Dental Program

Dentistry is the branch of the healing arts and sciences devoted to maintaining the health of the teeth, the gums, and other hard and soft tissues of the oral cavity. The absence of tooth decay, periodontal disease, malocclusion, oral-facial anomalies, and other oral disorders contributes to proper mastication and to normal speech and facial appearance. Early detection of oral cancer and systemic conditions that manifest themselves through the mouth are necessary for the maintenance of general health. In other words, the wide spread concept that a dentist is one who "fixes teeth" is descriptive of only one area of a dentist's responsibility. The dentist is, in fact, a person dedicated to the highest standards of health through the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all oral diseases and conditions.

Additional information about dentistry may be obtained by contacting the American Dental Association and/or the American Dental Education Association at the addresses listed below:

Opportunities in Dentistry

The properly motivated young person with scientific curiosity, intelligence, ambition, and social consciousness can find a highly rewarding career in dentistry. As a health professional, he or she would be highly regarded by the community and often called upon to provide community consultation and services. In fact, a 1994 Gallup Poll listed dentistry as the third most trusted profession in America. The monetary rewards of being a health professional assure financial security with the average net income of a general dentist being over $175,000 and the average net income of the dental specialist being over $265,000. This places the average income of a dentist in the highest 8% of U.S. family incomes.

There are now more than 150,000 dentists in the United States, of whom about 135,000 are active in the profession, or approximately one dentist for every 1,500 persons. However, dentists are very unevenly distributed, and the average number of persons per dentist ranges from less than 1,000 in some states to more than 3,000 in others. Even in the best supplied states there are often rural areas and intercity areas of urban communities that are seriously under served.

Not only is there an immediate need for more dentists in these under served areas, but because of an increasing public awareness of the importance of oral health and the development of new mechanisms for financing dental care, the demand for dentists' services can be expected to increase in most areas of the country. Dental prepayment or insurance is one of these mechanisms. Moreover, most proposals for national health insurance contain some provision for children's dental care, and several provide for the phasing in of adult dental benefits.

While more efficient practice methods, better utilization of auxiliary and personnel, and improved programs of prevention will undoubtedly enable the dentist of tomorrow to expend professional services to more patients, the fact remains that a larger number of dentists will be needed in the years ahead if all segments of the population are to have access to the care they need. The Sixth Report to the President and Congress on the Status of Health Professions in the U.S., reported there is little doubt that in lieu of some dramatic intervention we can expect a shortage of dentists, maybe as soon as 2010 by certainly by 2020."

Career Options for Dentists

The dental profession offers a variety of career options. The dentist may choose general dentistry or one of the eight recognized dental specialties. He or she may establish his or her own private practice or work as an employed dentist for another dentist or a public or private agency or institution. The dentist may choose solo or group practice or work with other health professionals in the provision of total health care. Career opportunities are also available in the armed forces. Some dentists serve as administrators or public health practitioners. Dental research or education offers further career opportunities to dentists. Some of these career possibilities are described below.

General Practice

Most dentists engage in general practice, bringing their skills in oral diagnosis, prevention and rehabilitation directly to the patient. The general practitioner is not only called upon to restore damaged or missing tooth structure but can also provide a positive program of preventative oral health care. General practice offers great personal rewards through the improvement of the oral health of individual patients an individuals. Approximately 80 percent of the active dental population is currently engaged in general practice.

Specialty Practice
The American Dental Association currently recognized eight dental specialties. Becoming a recognized specialist usually requires from one to four years of additional training beyond the dental degree. There are about 32,000 recognized dental specialists. The following outlines the dental specialties.

• Dental Public Health includes the control and prevention of dental disease and the promotion of oral health through organized community efforts. It is that form of dental practice which treats the community rather than the individual as a patient.
• Endodontics deals with the causes, diagnoses, prevention, and treatment of diseases of the pulp and other dental tissues which affect the vitality of the teeth.
• Oral Pathology is concerned with diseases which affect the oral mucous membranes as well as other tissues which surround the teeth.
• Oral Surgery includes a broad scope of diagnostic, operative, and related services dealing with diseases, injuries, and defects in the jaws and associated structures.
• Orthodontics is the science of tooth and oral structure development. The orthodontist treats problems related to irregular dental development, missing teeth, and other abnormalities in order to establish normal functioning and appearance.
• Pediatric Dentistry deals with the diagnosis and treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults whose dental development is not complete.
• Periodontics deals with the treatment of the soft and hard tissues which surround and support the teeth.
• Prosthodontics is the science and art of replacing missing natural teeth and associated structures with fixed or removable substitutes.

Education and Research
An increasing number of dentists are pursuing careers in dental education and research. The changing character of dentistry reflects recent research findings. New drugs, new and improved dental restorative materials, high speed dental equipment, water fluoridation, and scores of other dental developments of the recent past influence today's dental practice, and new discoveries will modify and improve dentistry in the years ahead.

Federal Dental Services
Many dentists serve the dental health needs of the nation's military personnel and assist the government in the design, administration, and execution of dental public health and research programs. Currently there are over 6,000 dentists in the commissioned dental corps of the U.S. Army, Navy Air Force, and Public Health service and in the Veterans Administration. Dentists are offered attractive incentives to become career officers in the uniformed services. Dentists employed in the civilian branches of the federal, state, and local governments are frequently compensated at a level approximating that of their colleagues in private practice.

Other Possible Careers
Each year the horizons of dentistry are expanded, and new areas of dental service are created. In practice, industry, government, dental societies, national scientific organizations, and educational institutions there is a critical need for dental manpower.

Philosophy
A major goal of the College of Dentistry is to provide the physical facility and service atmosphere conducive to comprehensive patient care. The prime mission of the College of Dentistry is to prepare competent general practitioners and dental hygienists who can satisfactorily practice dentistry and dental hygiene in any area of the country and render comprehensive patient care. Emphasis is placed on the understanding of the community, on preventive dentistry, and on all components of the therapeutic procedures constituting the professions of dentistry and dental hygiene.

Accreditation
The University of Nebraska is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the accrediting agency for the region in which the University is located.

The programs in dental hygiene, dentistry, and advanced dental education are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Post Secondary Accreditation and the United States Department of Education.

Summer Programs
UNMC Summer Medical and Dental Education Program(SMDEP)
SMDEP Student Application

Last modified: April 3, 2007 7:50 AM