Something to Smile About: Dental Assisting Builds Momentum for Fall Semester
The Dental Assisting program at CT State Manchester is heading into the fall semester with new resources, growing visibility — and a strong incoming class.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of dental assistants to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations, with approximately 52,900 openings each year. One factor driving demand is the nation’s aging population, which is expected to require more dental care. And as Americans retain more of their natural teeth later in life, the need for ongoing preventive and restorative care — and the skilled dental assistants who help provide it — continues to grow.
At CT State Manchester, Program Coordinator Rosemary Ryan credits recent outreach efforts, supported in part by a Delta Dental Foundation grant, with helping more prospective students discover the program and successfully navigate the application process.
That outreach has included emails, information sessions and something decidedly low-tech but remarkably effective: personal phone calls. When prospective students applied but had not completed the required information session, Ryan and her team reached out directly.
“We found that the more calls we made, the more they came,” Ryan said.
The information sessions also gave prospective students an opportunity to tour the program’s newly renovated dental lab — another important selling point.
Recent investments made possible through the generosity of Delta Dental and longtime program benefactor Dr. Robert Fish have helped create a state-of-the-art learning environment for Manchester students.
“They were wowed by our new clinic,” Ryan said.
Delta Dental grant funding is also helping support students once they enroll, including assistance with uniforms and other program needs. Ryan describes the incoming cohort as an especially promising and diverse group, including several students who already hold bachelor’s degrees and one who had been waitlisted for dental school.
Now Ryan is looking for ways to build on that momentum with the $5,000 award she received this spring as the MCC Foundation’s inaugural Campus Partner of the Year.
Her first priority is purchasing one or two advanced dental simulation mannequins that would allow students to practice restorative chairside assisting in the lab before moving into clinical rotations. More advanced than the program’s existing mannequins, the new
models would expand opportunities for hands-on instruction beginning with students’ first lab experiences.
For Ryan, the combined investment in facilities, outreach, instruction and direct student support is making this fall feel different.
“I’m feeling great going into this semester — very positive,” she said. “We have a fantastic cohort of students this fall, and we’re able to support them in ways that weren’t really possible just a few months ago.”