Anyone have questions about OMFS residency or the application process?

[omfs2017]

How well did you perform in your first semester or quarter of dental school? From your experience, was getting in the top 10% so cutthroat that a B in a 1 credit course feel devastating?

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[CMistry]

How well did you perform in your first semester or quarter of dental school?

I think I got 2-3 Bs first year. My GPA was around 3.85. First semester GPA was a tad lower than second IIRC.

From your experience, was getting in the top 10% so cutthroat that a B in a 1 credit course feel devastating?

No it was not. Of course I would try to get all As but if I got a B life went right on. I think Bs add some character... and I always thought 3.8+ was pretty damn high, so I wasn't too worried.

 

[omfs2017]

I think I got 2-3 Bs first year. My GPA was around 3.85. First semester GPA was a tad lower than second IIRC.



No it was not. Of course I would try to get all As but if I got a B life went right on. I think Bs add some character... and I always thought 3.8+ was pretty damn high, so I wasn't too worried.

Thank you! That relieves a lot of pent up stress.

 

[omfs2017]

I was planning on taking the CBSE after my first year (7 week long summer) however my school doesn't teach pharmacology until my second year. If I were to take the test the summer after my second year, I would only have one month before classes start again. When do you think is the best time to take the exam? My school also does not teach biochemistry.

What do you think is the logical sequence for reading, in terms of understanding and high yield priority on Step 1, board review series' Biochemistry, Physiology, and Pharmacology?

 

[CMistry]

I was planning on taking the CBSE after my first year (7 week long summer) however my school doesn't teach pharmacology until my second year. If I were to take the test the summer after my second year, I would only have one month before classes start again. When do you think is the best time to take the exam? My school also does not teach biochemistry.

That really depends on when you feel ready. I would advise you to take the two exams at the same time, and I'm guessing your school only allows you to take the NBDE after your second year. One month is enough time to study for the NBDE and CBSE and do well on both, since their content is so similar. Biochemistry is a minor but still significant part of Step 1, so you'll have to teach yourself.

What do you think is the logical sequence for reading, in terms of understanding and high yield priority on Step 1, board review series' Biochemistry, Physiology, and Pharmacology?

Didn't read any of them so I can't comment. But if I was you, I would read biochemistry before anything else.

 

[Phish]

I don't know how Columbia is but I'm pretty sure UPENN doesn't rank their students below 11/??? They only rank their top ten. So the two schools grading schemes probably aren't all that different where it matters.

Columbia ranks their students by thirds (top 1/3, middle 1/3, bottom 1/3).

 

[Expert]

Where do you see the future of the specialty? Do you think dentists with advanced training like AEGD/GPR and periodontists are now starting to take some of the bread and butter OMFS like difficult extractions and implants? Or do you think that OMFS will still retain most of their bread and butter procedures?

 

[CMistry]

Where do you see the future of the specialty? Do you think dentists with advanced training like AEGD/GPR and periodontists are now starting to take some of the bread and butter OMFS like difficult extractions and implants? Or do you think that OMFS will still retain most of their bread and butter procedures?

Fortunately, our scope is so large that I'm not too worried about what is "bread and butter". Of course I think we will do less implants and third molar extractions in the future, but I still think there will be enough advanced cases and complications to keep us busy.

 

[omfs2017]

Fortunately, our scope is so large that I'm not too worried about what is "bread and butter". Of course I think we will do less implants and third molar extractions in the future, but I still think there will be enough advanced cases and complications to keep us busy.

I've read some articles saying that because too many oral surgeons were choosing to practice only extractions and implants that the field was losing its footing and presence in hospital procedures shared with ents and other surgeons. This looks like a good problem.

 

[Driller4dmd]

I'm interested in OMS and just found out I'm eligible for early separation from the military. My plan was to apply during the next application cycle for a 2015 start but now I'm hoping find an open position to start in 2014. Any ideas on how I can find unmatched programs? Would this even be possible if I didn't submit a Pass/Match application?

 

[CMistry]

I'm interested in OMS and just found out I'm eligible for early separation from the military. My plan was to apply during the next application cycle for a 2015 start but now I'm hoping find an open position to start in 2014. Any ideas on how I can find unmatched programs? Would this even be possible if I didn't submit a Pass/Match application?

