What are the top ranking dental schools?

[TravisP]

I'm going to Southern Illinous University - Edwardsville this fall. I'm going into the combined baccalaureate in biology/doctorate in dentisty program. If im lucky enough I can go straight to dental school after my third year.

It seems like there are no offical ranking of dental schools on USNEWS. Does anyone know what are the top dental schools?

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[Typo]

Check out a few of these links, they should help:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=134739&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=115482&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=105172&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=63737&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=98038&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=94074&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=85923&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=71255&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=67955&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=41853&

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=47973&

 

[delicious]

I'm going to Southern Illinous University - Edwardsville this fall. I'm going into the combined baccalaureate in biology/doctorate in dentisty program. If im lucky enough I can go straight to dental school after my third year.

It seems like there are no offical ranking of dental schools on USNEWS. Does anyone know what are the top dental schools?

travis, if you hadn't given your background I woulda thought this was a joke. You gotta be careful on these dental forums. People are ultra sensitive and wacko on questions like this. I'm glad I got to you first.

To answer your question, the top five schools are:

1) Harvard
2) UPENN
3) Michigan
4) UCSF
5) Columbia

a lot of people like UPacific

 

[Typo]

And, since Delicious didn't mention it, the rankings above are purely his opinion.

 

[delicious]

And, since Delicious didn't mention it, the rankings above are purely his opinion.

Wrong!!! These rankings are as official as they get!!

 

[Yah-E]

Nothing this Douchelicious guy says mean anything. Just look up all his posts, they are all pointless and useless.

 

[Typo]

Wrong!!! These rankings are as official as they get!!

 

[mg777]

. I'm glad I got to you first.

To answer your question, the top five schools are:

1) Harvard
2) UPENN
3) Michigan
4) UCSF
5) Columbia

a lot of people like UPacific too!!

Sounds like a scientific determination of the top five dentals to me. Shouldnt UPenn be number 1, I think a lot people like that one better?

 

[delicious]

Nothing this Douchelicious guy says mean anything. Just look up all his posts, they are all pointless and useless.

hey cheese-head, did the OP ask you for your opinion on me?! why don't you help contribute to the thread!

 

[delicious]

Sounds like a scientific determination of the top five dentals to me. Shouldnt UPenn be number 1, I think a lot people like that one better?

Thanks mg777. Hey, is it just me or are there some seriously uptight people on SDN. Particularly on the dental forums. Have you checked out the medical forums?! Honestly, they seem more laid back there.

 

[Sprgrover]

To answer your question, the top five schools are:

1) Harvard
2) UPENN
3) Michigan
4) UCSF
5) Columbia

And this list comes from where? There are no formal rankings for dental schools. A while back I located a short little article that answers the question of why we don't have rankings of dental schools:

http://www.tambcd.edu/DentalCE/askdoc/html/school_rankings.html

 

[mg777]

Thanks mg777. Hey, is it just me or are there some seriously uptight people on SDN. Particularly on the dental forums. Have you checked out the medical forums?! Honestly, they seem more laid back there.

They were slightly annoyed, as I was, at your presumptuous listing of the top five dental schools. To the unassuming new SDN member,they may mistake your top 5 listing as having a shred of factual basis , so one should not camouflage opinion as fact.

 

[delicious]

They were slightly annoyed, as I was, at your presumptuous listing of the top five dental schools. To the unassuming new SDN member,they may mistake your top 5 listing as having a shred of factual basis , so one should not camouflage opinion as fact.

i understand your concern. i have added this signature as a warning sign to all viewers of my posts. I am also considering changing my name from delicious to douchelicious

 

[Typo]

Sigh . . . delicious, go get a reaction and your jollies out of the medical forums.

 

[TravisP]

Alright, why does SIU say they are in the top 10 when there isn't an offical ranking?

 

[Typo]

Alright, why does SIU say they are in the top 10 when there isn't an offical ranking?

I've never seen the actual rankings, but they might have been in there when they last published the list. I know that UNC sometimes mentions that they were ranked #2 the last time the list was published, so that might be the case with SIU. Not sure.

 

[Sprgrover]

Alright, why does SIU say they are in the top 10 when there isn't an offical ranking?

What is their basis for their claim? What top 10 are they referencing? A lot of schools will make claims such as "second in the nation.......for board scores" and the like. I doubt any of them will make a broad, generic claim as "we are #1" without listing a qualifier which tells the audience what they are #1 in. Read further or examine the fine print to find out.

 

[Bullfan16]

Hey Travis...I am an IL resident who has talked to some of the faculty at SIU-Alton (where dental school is) and might be able to answer this one.

Basically, what SIU has told you is true, they rank consistently in the top 10 on the NBDE (National Board Dental Exam) which you take after your second year (at most dental schools) and after your fourth year (correct??).

