Dental Assistant Subject Guide

Getting Started: Reference Books

As you begin your research, use reference books like these for basic information and definitions of terms. These are just a few of the books you'll find on your topic in the DCTC Library.

Mosby's Dental Dictionary, 2nd ed. (2008)
Reference Collection RK27 .M672 2008
Also available as a Credo Reference eBook

Dental Terminology, 2nd ed. (2007)
by Charline M. Dofka.
Reference Collection RK28 .D64 2007

Glossary of Orthodontic Terms
by John Daskalogiannakis.
Reference Collection RK521 .D37 2000

ADA/PDR Guide to Dental Therapeutics, 4th ed. (2006)
Reference Collection RK701 .A33 2006

Mosby's 2007 Dental Drug Consult
Reference Collection RK701 .M58 2007

Drug Information Handbook for Dentistry, 14th ed. (2008)
Reference Collection RK701 .W96 2008

Find Books & Videos

Begin your search with MnPALS Plus, our online catalog. MnPALS Plus provides access to books, videos, eBooks, and other resources available at DCTC and at other libraries in the MnPALS system. Our books and videos are organized according to Library of Congress call numbers. Items not available from the DCTC Library can be requested online through interlibrary loan (ILL).

The best way to begin a search in MnPALS Plus is to enter one or two keywords on your topic. To focus your search, use the Narrow Search links that appear to the left of your search results. You can also click on a relevant title and look for Similar Items on the right side of the screen.

MnPALS Plus includes magazine and journal titles, but not actual articles. For help finding articles, see the Articles section of this subject guide.

The following subject headings are relevant to dental assisting:

Most books and videos about dental assisting are shelved in the RK call number range.

Find Articles

Use databases to locate articles, reports, and other documents on your topic. You can print, save, or e-mail any of the full-text articles in these databases. We also have print subscriptions to some periodicals that aren't available online. We keep the current year plus three previous years of most magazine and journal issues. Please contact our Reference Librarian for help finding articles on your topic. If the specific article you need is not available at the DCTC Library either in print or online, you can request the article from another library through interlibrary loan (ILL).

Databases

PubMed (1948 - Present)
PubMed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes over 18 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to 1948. PubMed includes links to full text articles and other related resources.

EBSCO MegaFILE (1865 - Present)
EBSCO MegaFILE is a multi-disciplinary database providing full text for over 19,100 publications. Coverage spans every area of academic study and general interest, including more than 85,800 biographies, 118,000 primary source documents, 10,150 company profiles, and more than 293,000 images. EBSCO MegaFILE combines Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, MasterFILE Premier, and Regional Business News.

Periodicals

Community Dental Health
We keep the current year plus three previous years. See the Community Dental Health web site for more information.

Dentistry Today
We keep the current year plus three previous years. See the Dentistry Today web site for more information.

International Journal of Orthodontics
We keep the current year plus three previous years. See the International Journal of Orthodontics web site for more information.

JADA: The Journal of the American Dental Association
We keep the current year plus five previous years. The JADA web site has full text from January 1995 to 12 months ago.

Journal of Public Health Dentistry
We keep the current year plus five previous years. See the Journal of Public Health Dentistry web site for more information.

Web Sites

Some annotations are adapted from the web sites' own descriptions and Librarians' Internet Index.

Reference Librarian