On match day a list of programs with unmatched spots will be released (it is usually copied and posted on this board since you need a PASS login to view it). Once it is released you can email your materials (C.V., NBDE score reports, CBSE score reports, undergrad transcripts, personal statement, application fee, picture, etc.) directly to the assistant to the program director. I would then call each open program and express my interest and ask if any further materials were needed. Your situation is unique, but I think many people in similar situations end up doing 1-yr internships first. This is not because of qualifications, but rather readiness with the difficult application/interview process. Just my $0.02.

 

[sb21992]

How many residency programs do you think it's wise to apply to, and how many interviews is enough to be pretty certain that you'll match somewhere?

 

[CMistry]

How many residency programs do you think it's wise to apply to, and how many interviews is enough to be pretty certain that you'll match somewhere?

This really depends on how qualified of an applicant you view yourself as. Anywhere from 10-50 is reasonable. If you're a stellar applicant I see no problem with applying to just 10. I was a pretty decent applicant and I applied to 27. Probably 15-20 would've been enough.

 

[BrutalViking]

Dear CMistry, thank you for answering our questions.

Regarding debt from dental school, is it feasible to work after graduation to pay off the debt (or at least reduce it) and then apply to residency (say 5 years after graduation)? Would taking this path put me at a disadvantage?
Also, for those that chose to pursue residency right after graduating from dental school, how do they deal with the loan repayments? Do they deffer their loans? How did you deal with it and do you have any advice on how to deal with it?

Thank you!

 

[CMistry]

Dear CMistry, thank you for answering our questions.

Regarding debt from dental school, is it feasible to work after graduation to pay off the debt (or at least reduce it) and then apply to residency (say 5 years after graduation)? Would taking this path put me at a disadvantage?

It is possible and it happens every year. It is not a likely situation, however, for a few reasons. (1) After working and earning real money for a few years it is very difficult to go back to a resident salary. (2) You're five years older now and attempting to go through the toughest (physically) 4-6 years of your life. (3) You've likely forgotten a lot of the things that interested you in OMFS as a dental student. And (4) Many programs prefer fresh graduates while very few prefer experience in general dentistry.

Dear CMistry, thank you for answering our questions.
Also, for those that chose to pursue residency right after graduating from dental school, how do they deal with the loan repayments? Do they deffer their loans? How did you deal with it and do you have any advice on how to deal with it?

Thank you!

Yes, most everyone defers their loan payments. This is only an option for hospital-based residencies, so all OMFS programs qualify. You could do IBR (income-based repayment) if you wanted to, but realistically you wouldn't be putting any notable dent in your loans. Most OMFS deal with these monster repayments by going into private practice.

 

[Sanducan]

Quick question, what range of CBSE score do you need and is a top 20% class rank sufficient for acceptance? Thanks.

 

[CMistry]

Quick question, what range of CBSE score do you need and is a top 20% class rank sufficient for acceptance? Thanks.

I cannot speak for all programs. At our program, the majority of interviewees had 64-74. Top 20% rank is pretty good... "sufficient for acceptance" -- nothing guarantees acceptance. I think the top tier of applicants will be top 10% and 70+ on the CBSE.

 

[Sanducan]

Thanks, that's helpful info. What about studying materials, would you say using the same materials as the nbde 1 should be sufficient? Are there any additional materials I should get?

 

[mr24]

how many externships do you think are needed to be competitive?

 

[CMistry]

Thanks, that's helpful info. What about studying materials, would you say using the same materials as the nbde 1 should be sufficient? Are there any additional materials I should get?

No, not at all. You should be using USMLE World Q-Bank and First Aid for the USMLE at a minimum.

 

[CMistry]

how many externships do you think are needed to be competitive?

Honestly, no idea. I think 6 -8 weeks of total externship time is pretty good.

 

[thewingman]

I cannot speak for all programs. At our program, the majority of interviewees had 64-74. Top 20% rank is pretty good... "sufficient for acceptance" -- nothing guarantees acceptance. I think the top tier of applicants will be top 10% and 70+ on the CBSE.

Which programs are considered top tier? I know of Parkland, LSU-NO, Emory, and UT-Houston. Which other programs would you consider in this same tier?

 

[CMistry]

Which programs are considered top tier? I know of Parkland, LSU-NO, Emory, and UT-Houston. Which other programs would you consider in this same tier?

This is a very subjective question. I thought the best programs I interviewed at were: Parkland, Emory, UAB, LSU-NO, LSU-Shreveport, UNC, and Michigan. I'm sure there are many more but I can't comment if I didn't interview there.

 

[Expert]

Are residents allowed to moonlight at your program during the medical school years? Do you know of programs where this is allowed? Or is it generally frowned upon to moonlight during the medical schools years in a 6 year program?

