Dentistry in the United States

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The practice of dentistry in the United States is overseen by several agencies, including the American Dental Association, the Commission on Dental Accreditation, and the regional boards. Ultimate licensure is the responsibility of individual states. There are roughly 190,000 practicing dentists in the United States. [1]

Contents

Dental education

In order to be accepted to an American dental school, most candidates must possess at least a bachelor's degree, which requires the successful completion of all appropriate pre-requisite courses.

The first 2 years of dental school consist mostly of didactic education, in addition to simulation courses[ clarification needed ]. The last two years generally involve direct patient care under supervision. There tends to be much overlap in most schools' curricula; the didactic years may have some clinical components, while the last two years still have significant didactic coursework.

During dental school, students must take and successfully pass Part I and Part II of the National Board Dental Examination (also known as "the Boards"), which are administered by the ADA. Part I is usually taken after the second year of dental school, while Part II is usually taken sometime in the fourth year.

The cost of attending a dental school is high; most newly graduated dentists have borrowed US$200,000 or more in student loans and other debts to pay for their education. [2]

Licensure

Accredited programs

The first step in practicing dentistry in the United States is graduating from an accredited dental degree program in the United States and Canada. [3] The graduates of Australian dental schools cannot be licensed in the United States. The reciprocity agreement between CDAC (Canada) and Australia does not extend to the United States and its Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The reciprocity agreement that CODA has with CDAC only covers Canadian programs. CODA does have policies and procedures in place for accrediting established international predoctoral education programs.[ citation needed ]

Regional boards

Most states require candidates to pass a regional board exam. Regional boards are agencies which are contracted to test graduating dental students on clinical skills for a specific region of the country. These exams usually have several components, both written and clinical, and the latter is performed on live patients. The different boards include the Northeast Regional Board of Dental Examiners (usually referred to as the "NERB"), the Western Regional Examining Board (usually referred to as the "WREB"), the Central Regional Dental Testing Service (CRDTS), and the Southern Regional Testing Agency (SRTA). California, Colorado, Connecticut, and Minnesota are states which allow candidates to complete a 1-year General Practice Residency (GPR), or an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) in lieu of a regional board exam. As of 2007, New York no longer accepted the NERB, and has since required all graduates to complete a GPR or AEGD.[ citation needed ]

Specialty training

Dental graduates have the option of pursuing specialty training. Currently, the American Dental Association formally recognizes 12 [4] specialties:

Dental economics

Until the late 20th century, most of dentistry was paid directly by patients. Today, funding for dentistry includes: self-payment, private insurance, employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid, and SCHIP.

The median annual earnings of salaried dentists in the United States was $136,960 in May 2006, indicating a high degree of scarcity for qualified personnel. The opinions and thoughts of dentists, much like those of other professionals, are sought after by their organizations and clients. The dentist creates a diagnosis, consults the patient, and conceptualizes a treatment. [8] In 2009, Dental assistants made roughly $14.40 an hour, about $32,000 annually. Unlike dentists, dental assistants do not have much influence over the treatment of patients. [9] They carry out routine procedures and follow the dentists' instructions.

Criticisms

Since 1977, evidence has shown that seeing a dentist every six months, as is standard in the United States, is not associated with improved dental or oral health. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Some of the largest dentistry companies in the United States have been subject to class-action lawsuits for their fraudulent practices. [15] [16] [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dentistry</span> Branch of medicine

Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the mouth, most commonly focused on dentition as well as the oral mucosa. Dentistry may also encompass other aspects of the craniofacial complex including the temporomandibular joint. The practitioner is called a dentist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dentist</span> Health care occupations caring for the mouth and teeth

A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in providing oral health services. The dental team includes dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental technicians, and sometimes dental therapists.

The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 161,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of Chicago, the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association. The organization lobbies on behalf of the American dental profession and provides dental accreditation.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a surgical specialty focusing on reconstructive surgery of the face, facial trauma surgery, the oral cavity (mouth), head and neck, and jaws, as well as facial cosmetic surgery/facial plastic surgery including cleft lip and cleft palate surgery.

Prosthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry, is the area of dentistry that focuses on dental prostheses. It is one of 12 dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA), Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. The ADA defines it as "the dental specialty pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the oral function, comfort, appearance and health of patients with clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes."

A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA School of Dentistry</span> Medical school in Los Angeles, California, United States

The UCLA School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in the Center for Health Sciences building in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. The school has several educational and training programs, conducts oral and dental health research, and offers affordable dental care at three locations: Westwood, Venice, and Inglewood. The school also participates in several outreach endeavors, including numerous health fairs during the year, STEM pipeline programs and provides dental care for underserved populations in the region. The School of Dentistry is considered among the nation's best research-intensive dental schools.

