Wallingford Adult Ed Launches New Dental Assisting Program

WALLINGFORD, CT — Wallingford Adult Education is launching a Dental Assisting Program that organizers said is the first of its kind in the state.

The program, which begins Sept. 12, will feature a “very true to life mini-dental office” at Sheehan High School complete with an actual dental chair where students can practice their skills, according to Wallingford Director of Adult Education Anthony Mangiafico.

The dental chair, light, sterilizers, and other instruments were all donated by area dentists.

“I am very excited to offer this new program to the community,” Mangiafico said. “Dental assisting is a statewide shortage area and I am very optimistic that this new program will be a success and lead to many students finding good paying jobs in the medical field. There are not many dental assisting programs out there in the state, and we have a top-notch program that is being offered at a very reasonable rate.”

Donna Puzycki, a Wallingford native, will be the instructor for the course. Puzycki, who developed the curriculum, has been a certified dental assistant since 1976 and started teaching in 2007.

She previously taught at Porter and Chester Institute at both the Branford and Rocky Hill campuses, and is currently teaching part-time at American Institute in West Hartford.

Puzycki said what makes the Wallingford program “really unique” is that it is comparable to the technical/vocational school programs that cost upward of $20,000 or more.

“Our program is a non-profit, very affordable, enrichment program at $3,350 and is designed to graduate dental assisting students with above entry level skill and knowledge,” she said. “These students will be well-prepared to sit for the two exams that are required by the State of Connecticut – the Radiology exam and the Infection Control exam.”

The concept for a local training program was developed by Dr. David Fried, who has been practicing in Wallingford for more than 30 years. Fried is a past president of the Connecticut State Dental Association, and serves on the American Dental Association Council on Dental Practice where strategic discussions have taken place regarding workforce shortages.

A pre-COVID pandemic study from the American Dental Education Association showed that the dental sector is facing a serious workforce shortage, according to Fried.

Fried said the number of graduates for dental assisting programs is decreasing while the number of dentists has increased.

“Without support, dentists cannot work as efficiently,” he said. “The report started me thinking about how to solve the problem.”

Fried said well-intentioned but poorly devised legislation in Connecticut increased the requirements for education in order for dental assistants to be allowed to work.

“The legislation required all dental assistants to take the Dental Assisting National Board examination in Infection Control,” he said. “Although the intention of the law was to ensure public safety, it turned out that the exam was overly complicated, testing excellence, not competency. It was a computer-based exam, offered only in English with no time allowances for learning disabilities or older assistants with no computer expertise. The result was that we lost a lot of dental assistants as a result of the 69% passage rate and $700 per person exam fee. It took us at the Dental Association about two years to fix the legislation.”

Fried said he never had problems hiring or finding dental assists in the past, but “that is not the situation right now.”

“I feel that dentistry is a great career, and Dental Assisting is a well-paid profession,” he said. “Many go on to become dental hygienists or dentists. Providing training and giving people professions is also important to me. I feel that creating student loan debt is a big injustice to our future, and the cost of private training seems to take advantage of students. Using a public-school platform seems to be ideal, basically following on the HUBCAP model, and I am thankful that we have been able to develop this opportunity. Through my Council work at the ADA, I found that several states were trying to solve the problem with remote training, but Dental Assisting is very hard to do without a home base. I enjoy helping and volunteering.

“My contacts in organized Dentistry, the State Legislature, set the groundwork for me being able to conceptualize the idea. The real champions are Dr Mangiafico and Carol Berube who decided to take a professional educator's approach to this project. Donna Puzycki also has the vision of providing a well-thought-out curriculum.”

The program is scheduled to follow an academic calendar starting in the fall, with classes meeting Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and is open to Wallingford and non-Wallingford residents.

“I hope that this course takes off and becomes a well-respected training program,” Fried said. “My plan is to use it as a pilot study to create a toolkit for other towns to emulate. Wallingford has always been a town that others try to emulate. The workforce issues will not solve themselves, yet individuals working at a grassroots level can have an impact. Like I said, these are great jobs and career pathways. Schools are closing nationally, and we need to solve the problem before it becomes a real impediment to access to care. Realistically, if dentists cannot provide care efficiently using well-trained staff, then there are fewer appointments available.”

The tuition cost for the program is $3,350 plus $300 for books. Scholarships and grants are expected to be available. Space is limited to 12 students. Anyone interested in the program can visit wallingfordadulted.org or call Carol Berube at 203-294-3900.