human anatomy: should I take it before going off to dental school?

Started by DJ1107
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DJ1107

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10+ Year Member
I heard that anatomy can be a tough subject in dental school, especially if you have never really exposed to it in detail (like me). I took physiology in undergrad, however, I was told by one of my friends who currently is a D1 that I would benefit from taking human anatomy right before I head off to school.
what do you guys think?
 
I agree with your friend and would recommend you take it before d-school. Many schools require anatomy for admission
 
Take it if you want to make your first quarter a lot easier.

If not, you'd be in the shoes of a lot of your other classmates so it's not that huge a deal. You just gotta work a little harder.
 
PDizzle said:
Take it if you want to make your first quarter a lot easier.

If not, you'd be in the shoes of a lot of your other classmates so it's not that huge a deal. You just gotta work a little harder.
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Do most D schools cover the entire body in gross, or is it primarily torso and up?
 
thanks for the advice guys..being exposed to the material beforehand can only help me!! 🙂

And I do believe most schools cover gross anatomy with an emphasis on head and neck.
 
DJ1107 said:
I heard that anatomy can be a tough subject in dental school, especially if you have never really exposed to it in detail (like me). I took physiology in undergrad, however, I was told by one of my friends who currently is a D1 that I would benefit from taking human anatomy right before I head off to school.
what do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Your friend is right. The problem, however, is that ds cover head and neck in depth and, outside of professional schools, you are going to be hard pressed to find, an anatomy course that will fit those criteria. The anatomy courses offered during the summer at some dental schools are designed for remediation and would not be a good choice. Anatomy course intended for nurses, physical therapy and other allied health professional may be too broad in scope and too elementary for the head and neck.


eldirty said:
I agree with your friend and would recommend you take it before d-school. Many schools require anatomy for admission
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If by "many" you mean less than a dozen than you are correct. AZ, midwest, Howard, Nova, Ind, UMKC, UNC, Ohio, Oregon.
 
If by "many" you mean less than a dozen than you are correct. AZ, midwest, Howard, Nova, Ind, UMKC, UNC, Ohio, Oregon.[/quote]

Well, actually Nova does not require anatomy-you can choose to take it to fulfill the additional science required courses, but you can take microbiology, physiology, genetics, biochem, histology, or cell biology.

I was just thinking of taking anatomy through community college. Since I already graduated from undergrad at a major university and have since moved back home, it would be the most convenient.
 
def take it, it's gonna help you A LOT. That's the advice I got from our school's alumni. IT's gonna help you GREATLY
 
Save yourself the time and money... Buy the ADAM Interactive Anatomy Student Lab Guide (with DVD) and learn the parts on your own. It's about $70 and incredibly detailed. You can zoom in on various layers as if you were 'peeling them back.' You would definitely be able to focus on the head and neck... Some of the images are detailed drawings, but you also have the option to view photos taken of cadavers, usually separated by body system. When you scroll over a certain muscle or nerve, that part becomes highlighted with the name of the part. It's pretty nifty and you could really prepare yourself with a little motivation. By the way, I'm not a spammer -- I just took the nursing student-level A&P when I was building my confidence in Biology (and because the teacher was my favorite), so this was the textbook that we used in the lab. 🙂
 
BillytheEchidna said:
Save yourself the time and money... Buy the ADAM Interactive Anatomy Student Lab Guide (with DVD) and learn the parts on your own. It's about $70 and incredibly detailed. You can zoom in on various layers as if you were 'peeling them back.' You would definitely be able to focus on the head and neck... Some of the images are detailed drawings, but you also have the option to view photos taken of cadavers, usually separated by body system. When you scroll over a certain muscle or nerve, that part becomes highlighted with the name of the part. It's pretty nifty and you could really prepare yourself with a little motivation. By the way, I'm not a spammer -- I just took the nursing student-level A&P when I was building my confidence in Biology (and because the teacher was my favorite), so this was the textbook that we used in the lab. 🙂
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Hey thanks for the great info!! I was wondering if you had the 3rd edition which is the most current or an older version and does it matter? (since the older one is cheaper =)
Also, are there like quizzes that you can test yourself on included in there?

Any other helpful advice or other sources?
 
PSU SHC 414 said:
Do most D schools cover the entire body in gross, or is it primarily torso and up?
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Torso and up with extreme emphasis on head and neck.

Someone above advised to get an interactive anatomy program + guide instead of the course. That sounds good to me, even though I never heard of it and can't vouch for it in comparison to the actual real thing. I will add, if you plan to self learn, pick up Netter's Human Anatomy. It's a mandatory purchase in DS anyway, both in the course and studying for boards.

Lastly, some people think that anatomy is just cutting a body open and memorizing all the different parts. That's about 50% of it. The other 50% is:
1) What nerve innervates it?
2) What vessels supply it?
3) (muscle) What is it's origin and attachment and what does it do?
4) What germ layer does it originate from?
5) Plus any other question your sadist anatomy instructor can think up!

Just to put it in perspective, 1/4 of the NBDE#1 is gross human anatomy and there are no pictures on the exam (So, no little pins stuck in something and a question, "What is this?"). Think about learning anatomy in those terms.
 
Anatomy was NOT required at UNC.

They will teach you all you need to know in school. I thought it was an easy A. Between lecture and gross labs, you will learn it. And it somehow sticks with you. I had never had an anatomy class until dental school
 
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