Dental Assisting Programs in Arkansas
Arkansas has 2 CODA-accredited dental assisting programs, one in Blytheville and one in North Little Rock.
Each program is listed below with its city, address, website, and current accreditation status, pulled directly from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Whether you actually need a CODA-accredited program to work as a dental assistant in Arkansas is a separate question this page doesn't answer — that depends on state law and the duties you want to perform, not on CODA accreditation.
Verify before you apply
At a glance
In Arkansas
Programs
2
With a program
Cities
2
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
2 of 2
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Arkansas
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading the List Below
Each program's status comes straight from CODA's own directory. "Approval (without reporting requirements)" is CODA's classification for a program that "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation" — the status both Arkansas programs currently hold. "Approval (with reporting requirements)" means CODA found "specific deficiencies or weaknesses" a program must correct, with evidence due "within a timeframe not to exceed eighteen (18) months if the program is between one and two years in length or two years if the program is at least two years in length" — not a warning to avoid the program, just a status mid-correction. "Initial Accreditation" applies to a program "which is not yet fully operational," meaning it hasn't yet graduated its first class.
Site-visit years are CODA's own accreditation-cycle dates, not the program's.
Confirm admissions, cost, and current status with the program and with CODA before applying.
Why Accreditation Matters for Dental Assistants
Unlike dental hygiene, a CODA-accredited program isn't the only door into dental assisting.
Many assistants enter through on-the-job training instead, and DANB's national Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) certification accepts either route: graduation from a CODA-accredited program, or roughly 3,500 hours of documented hands-on experience.
See our school vs. on-the-job training guide for how the two compare, and our step-by-step guide to becoming a dental assistant for the full path either way.
Whether Arkansas itself requires formal training for any particular duty is a question of state law, not CODA policy — see our Arkansas dental assistant requirements page for what the state requires.
After You Graduate: Working in Arkansas
Graduating from one of the programs above can speed the path to DANB certification and to any state permits Arkansas requires for expanded duties, but the program itself is only one step.
See our Arkansas dental assistant requirements page for what the state's board expects of an assistant performing expanded functions, and confirm anything you intend to rely on directly with the board before enrolling.
Once you're working, our Arkansas dental assistant salary guide covers pay by market, and you can browse current dental assistant openings when you're ready to search.
Choosing Between Arkansas's Two Programs
Arkansas's two programs sit in Blytheville, in the northeast corner of the state, and North Little Rock, in the central metro area, each setting its own admission requirements, prerequisite coursework, and application cycle.
Contact a program directly for its current curriculum, application deadlines, and clinical-site details — the CODA accreditation status shown for each program above reflects the program's last accreditation visit, not its admissions process.
Check each program's exact address and website in the table above before you rule one out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited dental assisting programs are in Arkansas?
Arkansas has 2 CODA-accredited dental assisting programs, located in Blytheville and North Little Rock.
Each is listed above with its current CODA accreditation status, address and website.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date list — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
Do I have to attend a CODA-accredited program to work as a dental assistant in Arkansas?
That depends on Arkansas law and the specific duties you want to perform, not on this page.
Many states, and many roles within dental assisting, allow on-the-job training instead of a formal program — see our Arkansas dental assistant requirements page for what the state itself requires, and our school vs. on-the-job training guide for how the two paths compare nationally.
Does an out-of-state CODA-accredited program count for working in Arkansas?
CODA accreditation itself is national — a program doesn't need to be located in Arkansas to hold it.
Whether a specific state credential or permit accepts an out-of-state program's graduates is a separate question for Arkansas's own board; see our Arkansas dental assistant requirements page, and confirm directly with the board before enrolling elsewhere.
What does "approval without reporting requirements" mean for an Arkansas program?
It's CODA's own classification for a program that "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation," with no follow-up documentation required before the next scheduled site visit.
Both dental assisting programs listed above for Arkansas currently hold this status.
Confirm a program's current standing directly with CODA before applying, since status can change between accreditation cycles.
What comes after I finish a CODA-accredited dental assisting program in Arkansas?
Graduates are typically eligible to sit for DANB's national CDA certification and to apply for any Arkansas permits required for expanded duties, such as radiography.
Our step-by-step guide to becoming a dental assistant walks through that full sequence, and our Arkansas requirements page covers what the state's board expects.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More Arkansas & Dental Assistant Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.