Affordable certification program paves the way for dentistry careers

Orthodontic procedures don’t often lead to career choices, but for dental assistant Jocelyn Santiago, getting braces was the catalyst that launched her into dentistry.

“I kept watching the dental assistants and thought it would be an interesting career,” Santiago said. “I was working in retail at the time and knew I needed something more stable, so I went home and started researching dental assistant programs in the city.”

A quick search revealed that most programs were costly and, therefore, out of reach for her. Then Santiago found the Mile Square Health Center Dental Assistant Certification Program.

“The other programs were pricey, but the Mile Square program was very affordable,” she said.

Other dental assistant programs in the city can cost between $3,000 and $11,000. Operational funding for the Mile Square program was provided by the Delta Dental Foundation of Illinois and the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation. As a result, students are only responsible for a $300 fee to cover textbooks and uniforms.

Mile Square Health Center launched its Dental Assistant Certification Program in 2022 at its Primary and Immediate Care Center located in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the city’s South Side, where unemployment is significantly higher than in other parts of Chicago and access to health care is scarcer. The program was designed to connect people to jobs and improve access to care.

“Mile Square has been great about embedding itself in the community,” said Dr. Sodabeh Etminan, senior director of oral health at Mile Square Health Center. “A lot of our students come from the ZIP codes that our clinics are in. Studies have shown that health care outcomes improve when the people taking care of the patients look like the patients and represent the patients.”

Applications are accepted in the spring and fall for the 14-week program, and interested people must have a GED or high school diploma and pass a background check. 

“We try to make this program as flexible as possible for people who maybe have kids or part-time jobs that they’re managing, or caregiving that they’re offering to other family members, because we really want to see them succeed,” Etminan said.

Classes are held weekly at the clinic in Auburn Gresham. The modern setting allows students to learn with the most up-to-date technology, including digital imaging and electronic records. When they graduate, they are ready to assist in cases including medically complex care, pediatric services, oral surgery and prosthetic services.

The idea for the program came from Etminan’s own experience as a dental assistant-turned-dentist.

“Dentistry has been an amazing career for me, and I don’t think I would have been the dental director I am now if I hadn’t started as a dental assistant,” Etminan said. “There are very few tasks in a dental office that I haven’t done at some point in my career, which makes it easier to design and implement programs.”

So far, the certification program has graduated seven cohorts — a total of 52 students — with the eighth cohort set to graduate at the end of July. While many of the graduates are hired at the dental clinic at Mile Square, others have found careers at neighboring hospitals and health centers.

“A lot of our students start as dental assistants,” Etminan said. “They get the job, they get their foot in the door and then they move on from dental assisting to further their education and get other certifications and other licensures. And we’re so very proud of the students who choose to do that.”

Santiago is one of those students. She graduated from the program in 2023 and immediately began working in the Auburn Gresham clinic. Now she’s taking the prerequisites needed to enter the dental hygiene program at Malcolm X College near the West Side of Chicago.

“I just need a couple of more classes so that I can apply for this year’s program,” she said.

Amani Jones, who graduated from the dental assistant program in 2024 and works with Santiago in the clinic, also plans to enroll at Malcolm X College to become a dental hygienist.

“I was searching for a way to get into the medical field that I would feel comfortable doing, and dentistry was always at the top of my list,” Jones said about choosing to become a dental assistant. “I understand how important it is to be healthy, orally. I wanted to give back within that same stance.”

Both women are excited to take the next step in their health care careers and continue helping their communities along the way. As a Latina, Santiago hopes her presence makes a difference for her patients.

“I have patients who speak Spanish who are often worried when they come in that there won’t be someone who can translate. But I’m here,” she said. “I imagine them as my parents, because I would want someone to be there to help them and make them feel comfortable.”