Home › North Carolina › Dental Assisting schools
24 schools in North Carolina offer dental assisting-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data.
North Carolina issues no license or certification to dental assistants — the State Board of Dental Examiners defines two classifications, DA I and DA II, and employers verify qualifications. DA II status (needed for most clinical functions) comes via an accredited program, DANB CDA certification, 2 years (3,000 hours) of chairside experience in the past 5 years, or two short 3-hour courses plus CPR with on-the-job training. Taking x-rays requires DANB certification, an accredited-program diploma, or a Board-approved radiology course of at least 7 hours didactic plus 7 hours clinical instruction (or passing an equivalency exam).
Official source: North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners · Exam: No state licensing exam; DANB CDA exam or an approved radiology course final/equivalency exam satisfies the radiography qualification · Typical requirement: The Board explicitly does not certify assistants; employers verify qualifications. DA II status requires one of: a CODA/ADA-accredited dental assisting program + CPR; DANB CDA certification + CPR; a 3-hour sterilization/infection-control course + 3-hour dental office emergencies course + CPR (then on-the-job training); or 2 years full-time (3,000 hours) chairside experience within the preceding 5 years. Radiography: CDA holders and accredited-program graduates qualify outright; all others must pass a Board-approved radiology course (benchmark: 7 hours didactic + 7 hours clinical per NCGS 90-29(c)(12)) or an equivalency exam.
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pamlico Community College | Grantsboro | public | $1,321 | 55.3% | $30,005 |
| Durham Technical Community College | Durham | public | $1,664 | 24.1% | $36,142 |
| Wayne Community College | Goldsboro | public | $2,245 | 39.8% | $34,148 |
| Central Piedmont Community College | Charlotte | public | $3,345 | 24% | $37,865 |
| Martin Community College | Williamston | public | $2,676 | 36% | $26,016 |
| Fayetteville Technical Community College | Fayetteville | public | $3,589 | 28.2% | $31,861 |
| Central Carolina Community College | Sanford | public | $5,446 | 41.6% | $33,525 |
| Alamance Community College | Graham | public | $6,109 | 33.1% | $34,241 |
| Western Piedmont Community College | Morganton | public | $6,448 | 37% | $34,195 |
| Pitt Community College | Winterville | public | $7,337 | 29.3% | $37,259 |
| Wake Technical Community College | Raleigh | public | $8,759 | 31.8% | $41,769 |
| Forsyth Technical Community College | Winston-Salem | public | $7,200 | 32.9% | $34,139 |
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College | Salisbury | public | $7,981 | 32% | $34,936 |
| Davidson-Davie Community College | Thomasville | public | $8,753 | 38.3% | $36,337 |
| Cape Fear Community College | Wilmington | public | $9,610 | 39.7% | $38,654 |
| Coastal Carolina Community College | Jacksonville | public | $9,461 | 32.7% | $36,444 |
| Catawba Valley Community College | Hickory | public | $10,528 | 34% | $36,977 |
| Halifax Community College | Weldon | public | $9,040 | 37.3% | $31,644 |
| Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College | Asheville | public | $11,602 | 33.6% | $36,048 |
| Isothermal Community College | Spindale | public | $10,758 | 41.2% | $33,325 |
| Montgomery Community College | Troy | public | $13,832 | 66.7% | $32,742 |
| Guilford Technical Community College | Jamestown | public | $15,002 | 27.4% | $33,934 |
| Miller-Motte College-Raleigh | Raleigh | private for-profit | $22,736 | 50% | $31,102 |
| Wilkes Community College | Wilkesboro | public | $-264 | 46.4% | $34,728 |
Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
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