 

[CMistry]

Are residents allowed to moonlight at your program during the medical school years? Do you know of programs where this is allowed? Or is it generally frowned upon to moonlight during the medical schools years in a 6 year program?

No, we are not allowed to moonlight at Parkland/UT Southwestern. It seems like every year there are more programs that restrict moonlighting. The two 6-yr programs I know that allow it are Emory and UAB.

 

[CMistry]

Hello Cmistry !
Thanks for helping every one by sharing your knowledge, I need your valuable suggestion in my case.
I'm a foreign trained dentist with BDS degree , I did my 2yr DMD program with 3.3 GPA , I didn't care to study and didn't focus on my grades as I wasn't planning for any residency and more over I didn't had any US citizen ship at that time .Fortunately I got my US citizenship now I'm really interested in OMFS , what do you think my chances are if I apply to OMFS program ? I'm planning to apply for an Internship program , Can you please give me your valuable suggestions and Opinion.

My profile : BDS,Top 2 in my class in my 3rd and 4 th yr. , GPA 3.3 as per ECE evaluation (Our school system doesn't have GPA )
1yr of mandatory Internship in general dentistry with 2 months in OMFS
NBDE part 1 : 90 part2 : 81
DMD 3.3 GPA with poor class rank
300 hrs. of CE ( 1 yr ) in Implant course with American Academy of Implant Dentistry
3 yrs of practice as a General Dentist.

Thank you

I really don't know. There are probably a select few programs that would be happy to have you, but most programs don't have many non-traditional residents such as yourself. Your GPA/class rank is definitely going to hurt you, and you will definitely need some OMFS experience prior to applying (externships etc.).

 

[Expert]

I've heard that one of the advantages of OMFS specialty is that they've done a very good job of limiting the number of OMFS surgeons, unlike say ortho for example, because orthodontics has becomes saturated as the number of residents and graduates have been increasing. Do you know anything about this? Do you think that the number of OMFS will continue to be limited?

 

[CMistry]

Thanks for your reply ! Do u know which program are you referring to ?Do you know how is the internship at UT san Antonio ? is it really tough to get into UT San Antonio Internship ? what do you exactly mean by Non-Traditional resident ?

By non-traditional, I mean that you are not straight out of a U.S. dental school. I do not know how the San Antonio internship is, but an internship in general is a good thing for you to consider if you have not applied this year. Internship spots will be decided soon so you should do your due diligence now. The only program I am familiar with that is more accepting of non-traditional residents in NOVA Southeastern .

 

[Expert]

Do you think that there are any advantages to attending an OMFS program that is part of both a dental school and hospital vs. one that is affiliated with only a hospital. For example, would an OMFS residency program affiliated with a dental school be able to get more in-house referrals for implants and dentoalveolor surgery vs a strictly hospital based OMFS that mainly does hospital procedures?

 

[Ionz]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/index.php?threads/In-dent,-no-degree,-wanting-to-switch-to-med.1049420/#post-14778135

Is that true? 6yr programs are closing every year?!
A little disconcerting since the poster is a med school adcom well known on the premed forums...
I was under the impression that 4yr programs were trending towards 6yr MD-integrated...

EDIT: Nvm, OutRun corrected the adcom about it.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

Is getting a b+ in cadaver lab ruin all chances for getting into an OMFS specialty even if you have decent grades in most other classes? Also, if one were also interested in anesthesia and attended an anesthesia residency and wanted to apply to OMFS after, would this look favorable? Thank you.

 

[CMistry]

Do you think that there are any advantages to attending an OMFS program that is part of both a dental school and hospital vs. one that is affiliated with only a hospital. For example, would an OMFS residency program affiliated with a dental school be able to get more in-house referrals for implants and dentoalveolor surgery vs a strictly hospital based OMFS that mainly does hospital procedures?

Yes, this is a definite advantage to programs affiliated with dental schools. Most dental schools split implant cases between perio and prosth as well, but overall it can only add to the # of overall cases.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/index.php?threads/In-dent,-no-degree,-wanting-to-switch-to-med.1049420/#post-14778135

Is that true? 6yr programs are closing every year?!
A little disconcerting since the poster is a med school adcom well known on the premed forums...
I was under the impression that 4yr programs were trending towards 6yr MD-integrated...

EDIT: Nvm, OutRun corrected the adcom about it.

I do not know who that poster is (gyngyn), and I do not want to hurt their credibility, but I am glad that person was corrected. The % of 6-yr programs (out of all OMFS programs) has been slowly increasing for about the past decade.

Is getting a C+ in cadaver lab ruin all chances for getting into an OMFS specialty even if you have decent grades in most other classes? Also, if one were also interested in anesthesia and attended an anesthesia residency and wanted to apply to OMFS after, would this look favorable? Thank you.

A C+ in anything won't ruin your chances. What concerns me is that you say "decent" grades... is decent a 3.2 or a 3.8? Obviously if you are teetering around the B average it's going to be very hard to get into OMFS. Doing an anesthesia residency prior to OMFS is a good idea if (1) you are genuinely interested in anesthesia and (2) you would be OK with doing just DA for the rest of your life (if you don't get into OMFS). It may help your chances but the number the of people who move from DA -> OMFS is so small that there is only very little anecdotal evidence.

 

[Sublimazing]

Is getting a C+ in cadaver lab ruin all chances for getting into an OMFS specialty even if you have decent grades in most other classes? Also, if one were also interested in anesthesia and attended an anesthesia residency and wanted to apply to OMFS after, would this look favorable? Thank you.

DA residency is 3 years long...you willing to commit that sort of time?

And there are only 27 spots for DAs per year...chances are out of all the DA applicants, 27 of them are better than you.

I would pursue another route.

 

[Driller4dmd]

CMistry,

Back with more questions pertaining my unique (military dentist transitioning to civilian OS residency) situation. I've done about 8 weeks of OS externship with the Air Force OMS residency but my issue is I haven't had an opportunity to do externships with any civ programs. I'm not sure I'm eligible at this point bc I'm not a student. Do you know for sure if any programs would let me come observe or "extern" to experience various prgms if I'm not a student but a practicing dentist? Would love to see a few prgms before I apply and it'd would be nice to make a few contacts.

 

[CMistry]

CMistry,

Back with more questions pertaining my unique (military dentist transitioning to civilian OS residency) situation. I've done about 8 weeks of OS externship with the Air Force OMS residency but my issue is I haven't had an opportunity to do externships with any civ programs. I'm not sure I'm eligible at this point bc I'm not a student. Do you know for sure if any programs would let me come observe or "extern" to experience various prgms if I'm not a student but a practicing dentist? Would love to see a few prgms before I apply and it'd would be nice to make a few contacts.

Honestly I do not know any programs for you. I've heard it is difficult to extern as a practicing dentist, but don't go by hearsay, you should call any local/desirable programs and see if they can work with you. I am not the best person to bring your situation to, hopefully a program director will be able to help more.

 

[armorshell]

CMistry,

Back with more questions pertaining my unique (military dentist transitioning to civilian OS residency) situation. I've done about 8 weeks of OS externship with the Air Force OMS residency but my issue is I haven't had an opportunity to do externships with any civ programs. I'm not sure I'm eligible at this point bc I'm not a student. Do you know for sure if any programs would let me come observe or "extern" to experience various prgms if I'm not a student but a practicing dentist? Would love to see a few prgms before I apply and it'd would be nice to make a few contacts.

I externed at LSU-NO with a practicing dentist (In 2008 though).

 

[armorshell]

I've heard that one of the advantages of OMFS specialty is that they've done a very good job of limiting the number of OMFS surgeons, unlike say ortho for example, because orthodontics has becomes saturated as the number of residents and graduates have been increasing. Do you know anything about this? Do you think that the number of OMFS will continue to be limited?

Part of the problem with the number of orthodontists is that it can be relatively profitiable to train orthodontists, or at least it's much easier to create and orthodontic residency program as you can generate a lot of capital from tuition. OMFS programs are traditionally tuition free (and in fact, pay a stipend), so there's a significantly smaller profit motive.

The time investment associated with OMFS (4-6 years) will always keep the applicant pool low, as many people go into dentistry over medicine in part because of the shorter course of training to practice. Not only that, but many people choose dentistry for the lifestyle. How many posts have you seen claiming, in part, the reason people chose dentistry was because it offered a 40 hour work week and limited "on-call" time.

Note the time of this post for a reason why dental students may not find OMFS to be an attractive residency.

 

[armorshell]

I've read some articles saying that because too many oral surgeons were choosing to practice only extractions and implants that the field was losing its footing and presence in hospital procedures shared with ents and other surgeons. This looks like a good problem.

