Talk:Doctor of Dental Surgery

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[edit] Attempt

I've attempted to add a little bit to the article. I hope it helps improve it, although someone else might want to look over what I wrote for factual accuracy. I don't have any references, but I'll look for some :)--72.141.60.5 23:29, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

The edit is much appreciated. Hopefully we can find some references to help improve the article. Keep up the work! - Dozenist talk 23:52, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Needed references

I would like some references on:

1) dmd programs providing training with general medical students as a requirement for the degree

2) dds programs summer time, "clerkships," equating a six year degree

3) "DDS graduates could confidently practice oral and maxillofacial surgery at a specialty level until 1997" reference?

4) "1997 when the American Dental Association House of Delegates revised the definitions of specialties; at this time the two degrees were deemed equal." reference?

5) "Until 1992 the United States government Medicaid and Medicare systems recognized the significant difference and denied DMD graduates from participating as providers due to their lack of surgical training."

To clear this the ADA has clarified that there is no distinction between the two.

"According to the American Dental Association (ADA): "There is no difference between the two degrees; dentists who have a D.M.D. or D.D.S. have the same education. Universities have the prerogative to determine what degree is awarded. Both degrees use the same curriculum requirements set by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. Generally, three or more years of undergraduate education plus four years of dental school is required to graduate and become a general dentist. State licensing boards accept either degree as equivalent, and both degrees allow licensed individuals to practice the same scope of general dentistry. Additional post-graduate training is required to become a dental specialist, such as an orthodontist, periodontist or oral and maxillofacial surgeon."" -http://www.atsu.edu/asdoh/programs/dental_medicine/index.htm

This article as it stands is seriously flawed and misinformed. I doubt the above-requested references will be forthcoming because:

1) dmd programs did not hold class time with medical students as a requisite for the degree, ever.

2) summer clerkships don't make a six year degree.

3) dds graduates (as well as dmd graduates for that matter) have required a separate dental residency to practice Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for decades.

4) the degrees have always been "equal"--there never was a 1997 revision of the definition os specialities concerning dds and dmd degrees.

5) medicaid and medicare have never made a distinction between dds and dmd. Sorry.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.112.109.253 (talk • contribs) 19:42, 10 May 2006.

The disputed information can be confirmed by contacting the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.208.85.219 (talk • contribs) 17:36, 21 May 2006.

I am a dentist and graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine. Students of that program graduate with DMD degree. It is true that our first two years of basic medical science courses were taken with the medical students. That is not the case for DDS programs, which have separate classes for dental students.

I deleted the rest of the original article because it is blatantly false. I showed it to a collegue of mine who graduated from a DDS program and he agreed that the rest of it was incorrect. There is no point in asking for references. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.90.196.25 (talk • contribs).

I am currently in a dds program, and the program has 1 class where pharmacy and dental students share classtime. Also, the program used to have dental and medical students share classes. I really doubt that the differences between the two program are based on med/dental class time, and references will always be needed. Even if what I think is right, the article will be much improved with references. - Dozenist talk 23:59, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Comments on "Lifestyle" in this article might be constructively deleted and/or moved to the article on dentists. Done. Articles look and read much better when the proper style for citing references is used, corrected today. Anyone besides me wonder why the author references admissions guidelines for a Canadian dental school in an article on a US dental degree:) I'll get to that later. Exdmd 07:46, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Nice work on cleaning up the article. It reads and looks much better. I would not be surprised if Canada also has DDS degrees, and thus it may be a good idea to include any information we get on that or any other DDS degrees. Oh, and I readded the other language versions of the article and academic degree templates to this article and the DMD article. They were previously there but may have gotten lost in the new edits. - Dozenist talk 13:12, 18 December 2006 (UTC)