The Commission on Dental Accreditation is the accrediting body of the American Dental Association. It accredits dental lab technician programs. Those seeking a quality dental laboratory technician education should attend one of these schools.
Note that you are not going to find online dental lab technician schools that are accredited by the Commission. Dental lab techs must actually construct and maintain dentures and other dental devices. This is a hands-on job, so learning to be a dental laboratory technician requires specialized training in a quality technology program.
Some of these accredited programs are junior or community colleges, so you may be able to become a dental lab tech after only two or so years. There is also an Air Force military school for dental laboratory technology for those who are interested in having a full-time job while getting a dental lab technology education. Note, however, that the Air Force might not guarantee this job specialty when you enlist.
There are only 20 programs of this type accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. View the list below to find a dental lab technology program and contact the schools individually for more information on enrollment requirements and eligibility. Generally speaking, you will only need a high school diploma to enter dental lab technology schools.
Below is the list of accredited dental laboratory technician programs as of September 2011. The list could be slowly added to in the future. Contact the Commission on Dental Accreditation for further questions or to see if there are additional accredited dental technology schools on the accreditation list.
Atlanta Technical College: Atlanta, Georgia
Bates Technical College: Tacoma, Washington
Bluegrass Community and Technical College: Lexington, Kentucky
Durham Technical Community College: Durham, North Carolina
Erie Community College: Orchard Park, NY
Idaho State University College of Technology: Pocatello, Idaho
Indian River Community College: Fort Pierce, Florida
Indiana University – Purdue University at Ft. Wayne: Fort Wayne, Indiana
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College: Richmond, Virginia
Kirkwood Community College: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Los Angeles City College: L.A., California
LSU School of Dentistry: New Orleans, Louisiana
McFatter Vocational Technical School: Davie, Florida
Middlesex Community College: Lowell, Massachusetts
New York City College of Technology: Brooklyn, NY
Pasadena City College: Pasadena, CA
Pima County Community College: Tucson, Arizona
Portland Community College: Portland, Oregon
San Antonio College: San Antonio, Texas
School of Health Care Sciences – Air Force: Sheppard Air Force Base (Wichita Falls), Texas
Resources:
Dental Clinic Manager: Accredited Dental Technician Schools