Best clinical experience

[Nanach]

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I know that this is a hotly debated topic and subjective, but since their are no rankings for dental schools, which schools give their students the best clinical experience?

 

[mmmsteakdinners]

IMO, Buffalo and VCU, if you are on east coast. Large patient pools, reasonable class sizes. These seem to be important factors when evaluating clinical experiences.

 

[aznboi89x]

I heard temple gives many clinical opportunities

 

[drill-and-fill]

Tufts and NYU

 

[sacapuntas]

Out of the schools I interviewed at, I was most impressed with Marquette's approach to clinical education. Large patient pool, assisting from day 1, 20% of first year in clinic and not so much emphasis on research or specialties all give the students there lots of clinical exposure. State of the art clinic as well.

 

[Kam1]

i know that this is a hotly debated topic and subjective, but since their are no rankings for dental schools, which schools give their students the best clinical experience?

udm.

 

[Raphael1]

What about Case Western. It seems like they have a solid clinical program.

 

[tingting]

As much as I hate to say it...Buffalo no way anymore. Recently Increased class size by 24 with IDP program. 3 root canals to graduate. 20 simple extractions to graduate and you never touch a surgical handpiece. 1 full denture and 1 arch RPD. I challenge anyone to find a more pathetic set of clinical requirements. You get really good at cleanings though. Fortunately most UB grads do GPR.

 

[mmmsteakdinners]

As much as I hate to say it...Buffalo no way anymore. Recently Increased class size by 24 with IDP program. 3 root canals to graduate. 20 simple extractions to graduate and you never touch a surgical handpiece. 1 full denture and 1 arch RPD. I challenge anyone to find a more pathetic set of clinical requirements. You get really good at cleanings though. Fortunately most UB grads do GPR.

Do you go there?

 

[steveymcdubs]

udm.

Agreed.

 

[UltimateHombre]

Having been a member of this forum awhile and having lots of friends in dschool... here are a few that always get mentioned for strong clinical reputation, in no particular order.

NYU, Temple, Tufts, UDM, Louisville, Creighton, ASDOH, UOP, USC, OHSU

Again, this isn't a slam on the rest of the dental schools, because all will make you a proficient dentist. These schools are just always thrown in the mix when discussing a very clinical heavy education.

 

[deleted487471]

udm.

UDM does have a solid clinical rep, but they've doubled class size over the last 2 years. I wonder if that'll have any impact.

 

[NDPitch]

UDM does have a solid clinical rep, but they've doubled class size over the last 2 years. I wonder if that'll have any impact.

I asked them that question. They said no. Their "sell the school to me" answer had to do with splitting the class into two separate cohorts, and having more than enough chairs to accommodate the increased class size. Sounds good on paper, but I can't speak for how effective it is at the actual school.

 

[deleted487471]

I asked them that question. They said no. Their "sell the school to me" answer had to do with splitting the class into two separate cohorts, and having more than enough chairs to accommodate the increased class size. Sounds good on paper, but I can't speak for how effective it is at the actual school.

I also got a similar answer. I guess only time will tell.

 

[jigabodo]

Having been a member of this forum awhile and having lots of friends in dschool... here are a few that always get mentioned for strong clinical reputation, in no particular order.

NYU, Temple, Tufts, UDM, Louisville, Creighton, ASDOH, UOP, USC, OHSU

Again, this isn't a slam on the rest of the dental schools, because all will make you a proficient dentist. These schools are just always thrown in the mix when discussing a very clinical heavy education.

You definitely get a solid clinical education here in Louisville.

I think I did around 100 extractions when I was in dental school, and ~30 of them were surgical extractions where you lay a flap, buccal trough, sectioning, sutures and all that good stuff. You can also go to RAM multiple times a year, where you essentially do nothing but extractions/restorations for the whole weekend. Every time I go to RAM I probably take out around anywhere from 30-50 teeth.

 

[Nanach]

In terms of clinical experience which school would you pick and why if you had a choice between: NYU, Nova, UDM, Temple

 

[jpark1800]

In terms of clinical experience which school would you pick and why if you had a choice between: NYU, Nova, UDM, Temple

Whichever one is cheaper.

What do ppl think about UNC and LSU?

 

[Blue87Fiero]

UDM does have a solid clinical rep, but they've doubled class size over the last 2 years. I wonder if that'll have any impact.

I have to imagine that the patient pool in the Detroit area has at least doubled in the past 4 years with the auto industry crashing and a ton of people not having insurance. A lot of people are either uninsured or only have major medical. As you said time will tell but I think they will always have great clinical experience at UDM.

