Dental degree

Dr. Enas Ahmed Elmin

BDS, MD DPH

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Education and Training:
• Dentists must be licensed in all states; requirements vary by
state.
• To qualify for a license in most states, applicants must
graduate from an accredited dental school and pass written
and practical exams.

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Education
• All dental schools require applicants to have completed
certain required science courses, such as biology and
chemistry.
• Dental schools require students to take classes in subjects
such as local anesthesia, anatomy, periodontology and
radiology.
• All dental schools include practice where students work with
patients in a clinical setting under the supervision of a
licensed dentist.
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Training:
• All nine dental specialties require dentists to complete
additional training before practicing that specialty. They must
usually complete a 1- or 2-year residency in a program
related to their specialty. General dentists do not require any
additional training after dental school.

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Personality and Interests:
• Dentists typically have an interest in the Building, Thinking and
Helping interest areas.
• The Building interest area indicates a focus on working with
tools and machines, and making or fixing practical things.
• The Thinking interest area indicates a focus on researching,
investigating, and increasing the understanding of natural
laws.
• The Helping interest area indicates a focus on assisting,
serving, counseling, or teaching other people.
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Dentists should also possess the following specific qualities:
• Communication skills: They must be able to communicate effectively
with patients, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and receptionists.
• Detail oriented: Dentists must be detail oriented so patients receive
appropriate treatments and medications.
• Dexterity: Dentists must be good at working with their hands. They
work with tools in a limited area.
• Leadership skills: Most dentists work in their own practice. This
requires them to manage and lead a staff.
• Organizational skills: Strong organizational skills, including keeping
accurate records of patient care, are critical in both medical and
business settings.

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• Patience: Dentists may work for long periods of time with
patients who need special attention. Children and patients
with a fear of dental work may require a lot of patience.
• Physical stamina: Dentists should be comfortable
performing physical tasks, such as bending over patients for
long periods.
• Problem-solving skills: Dentists need strong problem-solving
skills. They must evaluate patients’ symptoms and choose
the appropriate treatments.

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BDS & DDS:
• BDS is a dental degree and stands for Bachelor of Dental Surgery.
• It is the exact equivalent of DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) in the US.
• The BDS degree is generally granted by dental schools from Britain or
other countries such as India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand,
Ireland...etc.
• The DDS degree is generally granted by dental schools in US and
many countries like Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, Syria…etc.
• Some US dental schools also grant a degree called as DMD which is
again the same as DDS.

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• The BDS degree is 5 years (1 additional year of training than DDS
which is 4 years).
• In the United States, most state require completion of 2 additional
years of training for foreign dentists (irrespective of BDS, DDS or
DMD) before granting a dental license.
• Some foreign graduates choose to repeat 2 years of general
dentistry and get a second degree like DDS/DMD to satisfy this
requirement.
• Some foreign graduates choose to satisfy this requirement by
specializing in their area of interest (which are about 3-4 more
years of training) and get a specialty certificate as well as a Masters
Degree (MS).
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Dental specialties:
• In addition to general dentistry, there are about 10
recognized dental specialties in the US, Canada, India and
Australia. 
• Many specialty programs have optional or required advanced
degrees such as a master's degree: (MS), doctoral degree:
(PhD), or medical degree: (MD/MBBS specific to maxillofacial
surgery and sometimes oral medicine).

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• Anesthesiology: 3–4 years.
• Orthodontics: 2–3 years.
• Endodontics: 2–3 years.
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery: 4–6 years (additional time for MD/MBBS degree
granting programs)
• Periodontics: 3 years.
• Prosthodontics: 2–3 years.
• Maxillofacial prosthodontics 1 year (a prosthodontist may elect to sub-
specialize in maxillofacial prosthodontics).
• Oral and maxillofacial radiology: 3 years.
• Oral and maxillofacial pathology: 3–5 years.
• Pediatric dentistry: 2–3 years.
• Dental public health: 3 years.
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 Master's degree:
• Is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon
completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-
order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional
practice.
• A master's degree normally requires previous study at
the bachelor's level, either as a separate degree or as part of an
integrated course. Within the area studied, master's graduates are
expected to possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body
of theoretical and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, critical
evaluation, or professional application; and the ability to solve
complex problems and think rigorously and independently.

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Doctor of Medicine(MD):
• Is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between
different jurisdictions. In the United States, Canada and some
other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional graduate
degree awarded upon graduation from medical school.

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 Thanks

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