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College of Dentistry

Professional Program (D.D.S.)

Doctor of Dental Surgery

The Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) requires a minimum of three years of preprofessional study and four years of study in the College of Dentistry.

Course work during the first and second years in the College of Dentistry integrates the biomedical sciences with preclinical and clinical disciplines. The biomedical sciences include gross anatomy, biochemistry, general histology, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, and physiology. Students also study topics specific to dentistry, such as principles of occlusion, anesthesia and pain control, operative dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, cariology, and preventive dentistry. During the latter part of the first year, students are introduced to their first clinical patient-treatment situation.

Second-year dental students continue their study of biomedical sciences, take preclinical courses, have additional patient treatment experiences in restorative and preventive dentistry, and are introduced to esthetic and implant dentistry.

Third-year dental students rotate through a series of clerkships that expose them to seven clinical disciplines.

Fourth-year dental students deliver comprehensive dental care in conditions that closely approximate those in private dental practice. They also are exposed to varied community dentistry health programs throughout Iowa and other states that include hospitals, nursing homes, and the Special Care Clinic. They may choose to participate in the Colorado Migrant Worker Program, the Indian Health Service Program, or the Foreign Dental School Exchange Program. The community dentistry programs provide exposure to facets of dentistry usually not observable in an academic setting.

Biomedical Sciences in the Dental Curriculum

The following science courses are offered by University of Iowa departments outside the College of Dentistry and are a required part of the D.D.S. curriculum. 

College of Dentistry nondepartmental courses are listed under "Nondepartmental Courses" at the end of this section. Courses offered by the college's departments are listed in each department's General Catalog section.

Combined Bachelor's Degree/D.D.S.

Students who are enrolled in a baccalaureate program at The University of Iowa may be allowed to use course work from their first year of dentistry to complete their elective semester-hour requirement toward the bachelor's degree.

The provision for acceptance by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences of 30 s.h. of elective credit earned in any other college of the University allows College of Dentistry students to obtain a bachelor's degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences after successfully completing the first year of dentistry. To take advantage of this plan, students must fulfill all specific requirements for the bachelor's degree, including the General Education Program requirements and the requirements for a major. Students also must satisfy the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences residence requirement before enrolling in the College of Dentistry. Contact the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for more information.

Academic Rules and Procedures

Promotions, Graduation

Student promotions and graduation are determined by the collegiate academic and professional performance committee, which is made up of individuals appointed by the dean from the biomedical, preclinical, and clinical sciences and from other academic areas of the college. The performance committee may recommend to the dean that a student withdraw from the college or repeat specific courses when the student is deemed generally unprepared to be promoted or to enter the dental profession.

Committee for Appeals

When a student has been asked to withdraw from the college or wants special consideration of problems concerning promotion or graduation, he or she may appeal to the dean. All appeals are heard by an ad hoc committee appointed by the dean. The ad hoc committee investigates new information that has not been available previously or that has not been discussed as fully as the student feels it should have been. The committee determines whether this new information, or important new insights that may have been gained, could have influenced the collegiate academic and professional performance committee's decision. The recommendation of the appeals committee is submitted to the dean for final action.

Dentistry Licensure Examination

The State of Iowa accepts clinical examination results from the Central Regional Dental Testing Service and from the Western Regional Examination Board. Examinations are administered at several testing sites located at dentistry schools in the United States. A separate license application is then filed with the individual state board of dentistry.

For licensure, all states also require the National Boards, conducted by the American Dental Association. Many states, including Iowa, also require a jurisprudence examination.

Student Organizations

All dental students are members of the American Student Dental Association through its local chapter. The American Dental Education Association, the American Association of Dental Research (Student Research Group), the American Association of Women Dentists, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Student Chapter, the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry, the Student National Dental Association, and the Hispanic Dental Association also have local chapters.

Students who rank in the upper 12 percent of their senior class are eligible for election to Omicron Kappa Upsilon, a national scholastic honorary dental society.

The national dental professional fraternities Delta Sigma Delta and Psi Omega have chapters at Iowa. Both fraternities provide academic and social activities for students and their spouses.

Expenses

The College of Dentistry maintains the Supply-Instrument Management System (SIMS), which provides students with instruments and supplies necessary throughout their dental training. The SIMS usage fee for the D.D.S. is payable in installments over the four-year program.

A fee for expendable laboratory supplies is charged each of the first two years. A $100 breakage fee also must be deposited; the deposit is refundable upon graduation or termination of enrollment.

