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Q: What's the difference between a dentist with a DDS degree and one with a DMD?
A: The answer is nothing. The degrees are interchangeable and describe the degree awarded upon completion of dental school to a person now qualified to be a general dentist. Universities that confer the degrees simply have the prerogative of describing the degree they confer. DDS stand for Doctor of Dental Surgery; DMD for Doctor of Medical Dentistry. The education is the same. Either degree has to satisfy the curriculum requirements set by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. Generally this entails three or more years of undergraduate work followed by four years of dental school. State licensing boards view the degrees as equivalent and the degrees allow licensed individuals to practice the identical range of general dentistry.
There are a number of areas of specialty some dentists choose to practice. Additional post¬graduate education and training is required to become a specialist. An example of a specialty is orthodontics, a field that concentrates on the techniques and appliances used for straightening teeth. Your dentist would be happy to talk to you about his training.
November 30, 2009
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