• Educational and training opportunities in dental laboratory technology.False teeth image by Jevgenijs Kosarevs from Fotolia.com
  
  Dental laboratory technicians are responsible for creating dental prosthetics from an impression of a patient's mouth and teeth. The prosthetics include dentures, bridges and crowns and are used for both aesthetic and practical purposes. Students who graduate from a dental laboratory technology program are eligible for the national certification examination, which is available through the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology. Employment opportunities are available with private dental offices, dental laboratories, dental health facilities and dental manufacturers.
  
  

Portland Community College

• Portland Community College offers both an associate degree and certificate program in dental laboratory technology. The Commission on Dental Accreditation accredits this program. The certificate program is 79 credits and includes core courses in dental anatomy, denture techniques, science of dental materials, dental ceramics and dental laboratory management. The Associate of Science degree program is 95 credits and includes the same core courses as the certificate program. In addition to core dental courses, associate degree students must take 16 general education requirements in mathematics, science, communications and humanities.
  
  Portland Community College
  705 N Killingsworth
  Portland, OR 97217
  503-244-6111
  pcc.edu
  
  

Durham Technical Community College

• The Associate of Applied Science in Dental Technology at Durham Technical Community College is a five-semester program that offers certificate options in cast partial denture techniques, dental ceramic techniques, cast partial denture techniques and crown and bridge techniques. This is a 75-hour program teaches students to use ceramics, acrylics, waxes, gypsum, bridges and crowns. Students are also required to participate in a dental lab practicum at a local dental office.
  
  Durham Technical Community College
  1637 Lawson Street
  Durham, NC 27703
  919-536-7200
  durhamtech.edu
  
  

Erie Community College

• The dental laboratory technology program at Erie Community College is a 72-credit program and takes full-time students two years to complete. The curriculum includes courses in dental anatomy, biomedical materials, denture techniques, restorative techniques, ceramics techniques and dental metallurgy. Graduates of this program are able to perform minor repairs on oral prostheses, construct crowns, create implant dentures, identify malocclusions and design orthodontic appliances.
  
  Erie Community College
  121 Ellicott Street
  Buffalo, NY 14203
  716-851-1001
  ecc.edu