hour class days for a total of 16 contact hours. The Pit and Fissure Sealants course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Note: This is a non-credit bearing course approved by the Dental Board of California, but is not recognized by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges. There is no academic credit given by the campus. Students must not assume that this course will be accepted for transfer credit at another institution. Students are not able to receive financial aid for this course.
Course Description
The objective of the Pit and Fissure Sealants course is to provide you with knowledge and skills needed to successfully apply sealants in a clinical setting. In this course, students are taught infection control protocol and regulations, emergency procedures, patient selection criteria, and examination requirements for pit and fissure sealants. Topics include tooth anatomy and physiology, tooth morphology, salivary system characteristics, sealant contraindications, and concepts of bonding and sealant placement. Students are required to apply pit and fissure sealants on four clinical patients to meet Dental Board of California regulations.† Kaplan College will issue graduates a Pit and Fissure Certificate upon successful completion.
* Restrictions may apply; please contact us for more information.
† Students must prepare, etch, apply, and finish pit and fissure sealants on five prepared typodont teeth at 75 percent proficiency. Students must prepare, etch, apply, and finish a minimum of four patients with four virgin, non-restored, natural teeth at 75 percent proficiency. Refer to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards section of the school’s current catalog for a complete description of the policy.