Do:md :: Dds:dmd?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
empty p orbital

empty p orbital

Membership Revoked
Removed
10+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
52
Reaction score
0
Points
0
  1. Pre-Medical
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
This is not a DO vs MD thread at all! I'm just curious if the two "doctor degrees" are roughly analogous to the two "dentist degrees" in that there is, for all practices purposes, no real difference between them at all with the only exception being DOs may practice OMM if they chose to.

I admit until a couple of years ago I didn't even know what a DO was, and until about 1 year ago I had some unfortunate misconceptions about the degree. Then I started doing my own research.. and any google research about med schools will inevitably lead to SDN forums. I've been reading here for some time now and the conclusion in the title of this post is roughly what I've amassed.

So when my friends ask me "What's the difference between an MD and a DO doctor?" how inaccurate would if be for me to give them a simple answer they'd understand in one sentence: "It's just like the difference between a DDS dentist and a DMD dentist - there is none, it just depends on which formal type of medical degree their med school offered."
 
Practically speaking I think that would be a pretty good comparison to help people understand things better...but if I'm not mistaken, I think DMD's and DDS's take the same sets of licensing exams. I would think that their curriculum is more similar (even though MD v. DO curruculum is not that different) as well. So it's not a completely accurate comparison, but is probably a good example to use.
 
Yes, I would say that the analogy is pretty correct. No, you can not tell the general public that analogy when describing what a DO is becauseeee how many people actually know there are two dental degrees? I never knew before I joined SDN. . . .
 
Okay I know some people are gonna be really upset at me asking this but please humor my ignorance...what is the difference between DDS and DMD? Are there different types of dental schools just like there are med schools (allo vs osteo)?

At least when we describe MD vs DO we have the whole OMM thing and the holistic approach n so on n so forth...but what is the reason for 2 dental degrees and what's the diff?

(yes, I have googled this and it said there is no difference but I was hoping to see some different perspectives of ppl on SDN)
 
there is no difference, it's just based on the dental college's preference for which one they want to give out. it's like do you want to name your daughter sarah or linda? it doesn't make a difference because in the end, it's the same person.

oh and the holistic approach is just propaganda, all MD curriculums offer courses on treating patients holistically as well as DO schools. besides OMT (of which i'm actually starting to appreciate more of now), there is no difference in the degrees, just one organization being stubborn and not admitting there is a trend towards merger.
 
Last edited:
And 2 veterinary degrees: DVM, VMD.
 
Actually M.D.s can practice OMM as well. It is offered as an elective at a few programs and M.D.s can be trained in OMM. Granted, not all M.D.s are trained in OMM.

empty p orbital said:
there is, for all practices purposes, no real difference between them at all with the only exception being DOs may practice OMM if they chose to.
Click to expand...
 
Skippygonenuts said:
Okay I know some people are gonna be really upset at me asking this but please humor my ignorance...what is the difference between DDS and DMD? Are there different types of dental schools just like there are med schools (allo vs osteo)?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go so far as to say there are different 'types' of dental schools, not in the same way as medical schools. There is more of a separate tradition associated with osteopathic education I suppose..whether that really means anything in the working world or not. And there are separate boards for DO's.

Here is a nice commentary on the DMD/DDS difference, I found it interesting:
http://hubpages.com/hub/For-Dentists---DDS-or-DMD-Degree-Whats-the-difference
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
facetguy said:
And 2 veterinary degrees: DVM, VMD.
Click to expand...

that i didn't know. but thanks to wiki, i now know why i didn't know: The VMD degree (Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris) is the equivalent of the DVM degree and is conferred only by The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

so basically i didn't know because it's quite the minority. maybe if i lived in philly i wouldn't be so shocked!
 
Slack3r said:
Leave it to Harvard to f*** everything up.
Click to expand...

They also used to (or maybe still do) offer some sort of MD certification course (maybe CME credit - I'm unsure) in OMM.
 
Still do. Every summer, and it's filled a year in advance with a waiting list. MDs can bill for the OMM, but can't bill for the structural exam. And you don't need a Harvard course to do OMM. You can just learn it from someone else who does it, just like most other things in medicine.
 
So would those MDs who have taken OMM be allowed to sit in for the COMPLEX?
 
There is no such exam as a comPlex. There is no "P". I don't know where this gets started, but it seems to come up about 58 times a year where the exam is listed as "COMPLEX". (sorry, i think i'm a little grumpy this morning.)

The COMLEX is for DO students, as the USMLE is for MD students. Full-fledged US licensed physicians are not permitted to take either exam so a US licensed MD would not be permitted to take the COMLEX as it is an initial licensing exam.
 
ShyRem said:
Still do. Every summer, and it's filled a year in advance with a waiting list. MDs can bill for the OMM, but can't bill for the structural exam. And you don't need a Harvard course to do OMM. You can just learn it from someone else who does it, just like most other things in medicine.
Click to expand...

if you just learn it from someone else, without any documentation, that can't be billed for though, right? it would be more like something you can do on your friends and family for free?
 
I'd never take my dog to a VMD.
 
ShyRem said:
Still do. Every summer, and it's filled a year in advance with a waiting list. MDs can bill for the OMM, but can't bill for the structural exam. And you don't need a Harvard course to do OMM. You can just learn it from someone else who does it, just like most other things in medicine.
Click to expand...

This doesn't surprise me. I've personally seen 2 OMM clinics in my area (one with one doctor one with two) that accept cash only and seriously clean up. I think it's something all DO students who like OMM should keep in mind. Funniest part is, 2 out of the 3 docs only did an internship and went straight into practice. Both charge over 300 for an initial consultation and over 175 an hour for OMM.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
JaggerPlate said:
This doesn't surprise me. I've personally seen 2 OMM clinics in my area (one with one doctor one with two) that accept cash only and seriously clean up. I think it's something all DO students who like OMM should keep in mind. Funniest part is, 2 out of the 3 docs only did an internship and went straight into practice. Both charge over 300 for an initial consultation and over 175 an hour for OMM.
Click to expand...

Is this in California?
 
LastPolarBear said:
Is this in California?
Click to expand...

Yup, one in Orange County (though there probably are many), and one in LA (though I know for a fact there are more, and the guy I personally know of is ... well, interesting. He's way into cranial, natural healing, etc, but the guy does quite well).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom