Does UoP give quality dental training?

[predental7200]

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I was simply wondering since it is my top choice and I know it is attractive knowing it's only 3 years, but if all other universities have rigorous 4+ years, does UoP still give quality training in only 3? I figure, in the long run, it's worth knowing what you're doing since those few years of training is what you build your entire 30-40 years of a career as a dentist on.

Any thoughts?

 

[TheWiredNerv]

I was simply wondering since it is my top choice and I know it is attractive knowing it's only 3 years, but if all other universities have rigorous 4+ years, does UoP still give quality training in only 3? I figure, in the long run, it's worth knowing what you're doing since those few years of training is what you build your entire 30-40 years of a career as a dentist on.

Any thoughts?

I doubt that what you learn in D school will be what you build your 30-40 years of career on. You'll probably learn most of those skills in a residency or from practicing for a few years or at least this is what some dentists have told me.

 

[haisha ni narou]

A friend of mine graduated from UoP probably 8 years ago and he said he wouldn't have gone anywhere else. He said the clinic was as strong as could be and he felt he couldn't have gotten a better clinical experience anywhere else. But then again, what does he know other than UoP? I would rather do 4 years of school in 4 years, not 3. I'm not in that big a hurry, seems too stressful to me which is my only concern with the school. I like what the other guy said too, how good are you really going to be anyway once you graduate? You'll probably suck relative to someone who has been in the private sector for a year or two anyways and there is probably not much you can do about that no matter where you go, so go where ever and learn how to fix a tooth in school then jump out in the world and try not to hurt anyone as you strengthen your drill skilz.

 

[Amalgam4U]

UoP prides itself on producing quality clinicians, so I'd imagine so.

 

[djeffreyt]

Going to Pacific right now, and having been a patient of two former Pacific graduates in private practice, I am pleased with how well trained the students are as clinicians.

That being said...the 1st reply is correct. You don't build your entire 30-40 year career based on what you learn in dental school. You continue to learn, grow, and change as the field grows and changes, which is does even more rapidly today than it did 20 years ago. Likewise, some of the skills you learn, at any dental school, are skills specifically for surviving the clinics of those dental schools. You will find most dental schools take a systematically long and drawn out approach to even simple procedures and exams that a dentist in private practice does, but in a fraction of a time. For example, every patient we have at Pacific (with the exception of those we see in emergency clinic) that goes through the full diagnostic process will have diagnostic casts made and stored by the student dentist. When was the last time any of you went to a private practice dentist who during the first exam with you, took diagnostic impressions, just for the hell of it in case he ever needed them, and then stored them at his or her office indefinitely? There are private practice dentists who don't put nearly as much time into making a temporary as we do, and there are private practice dentists will never touch a wax adder or casting tray again in their life after dental school. SOme of what we learn, we learn to make it through school and then some of us just opt to never do that type of work again...you'll find this true at just about any school.

 

[Lopyswine]

to me this thread comes across as a insult to UoP.

 

[jackbauer!]

to me this thread comes across as a insult to UoP.

The OP was asking a legitimate question 😕

To the OP, Pacific has a very high reputation in the dental field. If you go to a 4 year school, you will realize how inefficient dental school can be. I think Pacific has found a way around the inefficiency, as they produce very high quality clinicians in only 3 years.

jb!🙂

 

[predental7200]

to me this thread comes across as a insult to UoP.

Lopyswine: I meant no insult to UoP since I know it has a great reputation and is also my number 1 choice. But reading about how many students have hardly no time left other than to study while going to a 4-year school, sometimes made me wonder about what they take out to make it a 3-year program. Maybe less sciences and heavier focus on clinical? I can imagine this will still produce a very competent dentist.

Overall, I can see how it's true that the real-life experience is really what strengthens your skills. I have even been told by my dentist that he will teach me tricks to do things better/quicker that you don't learn in dental school, so I can see how that is correct.

But yeah, if their reputation for strong clinical is good, that's good enough for me 🙂

 

[armorshell]

Lopyswine: I meant no insult to UoP since I know it has a great reputation and is also my number 1 choice. But reading about how many students have hardly no time left other than to study while going to a 4-year school, sometimes made me wonder about what they take out to make it a 3-year program. Maybe less sciences and heavier focus on clinical? I can imagine this will still produce a very competent dentist.

Some schools have full, multiple quarter long courses on ethics, epidemiology and research, and have long summer breaks. Pacific condenses some of those "ancillary" topics into a lecture series integrated course called integrated clinical sciences (or orientation to clinical practice 1st year), eliminates the breaks and has night clinic sessions 2nd and 3rd year.

Additionally, all of our pathology classes are self-study which frees up some more time during school hours.

It's my personal opinion that our basic sciences are actually pretty underrated on SDN, and just because it's a 3 year program instead of 4 doesn't mean you're missing out on anything academic. As far as people needing to study non-stop, well, people exaggerate quite a bit in regards to their study habits. If you're just looking to get through dental school and be a good general dentist, you can make it through Pacific's curriculum without too much stress and a fair amount of free time. There are lots of people who have active social lives and rarely pick up a book or come in to lab on the weekends, so it's definitely not impossible.