The dashboard below contains program and completion information for dentistry, dental hygiene and dental assisting programs in Washington State. Below the dashboard is a list of educational and training programs for dental occupations.
Use this dashboard to:
IPEDS: Data on institution counts and degree completions by oral health occupation are from the U.S. Department of Education’s national database, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS may not capture completions from programs that don’t receive federal funding, or individuals who may have entered the profession through on-the-job training or apprenticeship arrangements. Some IPEDS definitions of race/ethnicity have changed since 2001. Prior to 2011, IPEDS included a category of “Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.” In 2011, this grouping was separated into “Asian” and “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.” In 2011, IPEDS added a “Two or more races” category.
Dental Assistant Program Data: Completion and institution counts for “private career school programs” are from data compiled by the Washington Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board from the Web-based Data and Reporting System (WBDRS), are only available for analysis beginning in 2013, and do not include race/ethnicity and gender. To date, these numbers do not include completions from the high school dental assistant programs in the state. The data displayed in the map of dental assisting programs is limited to completions from community and technical college programs.
|
Institution Name |
Dentistry Program |
|
University of Washington School of Dentistry Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE)
|
Dentist – DDS |
|
Pacific Northwest University School of Dental Medicine – Yakima* |
Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) |
*New program – no completions to-date.
Source: Assembled 2022 via IPEDS and online search
|
Institution Name* |
Dental Hygiene Program |
|
AAS-T |
|
|
BAS; 25-30 students/cohort, 2-year program |
|
|
BAS; 25/cohort |
|
|
BS; 30/cohort, 2-year – includes prerequisites |
|
|
BAS; 25/cohort, 2-year |
|
|
BAS; 30/cohort, 2-year |
|
|
AS; 2-year – includes prerequisites |
|
|
BAS |
|
|
AAS; 10-12/cohort, 2-year |
|
|
BAS; 25/cohort, 2-year |
*All institutions listed are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)
Degree Abbreviations
AAS: Associate of Applied Science
AAS-T: Associates Degree in Applied Science-Transfer
AAT: Associate of Applied Technology
AS: Associate of Science
BS: Bachelor of Science
BAS: Bachelor of Applied Science
Source: Assembled 2022 via IPEDS and online search
There are multiple routes to become a dental assistant in Washington State, including: programs at technical and community colleges, private programs, apprenticeship programs, and career/technical education (CTE) programs.
|
Institution Name* |
Dental Assisting Program |
|
AAS |
|
|
Certificate |
|
|
Certificate |
|
|
Charter College |
Certificate |
|
AAT |
|
|
AAS-T |
|
|
Certificate (starting 2023) |
|
|
Certificate |
|
|
Certificate |
|
|
Certificate; AAS; AAS-T |
|
|
Certificate |
|
|
AAS |
|
|
AAS; Certificate |
*All institutions listed are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)
Degree Abbreviations
AAS: Associate of Applied Science
AAS-T: Associates Degree in Applied Science-Transfer
AAT: Associate of Applied Technology
AS: Associate of Science
BS: Bachelor of Science
BAS: Bachelor of Applied Science
Source: Assembled 2022 via IPEDS and online search
|
Program |
Length |
Location |
Style |
|
10 weeks |
Bellevue |
In-person |
|
|
9 weeks |
Bellingham |
Hybrid (in-person 1 day/wk) |
|
|
12 weeks |
Bremerton |
Hybrid (in-person 1 day/wk) |
|
|
1 year (optional 2nd year advanced class) |
Vancouver |
In-person |
|
|
4 weeks |
Tacoma |
In-person |
|
|
11 weeks |
Kenmore |
In-person |
|
|
13 weeks |
Vancouver |
In-person |
|
|
12 weeks |
Federal Way |
In-person |
|
|
13 weeks |
Seattle |
In-person |
|
|
12 weeks |
Moses Lake |
Hybrid (in-person 1 day/wk) |
|
|
12 weeks |
Puyallup or Bellevue |
Hybrid |
|
|
10 weeks |
Lakewood |
In-person (1 day/wk) |
|
|
12 weeks |
Poulsbo |
Hybrid |
|
|
9 weeks |
Tumwater |
Hybrid (in-person 1 day/wk) |
|
|
12 weeks |
Camas |
In-person |
|
|
10 weeks |
Spokane |
In-person (1x/wk) |
|
|
12 weeks |
Mill Creek or Seattle |
Hybrid (in-person 1 day/wk) |
|
|
15 weeks |
Arlington |
In-person (2x/wk) |
|
|
9 weeks |
Spokane |
Hybrid (in-person 1 day/wk) |
|
|
12 weeks |
Tacoma or Puyallup |
Hybrid (in-person 1 day/wk) |
|
|
13 weeks |
Kennewick |
In-person |
|
|
10 weeks |
Vancouver |
In-person (1x/wk) |
|
|
Viking Dental Accelerated Dental Assisting Professional Training |
10 weeks |
Poulsbo |
In-person (1x/wk) |
|
Washington Academy of General Dentistry Dental Assistant School |
4 weeks |
Seattle |
In-person (5x/wk) |
|
10 weeks |
Renton |
In-person |
|
|
18 weeks |
Bothell |
Hybrid (class 2x/wk) |
Source: Completion and institution count data on ‘Other dental assisting programs” compiled by the WA Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board from the Web-Based Data and Reporting System (WBDRS), and is only available for analysis beginning with 2013. Accordingly, total lines only reflect when both technical and community college DA program data and other DA program data were both available for analysis, 2013-2021.
CHAS Health Dental Assistant Apprenticeship Program
Washington Association for Community Health Dental Assistant Training Program
Through the Washington Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI), high school programs are able to offer CTE programs for dental assisting. Below are some examples of these dental assisting programs:
Updated May 2025
|
Institution Name |
Program |
|
Dental Therapy – AAS |
Degree AbbreviationAAS: Associate of Applied Science
Source: Assembled 2022 via IPEDS and online search
|
Institution Name |
Program |
|
Dental Lab Technician – AAS |
Degree AbbreviationAAS: Associate of Applied Science
Source: Assembled 2022 via IPEDS and online search
|
Institution Name |
Program |
|
Denturist – AAS |
Degree AbbreviationAAS: Associate of Applied Science
Source: Assembled 2022 via IPEDS and online search
|
Institution Name |
Program |
|
EFDA – Certificate |
|
|
EFDA – Certificate |
|
|
EFDA – Certificate |
|
|
EFDA – Certificate |
Source: Assembled 2022 via IPEDS and online search
Page updated: Sep 2024
