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DENTISTRY
Dentistry is the practical application of
knowledge of dental science (the science of placement,
arrangement, function of teeth) to human beings. A dentist is a
professional practitioner of dentistry. In most countries, to
become a qualified dentist, one needs several years of training
in a university (usually 4-8) and some practical experience
working with actual patients' dentition. The patron saint of
dentists is Saint Apollonia, martyred in Alexandria by having
all her teeth violently extracted, not, one would have thought,
such a very desirable exempla.
In Australia, graduating dentists have
either a B.D.S. (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) or B.D.Sc degree
(Bachelor of Dental Science).
In the United Kingdom, there is 5 years of
undergraduate study before obtaining a B.D.S. degree. After
graduating most dentists will enter a V.T. (vocational training)
scheme, of either 1 or 2 years length, to receive their full NHS
registration. In the UK a dentist must register with the G.D.C.
(General Dental Council (http://www.gdc-uk.org)), and meet their
requirements as the governing body of the profession, before
being allowed to practice.
In the United States, dentists obtain
either a D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree after 4 years of postgraduate
education. (That is another 4 on top of the 4 years of an
undergraduate college.)
Specialties in dentistry such as
orthodontics (straightening of teeth), oral and maxillofacial
surgery, pedodontics (treatment for children), periodontics
(treatment of gum disease), prosthodontics (replacement of
missing teeth by prostheses such as dentures, bridges and dental
implants), operative dentistry (restoration of existing teeth),
endodontics (root canal therapy), dental public health (study of
dental epidemiology and social health policies), forensic
odontology (gathering and use of dental evidence in law), oral
radiology and oral pathology (study of oral and dentally related
diseases) would require usually between 2-3 years of further
formal university training after dental school. Specialists in
these fields might be designated registrable (U.S. "Board
Eligible") and can sometimes lay claim to exclusive titles
such as orthodontist, oral surgeon, pedodontist, periodontist,
prosthodontist upon satisfying certain local (U.S. "Board
Certified") registry requirements.
Other dental "specialties"
exists where no post-graduate formal university training is
required : cosmetic dentistry, dental implant, temporal-mandibular
joint therapy. These usually require the attendance of one or
more "hotel courses" that typically last for one to
several days. There is usually no restrictions on allowing these
dentists to call themselves specialists in these fields when the
"specialist" titles are not restrictive and
registrable titles controlled by the local dental licensing
bodies.
Source: Wikipedia All text is
available under the terms of the GNU
Free Documentation License
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