The organization will host activities March 6-12 to celebrate dental assistants nationwide.

Leading dental support organization Pacific Dental Services^® (PDS) is joining the American Dental Assistants Association (ADAA) in celebrating the 45th annual Dental Assistants Recognition Week (DARW), March 6-12. Dental assistants are instrumental in strengthening the entire practice and ensuring the health and happiness of their patients and dental teams. PDS and its supported dental practices are embracing this year’s theme, “Dental Assistants: Passionate About Our Patients, Dedicated to Our Profession,” with a week of celebration and events to honor its dental assistants and those training to become DAs.

“As Pacific Dental Services continues to grow our network of supported practices and advance dentistry through innovation and proven technology, we recognize that our nearly 5,000 dental assistants are key to the success of our supported dentists and organization as a whole,” said Stephen E. Thorne IV, Founder and CEO of Pacific Dental Services. “The extraordinary work dental assistants provide is essential to creating lasting relationships with patients and ensuring their optimal health. We extend our sincere thanks to all DAs for their dedication and commitment to facilitating patient-centric dentistry.”

Starting Sun., March 6 and continuing throughout the week, PDS and its supported dental practices will take time each day to recognize their dental assistants. Pacific Dental Services is also celebrating the event through partnerships with Concorde Career College, Central Georgia Technical College, Dentsply Sirona and the PDS^® Foundation:

• Mon., March 7: PDS is partnering with Concorde Career College in Portland, Oregon to create nearly 200 hygiene kits including snacks for homeless shelters with the help of dozens of dental assistants.

• Tues., March 8: Dental assisting students from Concorde Career College in San Bernardino, California will visit the PDS National Support Center in Irvine, CA for an educational computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) boot camp. The event consists of hands-on training focusing on the techniques of restorative crown imaging, design, same-day milling and glazing through CAD/CAM technology. Materials for this event were generously donated by Dentsply Sirona, a strategic partner of PDS and the world’s largest manufacturer of dental consumables and technologies.

• Wed., March 9: PDS is committed to advancing the professional skillset of dental assistants and will be providing mock interview and resume formatting training to students from Central Georgia Technical College. Additionally, Dan Burke, Chief Enterprise Strategy Officer at PDS, will be speaking with future lead dental assistants on the topic of leadership.

• Thurs., March 10: Dental assisting students from Concorde Career College in Dallas, Texas will visit the PDS Dallas Support Center in Dallas, TX to attend a PDS CAD/CAM boot camp. Materials for this event were also generously donated by Dentsply Sirona.

• Fri., March 11: The PDS® Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to improving overall health by improving oral health through opportunities to serve locally, nationally, and internationally, will be awarding the first set of Dr. Carolyn Ghazal Dental Assistant Scholarships for the year. Awarded quarterly, this educational scholarship provides DA students with need-based financial aid, mentorship, and on-the-job training, and aims to mold the next generation of passionate, servant-hearted DA leaders.

In addition to the 2022 DARW event schedule, PDS remains committed to elevating the dental assistant profession through opportunities for DA growth, development and education. PDS is investing a total of $5 million over three years in DA team member compensation and advanced training. Along with this, PDS recently donated $10,000 to The College of Health Care Professions in support of the Texas-based institution’s dental assistant program.

PDS recently championed dental assistants with the launch of its College Advancement Program, making it the first dental organization to offer DAs 100% college tuition coverage toward an undergraduate degree of their choice from Arizona State University’s online program. The program has allowed team members – including dental assistants – the flexibility and satisfaction of advancing their careers while earning their education debt-free – all while remaining employed full-time.

For information about joining the PDS dental assistant team, visit the Pacific Dental Services Careers web page.