What can you do with a DDS/PhD

[XZeRO]

I know with a DDS/DMD you can practice as a dentist. But there are schools that offer DDS or DMD/PhD combined programs culminating in a DDS/DMD and PhD degrees.

I know that with a DDS or DMD/PhD, you will likely be doing academia related work ie. research.

With that in mind, what benefit does the DDS/DMD degree offer because a PhD can equally do academia related work in a dentally relevant field?? Do you get paid more? Do you get the opportunity to work with extreme or rare cases? Do you get to teach the next generation of dental students?

I am curious to know what people with a DDS/DMD + PhD degree do with their careers and why they chose to do both the dental degree and a PhD degree.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[phdbound2010]

Hi XZeRO,

Those are great questions. I posted a reply to your previous question at http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=10169534. I don't know if you got a chance to read my answer, but I'll answer your specific questions as best I can.

With that in mind, what benefit does the DDS/DMD degree offer because a PhD can equally do academia related work in a dentally relevant field??
Yes, a PhD will allow you to do some clinically related work. However, you will not be able to practice dentistry, and your involvement in the clinic will be very limited. If you are not so much interested in working with patients, the PhD might be a great choice.

Do you get paid more?
I assume you are asking about DDS/PhD versus just PhD. As you probably know, a dentist can make more in private practice than most dentists on faculty. If you are on faculty at a dental school and have both, you will be getting paid more than if you had a PhD and did bench research. For me, this didn't factor much into the decision. I want to be a dentist. It is also very pragmatic to be one of a few dentists with PhDs rather than one of many PhDs looking for work. I think it is important to consider the finances in some decisions, but, in this case, I'd caution against making a financial argument in either direction.

Do you get the opportunity to work with extreme or rare cases?
If you want that opportunity, you can work with the rarest and strangest cases.

Do you get to teach the next generation of dental students?
Yes! The profession is in serious need of educators with a strong background in research and an interest in teaching. Unfortunately, the profession sometimes operates like a franchise business. You go to dental school, pay your dues, and get to open a franchise in the dental business. I don't fault that mindset, but the profession needs educators and researchers to ensure that there is innovation and progress in oral health.

Where are you in exploring this? Have you already applied to dental school?



All the best,
Drew

 

[UndergradGuy7]

If you do a DDS/PhD, you are sometimes given tuition waivers or assistance. So 7 years and you get a DDS and PhD and it is paid for (maybe in full?).

Not sure if all schools do this, but some do. The one I have in mind is UIC. I never looked into so I don't know much about it, but I have heard about it.

 

[laundry]

The phd won't get you more money in private practice but it will help you get a faculty position and thus you'll have a higher earning potential than a regular phd because you can do part time faculty practice.

 

[XZeRO]

Thanks!

I didn't see your response to my previous questions. Which schools in the US offer DMD/DDS + PhD programs?

 

[phdbound2010]

You can find a listing at:
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/CareersAnd...itutionalDualDegreePrograms/T32DualDegree.htm

Harvard is also an interesting option that is not on the list. Until recently, the dental school did not give PhD's, but some equivalent doctorate of sciences instead. Now you can get a PhD, and, from what the admissions folks wrote to me, it is funded for at least 4 out of the 7 years.

Are you an undergrad? If you are still exploring the options, I'd recommend seeking out any opportunity to work in translational research. Even if you work with PhD/MD's, you will get a better sense of how the basic research can be translated into the clinic. The attractive thing about having both degrees is that you can be part of every step, from the bench research to the clinical trial.

 

[phdbound2010]

You might also be interested in a ranking of dental schools by NIDCR funding:
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/GrantsAndF...talSchools/GrantstoDentalInstitutions2009.htm

This will give you a very good sense of the strength of the programs. Keep in mind that some schools might allow you to do the PhD portion of the program with the medical school at the university. If this is the case, the funding levels of the dental school don't truly reflect the kinds of opportunities you might have for your PhD. A great example is Harvard. Low funding levels, but the medical school would have some very exciting research opportunities for your PhD.

 

[XZeRO]

Are you an undergrad? If you are still exploring the options, I'd recommend seeking out any opportunity to work in translational research. Even if you work with PhD/MD's, you will get a better sense of how the basic research can be translated into the clinic. The attractive thing about having both degrees is that you can be part of every step, from the bench research to the clinical trial.

I am a MSc student. I've done a lot of research and work regularly with medical clinicians so I know what it's all about. It's just with dentistry, it's a little bit different because dentists tend to work more with the patients whereas medical clinicians don't do as much hands on stuff. It's more like medical clinicians have clinic hours that they must fulfill to maintain their faculty position kinda deal.

 

[phdbound2010]

Now I see the reason for your question. You are right, the MD/researchers don't generally do "hands on stuff" with the patients. Unless they are a surgeon, of course. Dentistry is certainly more hands on in general practice. The dentist researchers I worked with at the NIDCR said they would have needed to practice outside of their primary job to keep their "hands wet." You probably aren't going to be doing alot of root canals or extractions with a PhD. Some of the dentists I worked with bemoaned how they lost their once great technical skills due to lack of practice (but they still loved the work they did).