dentistry and medicine

[LestatZinnie]

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hi all,

as a first year dental student...i have something that i want to rant about...i don't know about USA, but here in Canada. many dental schools share the first two years with medicine (as in McGill, where I'm attending). Therefore, I have learn a bunch of things about reproductive system, respiratory system, life cycle, etc which are quite irrelevant to dentistry. Half of the pathology that I've seen so far will never be dealt with in a dental setting. I think my dental education could be cut at least a year short if the education concentrated only on the head-neck region. I mean no dentist will likely ever examine other parts of the patients' bodies. does it seem daunting to you that although we spend the same amount of time to study as medical people, and even study more or less the same material, but the amount of material relevant to us is only a fraction of what we studied, and that what we'll be allowed to do to patients is only the oral cavity?

ps i luv dentistry and never cared for medicine...so dont take this as troll post...i'm just a bit frustrated that i have to learn so much more while what i'll be permitted to do to patients is limited

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by LestatZinnie


ps i luv dentistry and never cared for medicine.

Sorry, but your statement irks me quite a bit. They are one and the same!

Dentistry is a specialty of medicine which focuses on the oral cavity. If the head/neck were a functional yet distinct entity, isolated from the organ systems, then I wouldn't be a proponent of learning ALL the body systems.

As it stands, the head neck region is very much involved in every aspect of the body.

You may never see that pathology, but that doesn't mean it isn't important to a) be aware of it and b) be able to fully communicate with pathologists and other MDs.

Patients see their dentists more often they they do their primary care physicians, so it is important to be aware of the entire aspect of the patients well being. Just because we can't treat them on the spot doesn't mean we don't have an obligation to make them aware of possible health concerns!

Limting ourselves to being tooth technicians is going to severly impact our profession. Others will encroach upon it until there isn't much of it left. It's important that we learn and focus on our specialty being part of a whole.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by LestatZinnie
we spend the same amount of time to study as medical people, and even study more or less the same material, but the amount of material relevant to us is only a fraction of what we studied, and that what we'll be allowed to do to patients is only the oral cavity?

This isn't any different than any other aspect of healthcare. If you are still under the mindset that MDs "do everything" then you are sorely mistaken. There is a reason it's called specializing.

 

[larryt]

Gavin is rite !

At least if you see chancoid on pt's lips, well you know what to do.

 

[UBTom]

LestatZinnie:

Lots of things we do will affect other parts of the body, which is why quite a bit of whatever we learn in physiology, gross anatomy, etc. with the med students is important.

For example, if you think the respiratory system is not important, you might reconsider when you realize the respiratory system is connected to the nose and mouth! What do you do if you have a patient who went into syncope in your chair? How about if your patient had an anaphylaxis reaction to that latex glove you are wearing? If you don't know anything about the respiratory system in these cases, you would have a very dead patient in your chair very quickly, and a very big malpractice/wrongful death lawsuit on your hands.

Gavin is right-- Dentistry these days is more than just a technician's trade. It is a biomedical science (and art).

 

[LestatZinnie]

thx for putting things in perspective guys....hopefully i won't be as resentful as i through learning parts of the bodies other than the head @_@

to the poster above...i'm in first year and just started class...but we hv a function with 2nd yr students so either way i may bump into ur friend