36.6 % of facial trauma call at Level 1 trauma centers is covered by oral and maxillofacial surgeons, about half again as much as ENT.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278239108000360

 

[armorshell]

Where do you see the future of the specialty? Do you think dentists with advanced training like AEGD/GPR and periodontists are now starting to take some of the bread and butter OMFS like difficult extractions and implants? Or do you think that OMFS will still retain most of their bread and butter procedures?

These things seem like they vary with the economy. I see a lot of GPs doing 3rd molar extractions, but there are a few problems with this. Even a routine set of 3rd molars can take a significantly longer time for a less experienced practitioner, doubly so if you don't have access to the anesthesia training an OMFS has. Doing impacted wisdom teeth under local, nitrous, or even oral conscious sedation can be uncomfortable for a patient even with experience. Many general dentists aren't willing to cause this much discomfort to their patients, even in a slow economy when they have holes in their schedules to refill.

Also, even routine 3rds aren't exactly a benign procedure. In inexperienced hands, nerve injuries, displacement of teeth or tooth fragments, infections, even osteomyeletis and mandible fractures are complications we see. Many people aren't willing to take that risk, and getting coverage for those procedures from your malpractice insurance company requires money and often evidence of training.

Surgical implant therapy belongs to everyone now. Creating a successful implant practice likely depends more on marketing yourself and developing a referral base than what you trained in. OMS will always be the last stop for complex implant therapy due to our ability to provide safe anesthetic options, access to operating theaters, mastery of gnathic surgical anatomy and bone grafting.

 

[armorshell]

I honestly don't know them the way the program directors do -- you'd be better off asking one of them. Some of the good hands-on externships include LSU-NO, LSU-S, Parkland, Emory, and UAB, but there are many more I'm not familiar with.

You sure about that, goat?

The best place to extern is probably the one you're interested in attending. For actual nuts and bolts, hands on experience, I personally had good luck at LSU-NO (Nothing like a "just finished 1st year" dental student doing closed reductions in the emergency room), Parkland (Nothing like an OMS service rounding with more body mass than the entire on-call emergency general surgery service, including medical students), and Lousiville (Unlimited free food in the cafeteria after 6pm! Also, you know, messed up faces and such).

 

[armorshell]

It would be a waste of your time (and the program's) at that point. I'd recommend you (a) spend time with your home OMFS program, (b) do some OMFS-related research, (c) take the CBSE if your school has prepared you for it, or (d) just take a vacation. We've had some D2s extern with us, and its really been a waste of time for all people involved. Shadowing your home program is probably what I'd do.

Going to have to disagree with you there. I did an externship in the summer between my D1 and D2 year, and it was super-informative and useful for me, and I ended up interviewing at the program so I have to assume they didn't think it was a waste of time either. I talked about externing so early at almost every interview, and it's something very easy to cast a positive light on.

If you do an early externship, make sure you're prepared though. if you don't it will be a waste of time. I memorized OMFS secrets from cover to cover before I even showed up, and I read every single night I was there. When you're externing, live, sleep, breathe, and eat oral surgery. If you're hardcore, drop an NG-tube so you can eat oral surgery WHILE you're sleeping.

 

[sgv]

Going to have to disagree with you there. I did an externship in the summer between my D1 and D2 year, and it was super-informative and useful for me, and I ended up interviewing at the program so I have to assume they didn't think it was a waste of time either. I talked about externing so early at almost every interview, and it's something very easy to cast a positive light on.

If you do an early externship, make sure you're prepared though. if you don't it will be a waste of time. I memorized OMFS secrets from cover to cover before I even showed up, and I read every single night I was there. When you're externing, live, sleep, breathe, and eat oral surgery. If you're hardcore, drop an NG-tube so you can eat oral surgery WHILE you're sleeping.

Oh my God...

 

[Expert]

Going to have to disagree with you there. I did an externship in the summer between my D1 and D2 year, and it was super-informative and useful for me, and I ended up interviewing at the program so I have to assume they didn't think it was a waste of time either. I talked about externing so early at almost every interview, and it's something very easy to cast a positive light on.

If you do an early externship, make sure you're prepared though. if you don't it will be a waste of time. I memorized OMFS secrets from cover to cover before I even showed up, and I read every single night I was there. When you're externing, live, sleep, breathe, and eat oral surgery. If you're hardcore, drop an NG-tube so you can eat oral surgery WHILE you're sleeping.

Wouldn't it just be best to instead spend that time studying for the CBSE and maintaining a high rank? Especially considering that the CBSE is a brutal exam that heavily tests the full medical curriculum (a lot of what will not be taught in dental school)? After all, isnt the CBSE now the most important factor that OS programs looks at?

