Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) Academics Information

The School of Dentistry is the region’s leader in clinical education and patient care.

This is accomplished by very specific strengths:

• Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) students provide comprehensive care at the Center for Oral Health Care & Research, a $96.5 million facility with 198,000 square feet and the most advanced technology available to dental clinicians
• Patient care is coordinated at three levels based on difficulty: dental students, advanced education residents and faculty 
• Dedicated and diverse faculty that are experts in their field teaching primarily at the level of a general dentist
• Students have access to the most advanced technology available, including: electronic patient record, digital radiography, CAD/CAM, digital impressions and virtual submission to lab
• An extensive outreach program offers students experience with various models of oral health care systems
• The integrated dental hygiene program allows dental and dental hygiene students to collaborate effectively 
• A selective program permits students to have some customization to their experiences based on interests

Beginning with DS1s entering in 2017, the curriculum for the first two years features:

• Integrated basic and clinical sciences; foundation science in context; “just-in-time” learning
• Learning about the craniofacial region, before the systemic health and disease
• Reinforcement of didactic material through preclinical activities
• Earlier hand skills development/earlier clinical experiences
• Earlier transition to clinic with DS 2 didactic and preclinical curriculum ending in mid-March

The curriculum structure divides the courses into three tracks:

• Human Health and Disease (HHD): Emphasizes the integrated foundation knowledge
• Foundations of Restorative Dentistry (FRD): Highlights clinical hand skill development
• Introduction to Patient Care (IPC): Combines tracks for non-surgical patient care experiences in small groups

The contemporary and integrated curriculum provides our students:

• An easier transition to junior clinic
• More meaningful clinical experiences due to the knowledge and skills learned in the first and second year curriculum
• More applications of critical thinking/problem solving skills

A sample plan of study for the Doctor of Dental Surgery program from the catalog shows the normal sequence in which courses are taught.