 

[sacapuntas]

In terms of clinical experience which school would you pick and why if you had a choice between: NYU, Nova, UDM, Temple

Whichever one is cheaper.

What do ppl think about UNC and LSU?

Whichever one is cheaper.

 

[Kam1]

UDM does have a solid clinical rep, but they've doubled class size over the last 2 years. I wonder if that'll have any impact.

This is a good point. UDM's dental school is a former hospital, so they have lots of room
for expansion and the patient pool is massive, around 700,000 living in the city of Detroit, excluding the suburbs.

 

[Kam1]

I have to imagine that the patient pool in the Detroit area has at least doubled in the past 4 years with the auto industry crashing and a ton of people not having insurance. A lot of people are either uninsured or only have major medical. As you said time will tell but I think they will always have great clinical experience at UDM.

Well said. 👍

 

[vlaura0214]

You definitely get a solid clinical education here in Louisville.

I think I did around 100 extractions when I was in dental school, and ~30 of them were surgical extractions where you lay a flap, buccal trough, sectioning, sutures and all that good stuff. You can also go to RAM multiple times a year, where you essentially do nothing but extractions/restorations for the whole weekend. Every time I go to RAM I probably take out around anywhere from 30-50 teeth.

I love helping out at RAM. You sometimes see some of the worst of the worst, and I always see Buffalo, Stony Brook, or UT dental students there. The guy who runs it all--Stan Brock--is a great man.

 

[pantzed]

IMO, Buffalo and VCU, if you are on east coast. Large patient pools, reasonable class sizes. These seem to be important factors when evaluating clinical experiences.

Can anyone else confirm VCU? I heard that VCU touts their amazing clinical program but I've heard some students saying that they actually didn't get much clinical/patient exposures during their last two years.

Can anyone also confirm Buffalo's clinical strength?

 

[coolslugs]

Midwestern University-AZ

State of the art dental clinic & sim lab. D1s start working on hand skills in the sim lab from week 1, using handpieces and cad/cam in the first quarter. No specialty programs, so the students get to do it all working with specialists (from endo to placing implants). Clinic divided into suites to simulate private practices, morning huddles, D3&D4 pairs assist each other and maintain patient continuity. More seats than students because the clinic was originally designed for each D3 and D4 to have his or her own seat. Competence based instead of # requirements.

 

[toothexplore]

UDM does have a solid clinical rep, but they've doubled class size over the last 2 years. I wonder if that'll have any impact.

our class is split into 2 cohorts so really we get the same experience with half the number of colleagues. the clinical experience is unprecedented for sure, i don't know many other DS1 students who get to work on patients within the first few months of dental school

 

[jpark1800]

Whichever one is cheaper.

I am not sure whether that was being sarcastic. The reason I said for him to go to the cheaper school is because all of those schools that he mentioned are expensive and have similar clinical experiences and thus the viable option for him is to pick the cheapest

 

[UCSFx2017]

Go wherever and just do a GPR or AEGD, regardless of the school. If the school isn't "clinically-intensive," then it's research-intensive. We shouldn't discount these research heavy schools even if we only desire to become a GP because these research schools are essential to preventing the public from perceiving dental schools as vocational technical schools. Schools that strive for clinical and basic science advancement and technology further advances public health. These schools' research which translates to technology is what directs and shapes the dentistry of tomorrow.
Here's an analogy to think about: my local college offers motorcycle riding classes on the weekends and at the end of each course, each student is practically tested for riding competency. All the students receive the same amount of training yet some fail, requiring further training, and others breeze right through. Now look at dental school, it doesn't matter if you need to do 50 or 200 endo cases before you graduate, you just need to show that you're competent. In research-intensive schools, it's not like they'll let you skate by with only a few cases and without competency. Heck, there are people who do procedures many more times yet fail at showing procedural competency. You will not move on until you've made satisfactory evaluation. With this evaluation procedure in place, you should come out of any research heavy school with sufficient technical competency.

 

[goffdent]

Just because a school is "research based", as you say.. doesn't mean it automatically lacks clinical strength.... People are making it seem like a research intensive school has people doing research instead of clinical work, and that they do less clinical work because they're soo busy doing research.. NO! Research heavy schools give the opportunity to DO research on top of regular clinic work. It's not, you do 50 less endo cases because you're in the lab pipetting samples... than the next school.

