Education Of A Dentist

By Author: Bimol Bee
Total Articles: 868
Comment this article

The definition of dentistry is known as "evaluation, diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment (nonsurgical, surgical or related procedures) of diseases, disorders and/or conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and/or the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body". To implement this knowledge in life is the work of a dentist. An accredited professional can work in the field of dentistry after graduating with a degree of either Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), Bachelor of Dentistry (BDent), Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc), or Bachelor of Dental Surgery/Chirurgiae (BDS) or (BChD) or equivalent. Generally, one should complete at least 4 years of postgraduate study to become a dentist in majority of western countries. Whereas in most countries, dentists are honoured with a title ‘Doctor’ even without Doctoral degree or medical degree. Such specialists as dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental technicians, and dental therapists should help and assist dentists during various oral health procedures.

Main Tasks of General Dentistry

Preventing, ...
... evaluating, diagnosing, and treating diseases of the oral cavity and associated structures (e.g. the temporomandibular joint), together with maintaining the functionality and aesthetics of the teeth and associated tissues and structures are the tasks of General practitioners of dentistry (http://www.360career.com/content/Dentist-Education.asp ). Their responsibilities can include drugs and x-rays prescription as well as treatment with devices for home or in-office use.

A number of oral diseases (e.g. bilateral odontogenic keratocysts) and abnormalities (e.g. several unerupted teeth) can signal that there are some systemic, neural, or other diseases. Therefore, these patients are sent to physicians and other specialists. Regularly cleaning teeth is usually performed not by dentists, as many believe, but by other specialists in the oral health sphere (e.g. dental hygienists). Together with regular examinations, the majority of general practitioners of dentistry carry out prosthetic, restorative, regular endodontic therapy, routine periodontal therapy, and easy exodontias. They have the right to decide what cases are to be treated by themselves and what should be directed to another specialist for further care. A lot of difficult procedures are often referred to specialists.

Specialties

Apart from general dentistry, there are 9 dental specialties acknowledged in the US, Canada, and Australia. A student becomes specialist after training in a residency or advanced graduate training program. The doctor is awarded with a certificate of specialty training, once residency is completed. Several specialty programs have elective or obligatory advanced degrees, e.g. (MD/MBBS specific to Maxillofacial Surgery), MS, or PhD.

• Dental public health is the study of dental epidemiology and social health policies;
• Endodontics deals with root canal therapy and study of diseases of the dental pulp;
• Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology is defined as the study, diagnosis, and occasionally the treatment of oral and maxillofacial related diseases;
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology is the study and radiological interpretation of oral and maxillofacial diseases;
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery refers to extractions, facial surgery and implants;
• Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics deals with the straightening of teeth and modification of midface and mandibular growth;
• Anesthesiology is based on study of pain relief through advanced use of local and general anesthesia techniques;
• Periodontics refers to the treatment of diseases of the periodontium (non-surgical and surgical) and placement and maintenance of dental implants;
• Pediatric Dentistry is the dentistry for children, previously called "pedodontics"
• Prosthodontics is the study of dentures, bridges and the restoration of implants. Some prosthodontists advance their training in "oral and maxillofacial prosthodontic”, wich is a discipline concerned with the replacement of missing facial structures (e.g. ears, eyes, nose, etc).

Special category: Oral Biology - Research in Dental and Craniofacial Biology

There are forms of dental education where post-graduate formal university training is not obligatory. These are cosmetic dentistry, dental implant and temporo-mandibular joint therapy.

Such forms of dental education generally require the attendance of one or several continuing education courses that last for some days. Certain limitations are applied to the dentists who tend to call themselves specialists in these fields. The local dental licensing bodies control these specialist titles, which are registrable ones.

Documentation and verification of identity performed via gathering and use of dental evidence in law is called Forensic odontology. Therefore any dentist with experience or training in this field can act as a forensic dentist.

The dental care of older adults which implies the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of problems connected with normal ageing and age-related diseases as part of an interdisciplinary team with other health care professionals is named as Geriatric dentistry or geriodontics. The deliver of dental care to animals is well-known as veterinary dentistry, a specialty of veterinary medicine.

dentist education