Differences between DMD and DDS?

[benbenxu]

Are there any differences between these two programs?
I was really really embarrassed when I called dental schools and said I was trying to apply your DMD program..... , the lady from the phone was unhappy and interrupted me :"we do not have any DMD program, we only have a DDS program here..."

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Cantstandya]

DMD=DDS. There is absolutely nothing different between the two. DMD was adopted, I believe, as a way for dental schools to gain some prestige and gear the name more towards a medical standpoint. Some schools shifted to DMD while others stuck with DDS. After the trend died out, some schools switched back to the DDS (original name).

 

[drengineer]

benbenxu, your stats look pretty impressive! Why were you rejected by those schools?

 

[etoolky1]

Are there any differences between these two programs?
I was really really embarrassed when I called dental schools and said I was trying to apply your DMD program..... , the lady from the phone was unhappy and interrupted me :"we do not have any DMD program, we only have a DDS program here..."

Essentially they are the same. D.D.S. Doctor of dental surgery
D.M.D. Doctor of medical dentistry
A D.D.S. program IS focused on surgery and the D.M.D. program is designed to teach about preventive tx.
But you can do essentially the same procedures with either degree.

 

[ToothMonkey]

Cantstandya is correct. There is no difference between DMD and DDS programs. None.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

 

[aphistis]

Essentially they are the same. D.D.S. Doctor of dental surgery
D.M.D. Doctor of medical dentistry
A D.D.S. program IS focused on surgery and the D.M.D. program is designed to teach about preventive tx.
But you can do essentially the same procedures with either degree.

They're not "essentially" the same, they are the same. There's absolutely no difference in the curricular requirements, and anybody who says anything else is categorically wrong.

 

[UConn_SDM]

D.M.D. Doctor of medical dentistry

DMD = Doctor of Dental Medicine (i know DDM would've made more sense)

Don't look at the degree granted. I believe it has absolutely nothing to do with the schools and is determined by the State. Ex. All schools in NY grant DDS while all schools in MA and PA grant DMD.

DMD vs DDS aside, there are large differences between schools. This is where you need to research and talk to people to pick the school that's right for you.

 

[captaintripps]

DMD will usually earn 50% more than the DDS.

 

[shiftyeyes]

If I see one more idiot refer to DMD = Doctor of Medical Dentistry, I think I'll have an aneurysm.

DMD = Dentariae Medicinae Doctorae in Latin, which translates, in English to "Doctor of Dental Medicine" (which is also why it's not a DDM).

Just like most people (many allopathic medical students included) think that MD stands for "Medical Doctor". It may be colloquially accepted to mean "Medical Doctor", but MD literally comes from the Latin "Medicinae Doctorae", which means "Doctor of Medicine".

Man, people will never get the genitive case, will they?

 

[UConn_SDM]

Man, people will never get the genitive case, will they?

You say that as if you think all people should speak Latin. Most people don't care about the latin and before you say, "but people need to know what degree they are getting", unfortunately my diploma doesn't say "Dentariae Medicinae Doctorae" it says "Doctor of Dental Medicine". Since my degree official confers the "rights and privileges" of a Doctor of Dental Medicine (in English), shouldn't the three letter abbreviation be DDM (in English)?

Just food for thought for the Latin elitists among us.

 

[shiftyeyes]

I wholeheartedly agree. However, DMD = Doctor of Dental Medicine and that's not going to change. Just like MD = Doctor of Medicine...

So, in a perfect world, DMDs would be DDMs and MDs would be DMs...

My main point was that people should know what DMD stands for, and it DOES NOT stand for Doctor of Medical Dentistry. This is one of the most idiotic things I've ever heard, and I grew up in Kentucky.

And, btw, Latin isn't the only language with a genitive case...