The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of Tennessee. It is in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, and its facilities are part of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The college has a four-year program and approximately 320 students.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is the dental school of the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). It is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of Pitt's six schools of the health sciences and one of several dental schools in Pennsylvania. It is closely affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The School of Dental Medicine accepted 3.6% of applicants for the class of 2016, a record low for the school's entire history.

An oral medicine or stomatology doctor/dentist has received additional specialized training and experience in the diagnosis and management of oral mucosal abnormalities including oral cancer, salivary gland disorders, temporomandibular disorders and facial pain, taste and smell disorders; and recognition of the oral manifestations of systemic and infectious diseases. It lies at the interface between medicine and dentistry. An oral medicine doctor is trained to diagnose and manage patients with disorders of the orofacial region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dental education throughout the world</span>

Dentistry throughout the world is practiced differently, and training in dentistry varies as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oral and maxillofacial radiology</span>

Oral and maxillofacial radiology, also known as dental and maxillofacial radiology, or even more common DentoMaxilloFacial Radiology, is the specialty of dentistry concerned with performance and interpretation of diagnostic imaging used for examining the craniofacial, dental and adjacent structures.

Restorative dentistry is the study, diagnosis and integrated management of diseases of the teeth and their supporting structures and the rehabilitation of the dentition to functional and aesthetic requirements of the individual. Restorative dentistry encompasses the dental specialties of endodontics, periodontics and prosthodontics and its foundation is based upon how these interact in cases requiring multifaceted care. This may require the close input from other dental specialties such as orthodontics, paediatric dentistry and special care dentistry, as well as surgical specialties such as oral and maxillofacial surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio State University College of Dentistry</span> College of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, United States

The Ohio State University College of Dentistry is one of the graduate and professional schools of Ohio State University. The college is the fourth largest public dental school in the U.S. and consists of nine academic divisions representing all major dental specialties. In addition to the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) and Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degrees, the Ohio State College of Dentistry offers specialty training programs, advanced training programs, MS programs, and a Ph.D. program in Oral Biology. Outreach and Engagement activities include over 60 active programs and more than 42 extramural sites, which continue to expand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pediatric dentistry</span> Branch of dentistry

Pediatric dentistry is the branch of dentistry dealing with children from birth through adolescence. The specialty of pediatric dentistry is recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry</span> Dental school in Nashville, Tennessee

The School of Dentistry is a dental school within Meharry Medical College located in the United States city of Nashville, Tennessee.

The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry (UKCD) is the dental school of the University of Kentucky. It is located in the city of Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It is one of two dental schools in Kentucky.

In the United States and Canada, there are twelve recognized dental specialties in which some dentists choose to train and practice, in addition to or instead of general dentistry. In the United Kingdom and Australia, there are thirteen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastman Institute for Oral Health</span> School of dentistry

Eastman Institute for Oral Health of University of Rochester is a school of dentistry located at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, United States. Unlike other dental schools in the United States, it does not have an undergraduate dental program. It is affiliated with Strong Memorial Hospital.

References

  1. ↑ "Health, United States, 2012" (PDF). United States Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  2. ↑ Jabr, Ferris (May 2019). "The Truth About Dentistry". The Atlantic. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "Dental Licensing, Certification, and Education in the United States". For You Dental. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Recognized Dental Specialties". Archived from the original on 2022-07-16. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  5. ↑ "Anesthesiology recognized as a dental specialty". Archived from the original on 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  6. ↑ "Oral medicine recognized as a dental specialty". Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  7. ↑ "ADA Recognizes Orofacial Pain as Dentistry's Twelfth Specialty". June 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  8. ↑ "Income and nature of work of dentists". Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. Retrieved September 13, 2006.
  9. ↑ "Income and nature of work of dental assistants". Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  10. ↑ "The Six Month Dental Recall – Science or Legend?". sciencebasedmedicine.org. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  11. ↑ Carroll, Aaron E. (29 August 2016). "Surprisingly Little Evidence for the Accepted Wisdom About Teeth". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  12. ↑ Fee, Patrick A.; Riley, Philip; Worthington, Helen V.; Clarkson, Janet E.; Boyers, Dwayne; Beirne, Paul V. (October 14, 2020). "Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020 (10): CD004346. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004346.pub5. ISSN   1469-493X. PMC   8256238 . PMID   33053198.
  13. ↑ Sheiham, A. (27 August 1977). "Is there a scientific basis for six-monthly dental examinations?". Lancet. 2 (8035): 442–444. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(77)90620-1. ISSN   0140-6736. PMID   70653. S2CID   26573870.
  14. ↑ "Recall intervals for oral health in primary care patients". ebd.ada.org. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  15. ↑ "IMPACT: 'Dentists' probe leads to new Texas law". Center for Public Integrity. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  16. ↑ "Texas tries to crack down on dental chains that put profits ahead of patients". Center for Public Integrity. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  17. ↑ "Aspen Dental faces class action suit". Center for Public Integrity. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
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