Press Release                                                                                    

Date: April 3, 2025

Contact: Lisa Garrett, lgarrett@tctc.edu

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation

Awards Grant to TCTC’s Dental Assisting Program

PENDLETON, SC – Tri-County Technical College received a grant from the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for its Expanded Duty Dental Assisting (EDDA) program.

Additions to the College’s dental lab include a Dental X-ray Teaching Training Replica, or DXTTR mannikin, the gold standard for teaching radiography, said TCTC’s EDDA Program Director Mandy Hanks. “Made of a natural human skull, with a composite of genuine human teeth, DXTTR is an excellent teaching tool for students to learn dental anatomy, as well as teaching positioning and radiographic interpretation.”

By practicing their X-ray and radiography skills on DXTTR, dental assisting students gain real first-hand experience and learn what it’s like to work with actual patients, Hanks said.  

TCTC’s dental clinic has six operatories, and now this addition puts a DXTTR in each room to accommodate student ratios, so every student has an opportunity to practice and learn during the three-hour labs, said Hanks.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina Foundation grant also funded the addition of a 3-D printer system, wash unit and curing unit, the department’s second, to accommodate printing 3-D models after making digital impressions using a scanner.

The department also received six X-ray units to replace aging equipment, stools for simulators in the dental materials lab, various orthodontic and dental implant models, full sets of plastic teeth for instruction, and a mannikin head for the simulator.

“Dental technology changes rapidly and these enhancements strengthen our students’ hands-on experiences by using innovative teaching tools they will see in the workplace,” said Hanks.

There is a high demand for graduates, said Hanks. The program has a 100% job placement rate, with graduates working in general or specialty dental offices, clinics and public health settings. They also may work as adjunct instructors for Dental Assisting programs at technical colleges if certified by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB).

TCTC’s EDDA program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

About Tri-County Technical College

Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, industrial electronics, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities. To learn more, visit tctc.edu. 

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