2025 Catalog: All Courses

Summary:

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE SECTION CAREFULLY!
1.   Course Purpose: The purpose of this course is to introduce the dental assistant to the placement and finishing of composite, glass ionomer, and amalgam restorative materials in IHS, tribal, and IHS-funded urban dental programs. This course replaces the previous restorative EFDA courses of restorative basic, advanced, and composite-only, effective October 1, 2024.
2.   Waitlisted: If you are waitlisted for this course, you are encouraged to register for another course in addition to this one, as you may be able to get into one of the courses..
3.   Class Size: 6 students total, _4_ from host site, _2_ from outside host site
4.   Logistics [host site location, nearby accommodations, etc.]: will be provided to course participants 2-4 weeks prior to the course. However, if you need information prior to that time, you may contact the course director listed above.
Course Overview:
This course will focus on composite resin restorations, with limited amalgam information. Background information will be provided in cavity classification and dental anatomy. Anterior composites will include both Class III and Class IV restorations taught in didactic and laboratory settings. Posterior composites will include Class I, Class II, and Class V restorations taught in didactic and laboratory settings. Glass ionomer Class V restorations and amalgam Class II restorations will also be taught. This one-week, 32-hour course is designed to provide basic skills to perform these restorations.
Pre-Course Requirements:
1.   All DAs registered in this course must have completed DA0004, Restorative Expanded Functions – Basic Prerequisites, at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the course. Failure to document completion of this course will result in automatic disenrollment from the Restorative EFDA Course.
2.   All DAs registered in this course should be prepared to take the course. If you feel that you need additional preparation prior to the course, please work with your dental director.
Course Agenda:
1.   Monday morning – travel
2.   Monday afternoon – course overview, didactic lectures on composite basics [polymerization, materials basics, curing light, cavity liners, anatomy, adhesives]
3.   Tuesday morning – Class I and V posterior composite didactic presentations, practice on typodonts
4.   Tuesday afternoon – practice on typodonts, clinical and didactic test
5.   Wednesday morning – Class III and IV anterior composite didactic presentations, practice on typodonts
6.   Wednesday afternoon – practice on typodonts, clinical and didactic test
7.   Thursday morning – Class II composite and amalgam didactic presentations, practice both on typodonts
8.   Thursday afternoon – practice on typodonts, clinical test on Class II composites and didactic test to include both
9.   Friday morning – remediation testing, final didactic examination
10.   Friday afternoon – travel

During the Course:
1.   Participants are expected to pass a series of didactic [lecture] and clinical examinations to show proficiency in course content. The clinical examinations do not include clinical work with real patients.
2.   At the conclusion of the weeklong course, the course director will provide participants with a completion code. The DA will then have 3 days to complete the online post-course evaluation and get CDE credit. Failure to get CDE credit will result in non-certification down the road, so it is important to do this right away!
Post-Course Requirements:
1.   DAs must complete 40 restorations [5 of which may be Class II amalgam or composite] as specified in the Progress Record provided to you by the course director.
2.   The restorations are checked and scored by the dentist at their home dental clinic. These should be done under direct supervision of the dentist [dentist in the room while the DA is performing the restoration, able to provide tips and recommendations as needed]. Grading is documented on the Follow-Up Training Progress Record provided by the course director, which is then maintained at the local program.
3.   Post-course requirements must be completed within 6 months of the EFDA training.
4.   When the DA has satisfactorily completed the post-course restorations, the dental chief/director under whose license the DA will be working should then e-mail the IHS CDE Coordinator [IHSCDECoordinator@ihs.gov] to inform them that post-course requirements have been met and that the record is on file at the local clinic. This should be done using this format only:

"_______________________ [name of DA] has satisfactorily completed the post-course requirements as a Restorative EFDA. He/she took course ____ [course number] on ______ [date] at ______________ [location]. A copy of his/her evaluation form is being maintained in this office. Please issue instructions for certification.”
5.   Once this is done, the IHS CDE Coordinator will provide the student with instructions on how to receive their CDE certificate and their EFDA certificate.
6.   After the 40 restorations are done under direct supervision by the dentist, the DA should NOT perform any further composite restorations taught in this course unless CERTIFIED by the IHS CDE Coordinator.
7.   Following certification, the new Composite-Only Restorative EFDA may perform advanced composite and amalgam restorations under indirect supervision [dentist in the facility but not directly overseeing the work until a final check is needed].
Annual Competency:
1.   The Dental Director/Dental Chief is encouraged to complete an annual competency evaluation on the Restorative EFDA to ensure high quality care is being delivered.
2.   The annual competency evaluation can be found on the IHS Dental Portal under the Clinic Tab - Competencies.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Have an understanding of the basic concepts of occlusion as they apply to restorative dentistry.
2. Be able to place and finish complex Class II amalgam restorations and composite restorations involving the incisal angle.
3. Have an understanding of the current state-of-the-art in dentinal bonding agents.
4. Have the ability to discriminate between acceptable and unacceptable restoration

Arlan Andrews — CAPT, USPHS [RET] Stationed at Cherokee Nation since 9/24/2008 Tribally contracted since 11/4/2018 For follow-up questions, please contact the speaker at arlan-andrews@cherokee.org.

The speaker has no conflicts of interest to report.

It is the policy of the Indian Health Service, Division of Oral Health, that faculty/planners disclose any financial or other relationships with commercial companies whose products may be discussed in the educational activity. The Indian Health Service, Division of Oral Health, also requires that faculty disclose any unlabeled or investigative use of pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Images that have been falsified or manipulated to misrepresent treatment outcomes are prohibited.

None of the faculty/planners for this activity has a conflict of interest, and there is no use of unlabeled or investigative pharmaceutical products or medical devices. No images have been falsified or manipulated to misrepresent treatment outcomes.The educational objectives, content, and selection of educational methods and instructors are conducted independent of any commercial entity.

The IHS Division of Oral Health is an accredited sponsor of continuing education under the American Dental Association Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP). ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the IHS at IHS CDE Coordinator or to the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition at CCEPR.ada.org

Tuition is due only from staff from tribal programs that have taken their HQ dental shares. Tuition Payment is due at least 30 days prior to the start of the course. Please submit tuition payment to the address on the Tuition Payment Form [obtain the form by contacting IHSCDECoordinator@ihs.gov] or downloading from this site.

Tuition is due only from staff from tribal programs that have taken their HQ dental shares. Tuition Payment is due at least 30 days prior to the start of the course. Please submit tuition payment to the address on the Tuition Payment Form [obtain the form by contacting IHSCDECoordinator@ihs.gov] or downloading from this site.

As of January 1, 2017, dental staff from Title V Tribal Compact Programs are required to pay tuition for courses. For this course, Title V compacted programs should send a check or money order made out to the

Tuition is required only for staff from Title V Tribal Compacts who have taken their dental shares. Tuition must be paid in full 8 weeks prior to the start of the course – please see the tuition policy below.

Tuition must be paid in full 8 weeks prior to the start date of any course. Request for refunds must be received in writing at least two weeks before the course begins. For each refund request, there will be an administrative charge of $100. No refunds will be made to registrants who fail to attend a course. If IHS CDE program cancels a course, then 100% of the tuition will be refunded.