Lost and Confused

[theking]

Hi,

I was hoping someone could answer a few questions for me. I know that for medicine one must write the USMLE once in med school, what is the test that you have to write in dental school? How many steps are there? When do you write each step?
Also, is this a national test, ie. can you work anywhere after having written it? or is it a regional thing(does each state have its own or are their regions)? If it is regional does it matter what school one attends?

Also, how long is the residency period after the 4 years of dental school?

I know these are a lot of questions, but I think they are fairly basic, and hope that someone can answer some or all of these.

Thanks.

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[Sterichind]

Hello King,

Well, let me just say I love to talk about dentistry. First, there are two parts to a national dental boards exam in dental school. One is after the second year, and the second is at the middle or end of your fourth year of dental school. These are national exams. There is also a NERB exam in the northeast, or it depends where you are. I am also from New York so I mentioned the NERB or Northeast Regional Board Exam. It is a practical exam consisting of the things they taught you in dental school like crowns, bridges and dentures but on patients.
After this exam, you can practice in one of the 14 states of the NERB. If you want to work in California, I believe you can take the test here in New York for the California boards, but I'm not sure. Once you pass the NDB part I and II and the NERB. You are ready for residency. A General Practice Residency is 1 year. Orthodontics, Periodontics, Prostodontics, Pedodontics are 3 years. Oral Surgery is 4 years but 6 years with MD. I'm not too sure about Dental Public Health, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology but if you want I can verify all of this. Just say the word.

Hope this helps not just you but all.

Sterichind

 

[dds2b]

Hey theking

I'm a predent still (TUSDM class of 2005 though), but I'll take a shot at answering some of your questions.

There are 2 national boards.

Part 1 consists of 4 sections: dental anatomy/occlusion, anatomic sciences, bioc/physio, and microbi/patho.

Part 2 consists of 8 sections: oral path/radiology, pharm, perio/endo, prostho, oral surg/pain control, operative, osha/behav. sci/public health, and pedo/ortho.

Part 1 is usually taken sometime in the 2nd year and part 2 is taken about midway through 4th year. Finally, after passing part 1 and 2, students take regional boards at the end of 4th year. Different states have diff regionals. Cali, CO, FL, and NV have their own boards, while some boards like the NERBs cover most of the northeast states and the WREBs cover most of the western states.

There is no residency for dental schools unless you want to do an optional GPR (general practice residency) in a hospital setting or do an AEGD (advanced education in general dentistry) which is more clinically or community based setting. GPRs and AEGD programs are between 1-2 years in length. If you choose to specialize in ortho, endo, prostho, pedo, radiology, implantology, etc., most of these programs run between 2-3 years of additional training.
Oral surgery programs run between 4-6 years depending if you want a certificate or degree and you must pass USMLE 1 before getting in.

Otherwise, if you choose to become a general dentist, no additional residency or training is required after 4 years of dental school, except for some continuing edu courses dentists should take to keep up to date on new techniques and equipment.

Hope this helps.

By the way, are you a premed?...predent? and just researching diff options?

 

[Thebeyonder]

I think oral surgery is 3 years.
Tim.

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tb

 

[Dr. Pedo]

[This message has been edited by Dr.2b (edited 03-12-2001).]

 

[Dr. Pedo]

Thebeyonder---

[This message has been edited by Dr.2b (edited 03-10-2001).]