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The Role of a Dentist

Dentists are health care professionals who provide preventive and restorative treatments for problems that affect the mouth and teeth. They help people maintain and improve their oral health, quality of life and appearance. Dentists receive a great deal of personal satisfaction by providing an essential community health service treating everyone "the healthy, the ill, the young, the elderly, the disadvantaged and those with special needs. Research suggests an increasing number of links between oral diseases and other health concerns. Dentists are often the first health care providers to recognize and identify a number of illnesses" including cancer and cardiovascular problems. Tomorrow s dentists will be on the cutting edge of advanced technology, making the practice of dentistry even more challenging and rewarding.

Professional Outlook

Dentistry offers many rewarding career options that combine science and technology while helping people enhance and maintain their oral health. The job outlook is favorable and exceptional career opportunities exist for all new dentists. Large numbers of dentists are projected to retire in the next 20 years, and new dentists will be needed in private practice, hospitals, and military, as teachers and researchers and in public health dentistry. Increasing numbers of mature adults are maintaining their teeth longer and, as a result, there is an increased demand for cosmetic services such as bonding and whitening. Advancements in dental technology such as digital radiography, laser systems and informatics will allow dentists to provide more effective treatments. New information about the relationship of oral health to general health makes dentistry an important health profession for the future.

Curriculum

Our curriculum will be patient-centered; our learning environment will be student-centered. Our students will be treated as members of the profession from the very first day of school, with all the rights, privileges and, most importantly, responsibilities of any professional. Their highest priority will be the patient. Our graduates will be men and women who can gather and analyze information in a systematic fashion in order to provide patient-centered, evidence-based care. They will be technically competent practitioners who will get a head start on developing their skills in state-of-the art simulation clinics. Students will gain extensive clinical experience on campus and in various community-based settings. Our graduates will be life-long learners who are comfortable working in collaboration with other health care professionals to provide comprehensive care to a culturally diverse group of patients; including the very young, medically compromised, and ever growing population of mature adults. The curriculum will incorporate business, practice management, leadership and communication skills to enable them to be successful in their profession and in their communities. More importantly, our graduates will be good people, and proud to be graduates of Western University of Health Sciences.

DMD Curriculum by Class Year*

Fall Term - Year 1

Introduction to Clinical Comprehensive Care Dentistry
Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 1
Clinical Service Learning & Community Dentistry 1
Essentials of Clinical Medicine I
The Healthcare Provider and Society 1
Gross Anatomy
Head and Neck Anatomy
The Molecular and Cellular Basis of Medicine
Integrated Case-Based Learning 1

Spring Term - Year 1

Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 2
Essentials of Clinical Medicine II
Neuroscience System
Musculoskeletal System
Introduction to Disease, Immunity and Therapeutics
Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry
Blood and Lymphatic System
Integrated Case-Based Learning 2

Summer Term - Year 2

Clinical Comprehensive Care Dentistry 1
Clinical Service Learning & Community Dentistry 1

Fall Term - Year 2

Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 3
Clinical Service Learning & Community Dentistry 3
The Healthcare Provider and Society 2
Essentials of Clinical Medicine III
Cardiovascular System
Renal System
Respiratory System
Endocrine System
Integrated Case-Based Learning 3

Spring Term - Year 2

Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 4
Clinical Sevrice Learning & Community Dentistry 4
Essentials of Clinical Medicine IV
Dermal System
Reproductive System
Gastrointestinal System
Geriatrics
Pediatrics
Integrated Case-Based Learning 4

Summer Term - Year 3

Clinical Comprehensive Care Dentistry 2
Clinical Service Learning & Community Dentistry 5
Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 5

Fall Term - Year 3

Advanced Practice Management 1
Clinical Comprehensive Care Dentistry 3
Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 6: Advanced Seminars
Clinical Service Learning & Community Dentistry 6

Spring Term - Year 3

Advanced Practice Management 2
Clinical Comoprehensive Care Dentistry 4
Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 7: Advanced Seminars
linical Diagnostic, Oral Medicine and Pathology
Clinical Periodontics
Clinical Restorative Dentistry (Including Operative, Fixed- and Removable Prosthodontics)
Clinical Endodontics
Clinical Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Including Pain Management and Sedation)
Clinical Peditrics Dentistry
Clinical Orthodontics
Clinical Service Learning & Community Dentistry 7
Clinical Interprofessional Healthcare Delivery 1

Summer Term - Year 4

Advanced Practice Management 3
Clinical Comprehensive Care dentistry 5
Clinical Service Learning & Community Dentistry 8
Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 8: Advanced Seminars

Fall Term - Year 4

Ethics and Jurisprudence
Clinical Comprehensive Care Dentistry 6
Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 9: Advanced Seminars
Clinical Dignostic, Oral Medicine and Pathology
Clinical Periodontics
Clinical Restorative Dentistry (Including Operative, Fixed- and Removeable- Prosthodontics)
Clinical Endodontics
Clinical Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Including Pain Managementand Sedation)
Clinical Pediatric Dentistry
Clinical Orthodontics
Clinical service Learning and Community Dentistry 9
Clinical Interprofessional Healthcare Delivery 2

Spring Term - Year 4

Essentials of Clinical Dentistry 10: Advanced Seminars
Clinical service Learning and Community Dentistry 10

*Subject to Change

Accreditation

The College of Dental Medicine is seeking initial accreditation of its dental education program (DMD program) from the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. The Commission serves as the United States Department of Education-recognized programmatic accrediting body for dentistry.

Approval of the DMD program by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is pending.