Why is dental school so much more expensive than medical school?

[mdub]

Why is dental school vastly more expensive than medical school?

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[oldboy]

it is ?

 

[beezies]

Why is dental school vastly more expensive than medical school?

Other than it all being a big scam? My best answer is that you can get out in 4 years and make way more money right away. Then again, this is based on the "average" salaries of dentists, which may or may not be accurate. Dang.

 

[nyla24]

Other than it all being a big scam? My best answer is that you can get out in 4 years and make way more money right away. Then again, this is based on the "average" salaries of dentists, which may or may not be accurate. Dang.

I am not sure if dental costs more than med but we have to buy equipment like a high speed handpiece for 1K while they don't.

 

[HermeytheElf]

The major difference that I can think of is that a dental school has to have a clinic while a medical school is usually just associated with a hospital. The costs of building and maintaining a dental clinic are pretty significant and that probably contributes to the higher tuition. Bottomline is: dental schools aren't stupid, they wanna get paid just like anybody else.

 

[Rezdawg]

BU medical ~ $38,000
BU dental ~ $44,500 (not including instruments)

 

[mdub]

Other than it all being a big scam? My best answer is that you can get out in 4 years and make way more money right away. Then again, this is based on the "average" salaries of dentists, which may or may not be accurate. Dang.

Is there a good answer to what the average dentist income is?

According to the BLS, it's about $130,000: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos072.htm#earnings

Salary.com says it's about $118,000: http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/...de=&pagenumber=&zipcode=&metrocode=&x=62&y=16

The ADA says about $175,000 for an owner or part owner: http://www.ada.org/ada/prod/survey/faq.asp#income

This says it's about $100,000 to $120,000 for associates and $200,000 to $230,000 for owners: http://downloads.pennnet.com/pnet/surveys/de/0512de70-79.pdf

That's a big range. Does anything know what the "right" number is?

 

[mdub]

BU medical ~ $38,000
BU dental ~ $44,500 (not including instruments)

USC Med tuition: $37,366 http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2004/schools/medicine/tuition.html

USC Dental tuition: $55,347 http://www.usc.edu/hsc/dental/financial_aid/dds.htm

 

[Sprgrover]

Medical schools usually do cost less than dental schools. One of the biggest reasons for this is that medical schools usually have a hospital associated with them which subsidizes and supports the school. Hospitals are also a lot more profitable than a dental school clinic, which offers many of its services at discounted rates to help in part attract patients. Also there are a lot more federal dollars flowing into medical schools to support research than dental schools. It's not a scam: both schools are very expensive to run, however the medical school model usually has a different monetary structure that helps remove some of the direct costs to its students.

 

[darius99]

doesn't the clinic bring in money though? i'm not saying it's enough to run the whole school, but i would think that it would offset the costs of operating the clinic

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

doesn't the clinic bring in money though? i'm not saying it's enough to run the whole school, but i would think that it would offset the costs of operating the clinic

Clincs only bring in about 15% of total school income. Research is what brings in the $$$

I would also assume that dental schools hire a lot of faculty that do not do any sort of research, such as the guys on the clinic and pre-clinic floor, whereas in med school most of the faculty have some time vested in research and bring in more $$$ to the school.

 

[1992Corolla]

I am not sure if dental costs more than med but we have to buy equipment like a high speed handpiece for 1K while they don't.

Add in the rest of instruments and you spend 10k more than any med student.

 

[DIRTIE]

They say that the actual cost to educate one dental student per year is around 80K, thats right 80 thousand dollars. Medical is just way different, hospitals from what I hear love to be teaching hospitals, more free help while med students do rounds, work the residents to death for 40k, etc.
Dental we just waste expensive dental supplies, toss around vitrebond like its penny candy in the prelab, setting up a dental clinic is not cheap, paying that many faculty to stand around is not cheap either, JK. I believe that it was said once that it costs substantially more to educate one dental student than any other profession or field. So heck why not pass the burden to the students, its not like schools are hurting for applicants like they were 15-20 years ago.

 

[DIRTIE]

Add in the rest of instruments and you spend 10k more than any med student.

That is why you go to UNLV, all of that garbage is included in one fee, its called tuition, not small though, all of the other schools like to make it sound like they are resonabable until you find out that its 4k for freakin books per year and 8K for instuments per year

 

[mdub]

So heck why not pass the burden to the students, its not like schools are hurting for applicants like they were 15-20 years ago.

What is happening with the total number of dentists graduating per year? Is the field becoming saturated?

 

[oldboy]

Colorado out of state Medical $72,000, in state ~$20000

Dental out of state ~$40,000, in state ~$16000


These are per year, just tuition.

 

[1992Corolla]

That is why you go to UNLV, all of that garbage is included in one fee, its called tuition, not small though, all of the other schools like to make it sound like they are resonabable until you find out that its 4k for freakin books per year and 8K for instuments per year

so 50K for the first year at UNLV is about the same as most places who charge 40K plus 10K instruments...UNLV does have brand new facilities though.

I just pity the person who goes to just in case and pays 50K plus instruments.

 

[DIRTIE]

so 50K for the first year at UNLV is about the same as most places who charge 40K plus 10K instruments...UNLV does have brand new facilities though.

I just pity the person who goes to just in case and pays 50K plus instruments.

We don't buy an instrument kit, we just rent basically.I think it is the way that most schools will go to soon.
Remember Nevada gives basically everyone instate after 12 months.
I don't know about Temple, but I once figured out I saved something in the line of 80k between Case and UNLV. That is about how much it costs to live over the 45 months whilke in D school, so by going to UNLV over private schools I payed for tuition and living instead of just tuition for the same price. Not bad, oh yeah UNLV is really expensive? Don't come here everybody, it will cost you way to much, you better go to Case or Louisville.

 

[DIRTIE]

What is happening with the total number of dentists graduating per year? Is the field becoming saturated?

They really haven't increased to much because schools aren't matriculating any more, they just have more applicants for the same # of spots, so more competition to get in, not any more necessarily when you graduate

 

[Comet208]

That's a big range. Does anything know what the "right" number is?

your competence and goals will determine the "right" number upon graduation.

 

[starbright]

dont our instruments cost more? because 12 grand in instruments is basically a med schools tuition....my sisters bf payed 3 grand a year!!! for med school so basically he has no loans and now he's in his orthopedic residency and about to start at 500 G...so i dont think it has to do with "dentists making more than medical doctors" cuz that's bs...

 

[Sprgrover]

What is happening with the total number of dentists graduating per year? Is the field becoming saturated?

Hardly. In terms of national numbers, there are more dentists retiring each year than there are new graduates. However, there are some markets, such as Salt Lake City, that are becoming saturated with dentists (which means there is a real shortage elsewhere).