 

[armorshell]

Wouldn't it just be best to instead spend that time studying for the CBSE and maintaining a high rank? Especially considering that the CBSE is a brutal exam that heavily tests the full medical curriculum (a lot of what will not be taught in dental school)? After all, isnt the CBSE now the most important factor that OS programs looks at?

There is no best, only what's best for you. If you don't think you can get a high enough score to pass muster without blocking off an entire summer to study, then maybe that's the best way for you to succeed. Why not just do both?

 

[Ferneezy]

Oh my God...

right here. don't most residents on here advocate waiting until after D2 to start externing at omfs programs? then again, armor's D1-D2 was different from probably every other school's D1-D2.

also, he only needed to score highly on part 1 before it switched to p/f.

 

[sb21992]

Two questions:
1) So if you go to a dental school that does give you grades, do you only take the NBDE (Parts I and II) and the CBSE? Or do you also have to take the USMLE too (I know someone who goes to a H/P/F school who just took this test)?
2) Let's say you go to dental school in state A, and you match into an OMFS residency in state B where you'll eventually settle down. If state A and state B have different regional exams, do you have to take state B's regional exam before starting your residency? Or will completing the residency program suffice in making you eligible to work in state B?

 

[Bereno]

You cannot take the USMLE unless you are actively enrolled in a medical school. It is not required for OMFS - though the CBSE is very nearly the same exam with less questions. That said, you only need to take the CBSE for OMFS, as well as the NBDE for dental school regardless.

 

[Driller4dmd]

Can you guys expand on the major differences of dental school programs vs hospital based programs? Pros and Cons? Case volume and diversity? Trauma load? What about interaction with restoring providers ie Pros, GPs... Any appreciable difference between the two? Thanks

 

[CMistry]

Going to have to disagree with you there. I did an externship in the summer between my D1 and D2 year, and it was super-informative and useful for me, and I ended up interviewing at the program so I have to assume they didn't think it was a waste of time either.

Stop showing off. We all know your situation was different. Most D1s don’t even know how to deliver local anesthesia.

Wouldn't it just be best to instead spend that time studying for the CBSE and maintaining a high rank? Especially considering that the CBSE is a brutal exam that heavily tests the full medical curriculum (a lot of what will not be taught in dental school)? After all, isnt the CBSE now the most important factor that OS programs looks at?

Yes it would, his situation was different since UOP is a 3-year DDS. However armor is right in that there is marginal utility in studying beyond X amount of weeks. Only you know the X. The remainder of your time is well-spent doing externships.

Two questions:

1) So if you go to a dental school that does give you grades, do you only take the NBDE (Parts I and II) and the CBSE? Or do you also have to take the USMLE too (I know someone who goes to a H/P/F school who just took this test)?

You cannot take the USMLE unless you are authorized to by a U.S. medical school. So you would take NBDE (Parts 1 and 2) and the CBSE.

2) Let's say you go to dental school in state A, and you match into an OMFS residency in state B where you'll eventually settle down. If state A and state B have different regional exams, do you have to take state B's regional exam before starting your residency? Or will completing the residency program suffice in making you eligible to work in state B?

No you do not have to have a licensure exam at all to obtain a resident license, which is what you would use to practice in the hospital/dental school. Now if you want to moonlight (if your program allows it), you would need a full state license so YES you would need to take an appropriate licensure exam. Also you would need one to practice OMFS once you finish residency, so it’s a smart move to take an exam that would apply to wherever you would like to end up.

You cannot take the USMLE unless you are actively enrolled in a medical school. It is not required for OMFS - though the CBSE is very nearly the same exam with less questions. That said, you only need to take the CBSE for OMFS, as well as the NBDE for dental school regardless.

Damn it why I didn’t I read the whole thread before answering questions. Thanks.

Can you guys expand on the major differences of dental school programs vs hospital based programs? Pros and Cons? Case volume and diversity? Trauma load? What about interaction with restoring providers ie Pros, GPs... Any appreciable difference between the two? Thanks

Programs are not divided into “dental school-based” vs. “hospital-based”. This is because all OMFS programs have hospital affiliations. So you can divide it into “programs with dental schools” and “programs without”. It would be poor judgment to generalize about each group, since there is so much variety within them. Some programs with dental school affiliations are very “major surgery”-based and others with no dental school are mostly clinic-based. All that I can tell you is that having a dental school should increase a program’s implant #s.

 

[CMistry]

All questions answered? We done here?