Admission

Applicants must submit a completed AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application Service) application form to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). The AADSAS application must be completed online at the American Dental Education Association web site (http://www.adea.org).

Applications are accepted beginning June 1 of the year before the year of entry. Completed applications must be on file at ADEA by November 1. Applicants should apply as early as possible. Notifications of acceptance are sent beginning December 1.

Prospective dental students are encouraged to embark on an educational program that leads to a standard bachelor's degree. This ensures that students receive a well-rounded education.

Predental Studies

The basic academic requirement for admission to the College of Dentistry is completion of at least 90 s.h. of academic study at an accredited college. No more than 60 s.h. of credit is accepted from a junior college or two-year institution. The predental program of study should include the following.

English: satisfactory accomplishment in English composition, rhetoric, and speech commensurate with the academic requirements for a bachelor's degree at the college attended.

Physics: one year (equivalent to 8 s.h.), of which one-fourth must be laboratory work.

Chemistry: two years (equivalent to 16 s.h.), of which one year (equivalent to 8 s.h.) must be in organic chemistry; one-fourth of each year's study must be laboratory work.

Biochemistry: highly recommended.

Biological science: one year (equivalent to 8 s.h.), which must include appropriate laboratory work; the requirement may be satisfied by a one-year course in principles of biology, with instruction in cell biology, metabolism, organismic biology, animal biology, genetics, development, ecology, and evolution. Preference is given to applicants who have completed more than 8 s.h. Courses in human anatomy and cell physiology are strongly recommended.

Gross anatomy: highly recommended.

Electives: sufficient course work in the social sciences, philosophy, psychology, history, foreign languages, business, and mathematics to provide a well-rounded educational background.

Grade-Point-Average Requirement

Applicants should have a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.25 on a 4.00 scale; a g.p.a. above 3.50 is preferred. The admissions committee gives special consideration to the quality of applicants' course work in the predental sciences, in addition to the cumulative grade-point average.

Interviews

Personal interviews are required of applicants for admission to the College of Dentistry. Applicants are contacted to arrange an interview, usually after the AADSAS application is received by the admissions office.

Required Dental Admission Test

All applicants must complete the Dental Admission Test (DAT) sponsored by the Council on Dental Education of the American Dental Association. A computerized DAT is available throughout the year at designated Prometric Centers.

Applicants should take the test by August 1, one year before entering dental school. Test application forms are available online (http://www.ada.org) and from the American Dental Association, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.

Deposit by Accepted Applicants

Applicants accepted before February 1 are required to submit a $500 deposit within 30 days after notification of admittance. Applicants admitted after February 1 must submit the deposit within two weeks after notification of admittance. This deposit is not refundable but is credited toward the first fee payment. Applicants who fail to make the deposit within the time specified forfeit their place in the entering class.

Additional Admission Considerations

Fulfillment of the specific requirements listed for admission does not ensure admission to the College of Dentistry. From applicants meeting minimum requirements, the admissions committee selects those who appear best qualified for the study and practice of dentistry. The committee considers applicants' academic averages, science averages, DAT scores, letters of recommendation, the interview, and other factors.

Early Admission

The College of Dentistry's Deferred Admit Program (DAP) allows academically motivated students who are residents of Iowa and are interested in a dental career to be admitted to the College of Dentistry as early as the end of their first year of undergraduate study. Students postpone matriculation to the College of Dentistry until they have earned the amount of credit required for their undergraduate degree. As undergraduates, they are engaged in a liberal arts and sciences curriculum that incorporates the dental prerequisite courses. Once selected for the program, students must maintain a specified level of academic achievement to assure matriculation to the College of Dentistry.

Financial Support

Financial assistance for dental students is based on need. Dental students who demonstrate need are eligible for Health Professions Loans, Perkins Loans, and Stafford/Ford Loans. Students applying for loans must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Interest on many of these loans may be deferred while the student is in school, and the loans are repayable over an extended period of time after the course of study is completed.

Short-term and long-term loans are available through the financial aid coordinator at the College of Dentistry.

Academic awards are given each year to qualified entering dental students. The Academic Research and Resource Support Awards provide financial support up to $15,000 per year for as many as four years, if the student maintains an appropriate level of performance.

Financial assistance (grants and loans) is available to disadvantaged students who qualify under The University of Iowa's Educational Opportunity Program and the Opportunity at Iowa Program.

Information on financial assistance for dental students is available from the University's Office of Student Financial Aid.