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.
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
|
