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.
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.
Cosmetic dentistry is generally used to refer to any dental work that improves the appearance of teeth, gums and/or bite. It primarily focuses on improvement in dental aesthetics in color, position, shape, size, alignment and overall smile appearance. Many dentists refer to themselves as "cosmetic dentists" regardless of their specific education, specialty, training, and experience in this field. This has been considered unethical with a predominant objective of marketing to patients. The American Dental Association does not recognize cosmetic dentistry as a formal specialty area of dentistry. However, there are still dentists that promote themselves as cosmetic dentists.
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.
Dentistry throughout the world is practiced differently, and training in dentistry varies as well.
A dental school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches dental medicine to prospective dentists and potentially other dental auxiliaries. Dental school graduates receive a degree in Dentistry, Dental Surgery, or Dental Medicine, which, depending upon the jurisdiction, might be a bachelor's degree, master's degree, a professional degree, or a doctorate. Schools can also offer postgraduate training in general dentistry, and/or training in endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, orthodontics, pedodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, dental public health, restorative dentistry, as well as postgraduate training for dental hygienists and dental technicians.
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.
The University of Dental Medicine, Yangon, is the leading university of dental medicine, located in Yangon, Myanmar. The university, along with the University of Dental Medicine, Mandalay, is one of only two universities of dental medicine in the country. The annual intake into both dental universities used to be 300 but from 2017 the annual intake for each university has been decreased to only 100. The country with a population of over 50 million had only about 1,500 dentists in 2005.
Dr. Manga Shiv Lingam Gowd, also known by the names M. S. Gowd or M. S. Goud, is a dental surgeon prosthodontist from Andhra Pradesh, India, with fellowship in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and many International Fellowships.
Dennis Perry Tarnow is an American dentist specializing in periodontics, prosthodontics and implant dentistry and is known for his mark on dental implant research and education. He is currently director of implant dentistry at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and former chairman of the department of periodontics and implant dentistry at New York University College of Dentistry. He is a sought after speaker on the subject of implant 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.
The School of Dentistry is a dental school within Meharry Medical College located in the United States city of Nashville, Tennessee.
Paul S. Wright, is the emeritus professor in prosthetic dentistry at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. He also chair of the General Dental Council's, Specialist Dental Education Board.
Ganesh Kumar Mani is an Indian cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, reported to have performed over 20,500 Coronary artery bypass surgeries. He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2013, by bestowing on him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the fields of medicine and medical education.
Harpinder Singh Chawla is an Indian dental surgeon, medical researcher and writer, known for his work in pediatric dentistry. Born on 15 March 1945 to Sukhdev Singh and Iqbal Kaur Chawla in Amritsar, the temple town in the Indian state of Punjab, he graduated in Dentistry from the Government Dental College and Hospital, Amritsar in 1967. He did his post graduation in the speciality of pedodontics and preventive dentistry from the same college in 1970. He joined Institute of Medical Education and Research in 1970.He started his career as a registrar at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh in 1970 and worked in several capacities such as lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor and professor and is the incumbent Head of the Oral Health Science Center of PGIMER.
Santosh Kumar Sen was an Indian surgeon and the president of the Association of Surgeons of India. He was the first Indian surgeon to be elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Andrew Howard Eric Eder is foundation dean and emeritus professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Buckingham Dental Institute and honorary consultant in restorative dentistry at Milton Keynes University Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust. He is also Emeritus Professor of Restorative Dentistry and Dental Education at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute.
