What is the difference between DMD and DDS?

[rickmyster78]

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I am DO student (starting fall 2002). No...I am not trying to start a stupid war here like DO vs. MD and etc. and I know what DDS and DMD stand for, but just curious as a future physician...do all dental schools have DDS and DMD programs and you just choose one program or do you go to different schools for the degrees? Can DMD's perform oral surgeries or are they strictly medical? Thanks.

 

[Ineedanassociate]

There is basically no difference in the degrees. It just depends on where you went to school. Some schools confer a DMD Doctor of Medical Dentistry while others have a DDS Doctor of Dental Surgery. I believe there is a bit of regional history to the difference as far as I know most of theDMD are in the Northeast.

 

[turtleboard]

I know the original poster didn't mean it in this sense, but what exactly would qualify as "medical dentistry?"

As someone has already written, there are no differences in the medical/legal sense between DMDs and DDSs. I believe it was Harvard Dental School which began conferring DMDs, and some other schools followed suit. As for the original intention of Harvard to award the DMD, I believe it was a reflection of how the profession has evolved to include more than just dental surgeries, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what else of significance there'd be.

I'm not sure if educating the public on preventive health for teeth and proper dental hygiene requires a brand new degree.

 

[pakgirl]

I think DMD stands for Doctor of Dental Medicine, recognizing dentistry as a branch of medicine.