An Overview of the Dental School Curriculum

An Overview of the Dental School Curriculum

  Look No Further. Get Started Today. Call: 888-839-9997 e-mail: [email protected] 20 Minutes Free Consultation By J Lin, DMD You’re finally a dental student, congratulations! Now the next step–getting that dental degree. There will be many hoops to jump through before you receive your doctorate. Let’s set you up for success early and give you a rundown on what to expect both clinically and didactically during your years as a dental student. Year One (D1): Standard curriculum includes basic sciences such as anatomy, biochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology, etc. These will be tested on the first board exam (NBDE part I). Students are also exposed to introductory dental classes including dental anatomy, head and neck anatomy, cariology, evidence based dentistry, etc. On the pre-clinical side, students will enter the simulation lab to wax-up teeth to supplement the dental anatomy didactic class. Hand skills for certain dental procedures will also be taught in the sim lab. Anatomy labs may involve dissecting or viewing models to learn head and neck anatomy (and sometimes gross anatomy). While some schools frontload the basic sciences so students can take NBDE part I in the summer after D1, some schools wait until D2 has been completed. Year Two (D2): If a school waits until after D2 for students to take the NBDE part I, then the basic science curriculum will continue into year two. Added to the curriculum will be introductory dental classes (restorative, endodontics, periodontics, pediatrics, prosthodontics, oral surgery, etc). More advanced hand skills will be developed in sim lab classes to complement the didactic knowledge gained. For most schools, before a student is allowed to...