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This section describes the certification program. The educational program was open to any person who was at least 21 years old, or good moral character, a resident of the state and had the equivalent of 5 years of experience as a dental laboratory technician. Although the new legislation will eventually permit denturists to provide removable partial dentures, this program and the provisional certification was limited to instruction in complete dentures, and students were required to show their intent to enroll in subsequent programs for full certification.

The program consisted of seven weeks of instruction involving 140 class hours. The course of study was designed and subjects taught so the student would be able to:

1. Take and record medical and dental history.

2. Perform a preliminary oral examination.

3. Recognize office emergencies and assist in first aid procedures

4. Have an understanding of dental ethics and jurispridence

5. Take impressions and bite registrations for the purpose of making. producing, reproducing, constructiong, finishing, altering, repairing, or relining of complete upper or lower prosthetic dentures or both.

There were eight courses in the program including patient management, concerning communication with and special anxieties of the eldrely and the edentulous; performing physical and oral evalutions abd recirding results; anatomy of the edentulous mouth, facial landmarks, osteology, and concepts of occlusion; and oral pathology, including recognition of the deviations from normal and signs of systemic disease, reaction of oral tissues to dentures and sterilization.