 

[dshok]

I just interviewed at udm, i was interviewed by dr. parent. he told me they not only have a clinic at the school, but they send students to other areas in mi. he said that the number might be a little exaggerated, but throughout the year in all locations their residents, staff and students see about 100,000 patients. he also specified e/t the class size has doubled there is plenty of time and patients to see. they have a very organized clinical rotation. you also have the exposure to all types of patients ranging from never using a toothbrush to regular brushing, and you can really build a lot of experience. he told me the clinic is open over the weekend and he doesn't understand why more students don't take advantage of it. there is plenty of oppurtunity at udm. the only downside is you come out 300,000 dollars in debt even if you are a michigan resident, which i am.

 

[vinnie83]

I know that this is a hotly debated topic and subjective, but since their are no rankings for dental schools, which schools give their students the best clinical experience?

Could you expand on what you consider clinical experience? Are you talking just in terms of the number of procedures performed? Getting to work in various externships? The knowledge and helpfulness of docs working in the clinic?

I remember when I interviewed every school fed me the same spiel about the clinical experience they provided. All students I talked to said they thought the clinical experience was good, but none of them could compare it to another school.

I'm a first year at Tufts, my brother in law also graduated from tufts, and my wife USC.

As a first year I can't personally comment too much on the clinical experience as I've only had the opportunity to interact with patients in the clinic a few times. Comparing my brother in law and wife's experience the clinical requirements are a joke at Tufts compared to USC. My wife completed the equivalent of Tufts clinical requirements in about 6 months, but many students at USC cut it pretty close getting finished in the clinic before graduation. In the northeast it seems to be the norm to do a GPR/AEGD after graduation and many of the schools recommend it. Not sure if you need it to be competitive for finding a job or it is a result of low clinical requirements and recent graduates do actually need more practice.

From a first year's perspective USC graded much harder in regards to wax ups and simulation clinic work-not sure that necessarily translates into better hand skills in the end. Despite all the emphasis of PBL they really seem to only care about hand skills.

At Tufts when you ask a doc "why" you can usually expect to get a decent explanation where as at USC it is not uncommon to get a response of "that's how we do it here" or "look it up yourself" (thank you PBL).

USC also has way more chances to do dental work at locations other than your school. When I was interviewing UNLV seemed to stand out as being the only school that didn't have a good externship program.

 

[goffdent]

FYI... Good hand skills doesn't make you an excellent dentist... good chair-side manner does..

 

[NDPitch]

FYI... Good hand skills doesn't make you an excellent dentist... good chair-side manner does..

Perhaps! Although, I think solely being able to talk to and interact with patients doesn't make you a great dentist. You still need to be able to do quality work. I would guess you don't need amazing hand skills, but you need SOME at least. But I'm not in dental school. What do I know? 🙂

 

[goffdent]

Perhaps! Although, I think solely being able to talk to and interact with patients doesn't make you a great dentist. You still need to be able to do quality work. I would guess you don't need amazing hand skills, but you need SOME at least. But I'm not in dental school. What do I know? 🙂

The reason people refer their family and friends to you is more likely because you spend time listening to them, talking to them, meeting them where their needs and financials are at. Dentistry is a self-regulated profession. You are the only one assessing the quality of work you. Patients can't see whether you made your margins correctly, if you have diverging or converging walls, whether you left enough clearance for a crown when prepping. A lot of the work you do, patient's don't even see.... and don't care to. What keeps them coming back, AND not suing you in case you do something wrong on accident, is the fact that you treated them honestly and respectfully, and that they like you.

 

[dentalWorks]

I know that this is a hotly debated topic and subjective, but since their are no rankings for dental schools, which schools give their students the best clinical experience?

no one their right mind can answer this question with sound and logical reasoning.... simply because you'll never meet anyone who attended all 60 USA dental schools.

I'll give you my take on why this whole "clinical experience" is a bunch of crap.... No dental school will graduate you at the level of an experienced (even 1 year out) dentist.... no where near.

I think its all a bunch of hoax... all dental schools are required by the ADA to graduate you with minimum requirements, I DOUBT many schools (if any) will go above and beyond those requirements..... Temple might be the exception, but then again, how would I know, I didn't attend.

 

[Menthol]

definitely UDM!

 

[D.D.S.]

Yep Case Western's clinical experience is pretty solid.. I think all schools will give you the opportunity to get the experience.. You just have to have luck with getting the right patient and how hard YOU work..

 

[Nanach]

As everyone says, "anywhere you go you will walk out a dentist and meet your requirments." I was just wondering which schools it was the easiest to surpass those requirments and come out a confident and super prepared dentist?

 

[tjung789]

how is maryland for clinical experience?

 

[MSUspartan03]

Any word on Indiana or MWU-IL?