What is the difference between DMD and DDS?

[bebi]

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Can anyone tell me the differences between DMD and DDS?

 

[shizzleDDS]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

 

[larryt]

Originally posted by bebi
Can anyone tell me the differences between DMD and DDS?

DMD --- > Master Degree in Dental Hygiene
DDS --- > Doctor Degree in Dental Surgery





Just kidding... search this topic on Pre-den and Dental Forums.... Many people already posted their answers in the past.
or try this link:
http://www.cwru.edu/pubaff/univcomm/2003/12-03/dentname.htm

 

[Bickle]

The flood-gates are officially open....

BTW, no difference between the 2.

 

[MarkFitzsimmons]

You're going to get a bunch of smart ass replys to this thread.

There is no difference between the two degrees, it is just a matter of semantics.

 

[thisisit]

I disagree. There is a difference and I'm not joking. I mean no offense to our DMD members here but I have to seriously question why they would chose DMD over DDS? (the schools not the students). My guess is that they wanted to be closely associated with the "real doctors" and not us the tooth doctors. Also, if you are not very familiar with the concept of both being the same (most applicants to dental schools), it may impress you a bit more. This can mean more applicants to a particular school. Remember in the early to late 80's they had a hard time filling positions in most dental schools. I could be wrong....

 

[ecdoesit]

I wonder if we should have a sticky thread that post FAQ.
If so, this question should be the first one in that.

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by thisisit
I disagree. There is a difference and I'm not joking. I mean no offense to our DMD members here but I have to seriously question why they would chose DMD over DDS? (the schools not the students). My guess is that they wanted to be closely associated with the "real doctors" and not us the tooth doctors. Also, if you are not very familiar with the concept of both being the same (most applicants to dental schools), it may impress you a bit more. This can mean more applicants to a particular school. Remember in the early to late 80's they had a hard time filling positions in most dental schools. I could be wrong....

I hate to split too many hairs, but the question was "what's the difference between DMD and DDS?" and not "what's the difference between people's perception of DMD and DDS?"

And I imagine not too many people worried overmuch about which degree they'd get when they chose their schools. I sure didn't 😀

 

[vishal_k32801]

Originally posted by MarkFitzsimmons
You're going to get a bunch of smart ass replys to this thread.

There is no difference between the two degrees, it is just a matter of semantics.

Here is another smart answer:

http://www.hsdm.harvard.edu/asp-html/prospective.html

You get DMD at Harvard and may be few other schools.
Most other schools award DDS.

 

[LetMeIn]

Basically its only different in the way they want the layman to think of it.

DDS was first, but it seems to imply that basically what we do is pull teeth and correct bite.

The DMD title was developed so it encompasses our ever expanding roles in protecting patients health, prescribing drugs, detecting disease, playing more of a medical role. Basically give us credit for the job we do.

There is no difference in schooling, its just that some schools have adopted the DMD program whereas others have not.

 

[groundhog]

The precusors to university attached dental schools were essentially trade schools and apprenticeships (but then all of the health care professions can trace their roots back to such beginnings). I'm only speculating here, but I can envision some of those old Boston Brahmin types thinking "we don't want our dentists coming out of Harvard to be associated with the riff raff DDS types so we will come up with some rationale for awarding the DMD degree in order that our blue blood grads can remain above the fray." Some schools wanted to keep up with the Jonses and followed suit. Others could not have cared less. Hence we have DDS/DMD degrees.

Like I said, I was only speculating, but stranger things happen. Many of you may have read about Princess Anne's dog killing Queen Elizabeth's dog. That story was a bit humerous in itself, but a side note to that event really rocked my funny bone. A few years back, it seems that one of Queen Elizabeth''s Corgis accidently mated with one of the late Princess Margaret's Dashund's. Well low and behold a birthing miracle occurred and the offspring was officially declared a new breed. They are called Dorgis. Isn't that a hoot? Yeah I just can see myself going up to the AKA and asking that the offspring of my Golden Retriever and my neighbor's Great Dane be declared a new breed of dog.

 

[MarkFitzsimmons]

I believe harvard started giving DMD degrees because DMD is latin and DDS is not. Harvard only gives degrees in latin.

 

[groundhog]

Like I speculated, they needed to rationalize their decision in order to disguise their motive. Just like it must have been viewed as unseemly for the British Royals to have allowed mongrels to be birthed in their kennels so they rationalized the situation by choosing to have the mutts declared a new breed of dog . I'm only having a bit of fun with the DDS/DMD thing....but who really knows for sure?

 

[kenniemd]

Like everyone else has said, there's basically no difference

However, couldn't they have made it:

Doctor of Dental Surgery - DDS
Doctor of Dental Medicine - DDM

I think the DMD thing is to make it look more like MD 😕
Maybe one day it will be MDD, then the last D will fall off then you'll have DDS and MD .. heck who knows

 

[MarkFitzsimmons]

Originally posted by kenniemd
Doctor of Dental Surgery - DDS
Doctor of Dental Medicine - DDM

No, as I stated before DMD is latin. Dentariae Medicinae Doctor.

 

[muelli]

But wouldn't the gramattically correct version be:
"doctor medicinae dentalis"?

 

[MarkFitzsimmons]

no.

 

[muelli]

just thought about it again; both are correct:

dentaria, ae, f. is a noun,
dentalis/is/e is an adjective

 

[Shaymus]

FYI--UNLV has just switched to DMD!