For those working towards their bachelor degree in dental hygiene, Clayton State University in south suburban Morrow offers a comprehensive program. Future dental assistants have many choices in the Atlanta area: The Georgia Medical Institute offers dental assisting classes at two campuses in suburban Atlanta, northeast of the city in Norcross, and southeast of the city in Jonesboro. Students may also want to investigate Atlanta Technical College, which has a dental assisting and a dental lab technology program. Additionally, a dental assisting diploma from Augusta Technical College usually can be earned in about a year and a half. Dentistry students based in Atlanta should know about the Medical College of Georgia, which is actually located in Augusta, a two-hour drive to the east. The college offers a range of options, starting with the School of Allied Health Sciences undergraduate program in dental hygiene. Advanced students will want to review the curriculum offered by the School of Dentistry, which includes a DMD and a dual degree program focused on oral biology.
Employment projection figures for the Atlanta area are not compiled by the Georgia Department of Labor on detailed occupations, only by occupational groups. For dental students and professionals to better understand prospects for employment in metropolitan Atlanta, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics provides accurate national information that can be used to gage employment trends in metropolitan areas. For the ten-year period between 2004 and 2014, new jobs for practitioners of general dentistry will increase by 13.5% while new jobs for dental hygienists and dental assistants will increase by 43.3% and 42.7% respectively.
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