Doctor of Dental Surgery
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The Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) suffix denotes one of two professional doctorates in the United States and Canada for dentists, the other being Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).
The American Dental Association states that the DDS and DMD degrees are identical, and dentists who hold the DDS have received the same education and training as dentists with the DMD, the difference being merely a matter of preference of terminology by the school granting the degree.[1]
[edit] Training in the U.S.
In order to earn a DDS/DMD at most United States dental schools, at least some undergraduate education is required (although nearly every dental school requires at least a bachelors degree). There is no mandatory course of study while an undergraduate other than satisfactorily completing the requisite "pre-dental" courses; these typically include one year of organic chemistry, in addition to one year of each of the three primary sciences (general biology, chemistry and physics) and a single year of English. In addition to the core preequisites, the dental admissions test (DAT) is also required. The DAT is usually taken during the spring semester of one's junior year. Although the majority of dental schools only require the aforementioned courses, other schools have requirements beyond these, such as a single year of calculus, a single course on biochemistry, anatomy, phsiology or microbiology (notably Harvard, Indiana, UCLA and UCSF). Finally, every dental school, with the exception of Creighton, requires an interview before admissions can be granted. The interview is designed to evaluate the motivation, character and personality of the applicant. It is often a crucial step in the admissions process. The vast majority of dental students major in a science (biology, biochemistry or chemistry); however, this is not required and many students often elect to major in a non-science related field such as, English, Art History, Business, History, Sociology or Psychology. Dental school is becoming increasingly harder to get into. Nearly 12,000 applicants applied for the class of 2011 for approximately 4,300 spots. The average dental school applicant admitted in 2006 for the class of 2010 had an overal GPA of 3.52 and a Science GPA of 3.44. Additionally, the mean DAT Academic Average for the class of 2010 was 19.29 and a Perceptual Ability Test (PAT) score of 18.42; however, many dental schools expect much more. The following is a small list of the statistics for the class of 2010:
- University of Michigan: Cum. GPA = 3.51, Sci. GPA = 3.41, DAT Academic Average = 19.58, PAT = 19.25
- University of Pennsylvania: Cum. GPA = 3.68, Sci. GPA = 3.63, DAT Academic Average = 21, PAT = 19
- Columbia University: Cum. GPA = 3.49, Sci. GPA = 3.44 , DAT Academic Average = 22.16, PAT = 19.06
- University of Maryland: Cum. GPA = 3.5, Sci. GPA = 3.4, DAT Academic Average = 20, PAT = 18.7
- SUNY Stony Brook: Cum. GPA = 3.71, Sci GPA = 3.72, DAT Academic Average = 21, PAT = 19
- UCLA: Cum. GPA = 3.65, Sci. GPA = 3.60, DAT Academic Average = 22, PAT =20
- University of Southern California: Cum. GPA = 3.47, Sci. GPA = 3.37, DAT Academic Average = 20, PAT = 19
Dental school is four years in duration (with the exception of the University of the Pacific, which has maintained the three year format that many schools used to have), and is similar in format to medical school--consisting of two years of basic medical and dental sciences, followed by two years of clinical training (with continued didactic coursework). Before graduating, every dental student must successfully complete the national board dental examination part I and II (comonly referred to as NBDE I & II). The NBDE part I is often taken at the end of the second year after the majority of the didactic courses have been completed. The NBDE part I covers anatomic sciences, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, pathology and dental anatomy and occlusion; however, Nova Southeastern takes the NBDE part I dental examination after their first year. The NBDE part II is taken during the last year of dental school and consists of operative dentistry, pharmacology, endodontics, periodontics, oral surgery, pain control, prosthodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, oral pathology, and radiology. If a student wishes to specialize it is pertinent that they perform exceptionally well on the NBDE part I.
After graduating from dental school, a dentist may apply to a residency program. Some residency programs exist for the purpose of extending the doctor's training in general dentistry, e.g. GPRs (General Practice Residency) and AEGDs (Advanced Education in General Dentistry), both of which are one year in duration but differ in objective.
Other residency programs are specialty programs. They vary in duration, depending on the specialty.
- Orthodontics and endodontics are generally two to three years
- Oral maxillofacial surgery is four to six years (six years if the program offers an additional M.D. degree)
- Periodontics and Prosthodontics are three years, as are Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
- Pediatric dentistry is two years
- Dental Public Health is one to two years
[edit] The DDS in Canada
The Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree is also awarded and recognized in Canada by the Canadian Dental Association. The requirements for an average DDS program (such as from the University of Toronto include a course in biochemistry, in physiology, 2 courses in the Life Sciences (anatomy, biology, genetics, etc.), and an additional course in either the Humanities (art, music, history, etc.) or the Social Sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology, etc.).[2]
Several Universities in Canada offer the DDS degree, including the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Alberta, and Dalhousie University, while the remaining Canadian dental schools offer the Doctorate of Dental Medicine degree to their graduates.
[edit] References
Official Website of the New Jersey Dental School
