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DDS Program

The goal of the predoctoral D.D.S. curriculum is to educate health care professionals who value health promotion and possess the knowledge and skills to diagnose, manage, and prevent diseases, abnormalities, and other conditions affecting the oral and perioral tissues. The education encompasses a broad understanding of the biomedical sciences, behavioral sciences, and clinical sciences, as well as the social issues related to the general health and well-being of the public. The educational process develops and reinforces the ethical responsibility of the health care professional for the public and develops a keen sense of the role of the dentist as an integral member of the health professions team. Throughout their education, students are stimulated to model values and beliefs that demonstrate the commitment of the profession to the public welfare.

This is accomplished by a recently restructured curriculum that

• promotes decision making that is evidence-based and reflects the current knowledge in the biomedical and clinical sciences
• emphasizes the integration of the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical sciences throughout the curriculum
• promotes the concept of lifelong learning as a fundamental value in professional life
• establishes the highest standards of ethics and professional conduct
• is competency-based
• fosters appreciation for multiculturalism and pluralism as elements of diversity in the United States as well as factors that influence health care behaviors and decision making by the public
• complements a comprehensive care delivery system that is patient-centered and values quality as its first priority.

Furthermore, it is a curriculum that is characterized by

• incorporation of pedagogy that fosters problem solving and critical thinking skills as a basic feature of the curriculum
• flexibility to allow for enrichment, adaptability to learning styles, and developing alternate careers
• recognition of the role of technology in the educational process and access to information for efficient and effective practice of dentistry
• continuous evaluation by appropriate outcome data to ensure quality and continuous improvement.

Current Schedule of Courses by Class Year
The curriculum at New York University College of Dentistry involves a cross-disciplinary integrated education. The four-year curriculum emphasizes prevention and health promotion, lifelong learning, critical thinking, and the value of critical evaluation of the literature.

Throughout the curriculum six themes are identified that vary in emphasis from year to year, but ultimately, all come together and prepare graduates to begin the practice of general dentistry. The six themes are (1) Basic Sciences; (2) Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, and Disease Management; (3) Foundation Knowledge and Clinical Simulation; (4) Epidemiology and Health Promotion; (5) Ethics; and (6) Patient Care.

The list of courses offered in the D.D.S. curriculum is as follows: