DDS Curriculum

The clinical component of the Doctor of Dental Surgery educational program is provided by the departments of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontology, General Dentistry, Oral Biology and Pathology, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Conjoint courses are offered in oral diagnosis, radiology, occlusion, pain control and emergency care. Students are introduced to patient care in a carefully controlled environment according to a timetable adjusted to each student's ability.

Students are taught to obtain a medical and psychosocial history and to incorporate this information into the total treatment plan for the patient. Most didactic teaching and preclinical laboratory experience is completed by the end of the second year.

Clinical training begins in the latter part of the first year, with the major portion of clinical experience occurring during the third and fourth years. The student is responsible for the complete care of the patients assigned to them. When the services of a specialist are required, the student participates in the treatment as provided by the appropriate dental consultant. All phases of patient care are closely supervised by the professional staff.

Students are trained in the efficient use of dental assistants in a special program of dental auxiliary utilization and management. The objective of the program is to teach new concepts of dental health care delivery by training dental students to be able to practice four-handed, sit-down dentistry effectively and efficiently. Specially trained dental assistant teachers work with students to accomplish these objectives.

During the fourth year, students conduct their practices in cubicles equipped and maintained as private general dental offices in which they provide care to a panel of patients assigned to them. The manner in which their patients are treated is designed as a general practice with general dentists of the faculty supervising care. Additional faculty representing all specialties are available for consultation with the students and treatment of their patients, if needed. The goal of the clinical experience in the fourth year is to duplicate as closely as possible how a general dental practice is conducted in a community setting. In addition, during the fourth year, students may participate in one of the many selective programs offered by the various departments of the school or its affiliate regional hospitals.

The program of study leading to the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree consists of a fixed sequence of courses as listed below. Enrollment in the second, third and fourth years requires the satisfactory completion of all courses in the previous year. Exception may be made in special cases as described in the section on academic standing. Course hours listed may vary. The sequencing of courses, course titles and course hours are subject to modification to reflect changing concepts in dental education and curriculum revisions.

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HSC Bulletin

First Year Program

Course # Title Hours
MED 500B Basic Mechanisms of Disease 360
HDG 522 Cariology 19
HDG 521 Clinic I: Introduction to Patient Care 30
HDI 502 Community I: Population, Oral Health and Epidemiology 8
HDG 511 Dental Morphology / Occlusion 60
HBA 522 Embryology 12
HDI 501 Foundations in Dental Professional Development I 3
HBA 521 Gross Anatomy of the Head, Neck and Trunk 141
HDP 501 Introduction to Periodontics 31
MED 500B Molecular Foundations of Medicine 330
HBA 531 Nervous System 65
HDG 512 Operative Dentistry I 120
HDO 501 Oral Biology I 31
MED 500C Pathogens and Host Defense 10
HDI 505 Patient I: Communication and Examination 56
HBY 521B Physiology 90
HDR 503 Radiology I 49


Second Year Program

Course # Title Hours
HDC 601 Childrens Dentistry I 95
HDG 602 Dental Materials Science II  18
HDP 601 Diagnosis & Treatment of Perio Disease I 56
HDE 611 Endodontic Technique 45
HDI 601 Evidenced Based Dentistry & Critical Thinking 18
HDR 611 Fixed Partial Pros. Technique 152
HDI 604 Foundations in Dental Professional Development II 7
HDG 601 Health Care Systems and Clinical Practice 33
HDE 615 Introduction to Endodontics 30
HDS 603 Medical Emergencies I 10
HDG 614 Operative Technique II 12
HDS 601 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 60
HDO 601 Oral Biology II 88
HDS 602 Pain Control I 29
HDS 604 Pain Control II 32
HDI 605 Patient II: Team-Based Oral Diagnosis 80
HBH 531 Pharmacology 31
HDS 602 Physical Diagnosis: Introduction to Family Medicine 30
HDR 613 Removable Prosthodontics Technique 133
HDC 621 Year II Childrens Clinic 95
HDS 621 Year II OMFS Clinic 9
HDG 621 Year II Operative Clinic 131
HDP 621 Year II Periodontics Clinic 56
HDG 622 Year II Radiology Clinic 30


Third Year Program

Course # Title Hours
HDG 708 Advanced Esthetic Concepts 16
HDS 701 Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Treatment Planning 6
HDC 701 Children's Dentistry II 81
HDO 707 Dental Translational Pharmacology 14
HDP 701 Diagnosis & Treatment of Perio Disease II 18
HDI 704 Foundations in Dental Professional Development III 10
HDG 706 Implantology 28
HDS703 Medical Emergencies II 2
HDR 709 Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologic Interpretation 38
HDO 701 Oral Biology III 14
HDO 706 Oral Facial Genetics 22
HDO 705 Oral Medicine 18
HDO 702 Oral Pathology 78
HDO 703 Oral Pathology Conference I 22
HDI 705 Patient III: Interdisciplinary Treatment Planning 53
HDP 702 Periodontal Clinical Seminar 9
HDG 704 Practice Development I 32
HDO 704 Translational Oral Biology 31
HDC 721 Year III Childrens Clinic 516
HDG 725 Year III Endodontics Clinic 30
HDG 722 Year III Fixed Partial Pros. Clinic 218
HDS 721 Year III OMFS Clinic 24
HDG 721 Year III Operative Clinic 248
HDP 721 Year III Perio Clinic 255
HDG 726 Year III Radiology Clinic 20
HDG 723 Year III Removable Pros. Clinic 124


Fourth Year Program

Course # Title Hours
HDR 806 Advanced Imaging Techniques 12
HDR 807  Advanced Removable Prosthodontics 14
HDG 805 Care for Medically Compromised/Geriatric Patients 54
HDI 802 Diagnosis and Management of Oro-Facial Pain 24
HDG 803 General Dentisry Seminar IV 23
HDG 821 GPP Clinic I 440
HDG 822 GPP Clinic II 350
HDS 803 Medical Emergencies III 3
HDO 803 Oral Pathology Conference II 11
HDG 804 Practice Development II 28
HDP 822 Year IV Clinic - Perio I & II 120
HDC 821 Year IV Clinic - DCDD 48
HDG 824 Year IV Clinic - Dental Emergencies 20
HDO 821 Year IV Clinic - Oral Diagnostics 36
HDS 821 Year IV Oral Surgery Clinic 24
HDS 822 Year IV Oral Surgery Hospital Rotation 25
HDG 823 Year IV Radiology Clinic 10

 

Fourth Year Selective Courses (HDI 821)

During the fourth year, students may take up to 120 hours of selective courses.

Department Course Title
Prosthodontics and Digital Technology Year IV Advanced Prosthodontics Selective
Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry Year IV Children's Dentistry Selective
Anesthesiology Year IV Anesthesiology Selective
Endodontics Year IV Endodontics Selective
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Year IV Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Selective
Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry Year IV Orthodontics Selective
Periodontics Year IV Periodontics Selective