After talking to the prosthodontic department head, he mentioned they always score in the top 10 on the NBDE's because they place an enormous emphasis on studying and preparing for it. Also, unlike some schools where you are immersed with med students, at SIU the faculty is there purely for you (these are his words, I am not elaborating here). Some schools also care more about you finishing a certain amount of work in the clinic, or being in the clinic (clinic attendance) for a certain percentage of time (not necessarily a bad thing) while SIU gives their students lots of preparation and time to study for the NBDE. However, the important idea in all of this is that on the NBDE a pass score is required...a high score will help you if you want to specialize but wont make you a better dentist. All you need to do is pass (granted 'merely passing' isnt all that simple).

In any case he also mentioned something about being #1 on the boards in terms of the midwest region.

In the end, however, this stuff doesnt matter. There are no rankings and all schools have their +'s and -'s. Thats just it...the point is to find out if you could see yourself enjoying your time the most at a particular location to determine where you want to go (as well as other factors such as size of clinics, class size, amount of patients in the area, what the clinics look like, overall feeling of the students, the way the curriculum is set up, and many other factors.)

Dont just go by what SIU tells you. SIU is a great school (dental school) and I am sure you will be fine. Try not to get caught up in the numbers game, or by those who use SDN as their own comic relief. Be confident in your choice.

 

[DMD_hopeful]

Here's a list to the latest rankings.... a la 1994

http://www.xupremed.com/AppSeries/App09.Rankings.html

 

[TravisP]

Hey Travis...I am an IL resident who has talked to some of the faculty at SIU-Alton (where dental school is) and might be able to answer this one.

Basically, what SIU has told you is true, they rank consistently in the top 10 on the NBDE (National Board Dental Exam) which you take after your second year (at most dental schools) and after your fourth year (correct??).

After talking to the prosthodontic department head, he mentioned they always score in the top 10 on the NBDE's because they place an enormous emphasis on studying and preparing for it. Also, unlike some schools where you are immersed with med students, at SIU the faculty is there purely for you (these are his words, I am not elaborating here). Some schools also care more about you finishing a certain amount of work in the clinic, or being in the clinic (clinic attendance) for a certain percentage of time (not necessarily a bad thing) while SIU gives their students lots of preparation and time to study for the NBDE. However, the important idea in all of this is that on the NBDE a pass score is required...a high score will help you if you want to specialize but wont make you a better dentist. All you need to do is pass (granted 'merely passing' isnt all that simple).

In any case he also mentioned something about being #1 on the boards in terms of the midwest region.

In the end, however, this stuff doesnt matter. There are no rankings and all schools have their +'s and -'s. Thats just it...the point is to find out if you could see yourself enjoying your time the most at a particular location to determine where you want to go (as well as other factors such as size of clinics, class size, amount of patients in the area, what the clinics look like, overall feeling of the students, the way the curriculum is set up, and many other factors.)

Dont just go by what SIU tells you. SIU is a great school (dental school) and I am sure you will be fine. Try not to get caught up in the numbers game, or by those who use SDN as their own comic relief. Be confident in your choice.

Thanks for the information. I was wondering if its better to apply to a bunch of dental schools instead of just SIU. Since most dental schools admit 50 people and a 3rd of that is reserved for minorities.

 

[Biogirl361]

i think that someone needs to officially rank the schools to put an end to this argument. besides, if all the other grad schools let themself be ranked, why shouldn't dental schools?

 

[Sprgrover]

i think that someone needs to officially rank the schools to put an end to this argument. besides, if all the other grad schools let themself be ranked, why shouldn't dental schools?

I believe it is easier said than done. What will be the grounds for ranking the students - national board scores, number of graudates accepted to specialty programs? What about the other aspects of a school, such as clinical focus? And what of the intangible aspects of a school, such as student faculty relations, degree of post-graduation 'success' and so on? If your goal is to become a competent , and I hope caring and personable, practioner then rankings should be of little consequence as you will find the one school which meets your personal goals and objectives.

 

[Biogirl361]

same problems when ranking any graduate school, and everyone knows or should know that the rankings are not a guarantee of how happy one will be there. i guess i just feel like nobody has put up a big fuss about ranking med schools so why is it so bad to rank dental schools.

 

[The Musketeer]

Do not use the rankings as the basis of making your decisions as many dental schools have altered their curriculum as well as introduction of DentSims and Simulation Labs that are not accounted for in the 1994 ranking (as they did not exist at that time)

Here's a list to the latest rankings.... a la 1994

http://www.xupremed.com/AppSeries/App09.Rankings.html

 

[ItsGavinC]

I believe it is easier said than done. What will be the grounds for ranking the students - national board scores, number of graudates accepted to specialty programs?

Neither of those. They would rank them the same way they do medical schools--based on $$ given to the school for research. Dental research done by schools is by-and-large not of significant impact to the dental profession.

The real innovations are created by private practitioners looking for smarter and more effective ways to accomplish procedures.

 

[JavadiCavity]

I interviewed at 3 of the 10 mentioned in theat 1994 poll--Maryland, Michigan, and UNC. And, the only one I'd agree with is UNC. Maryland and Michigan have good programs, but not as good or just as good as what I saw other schools. I believe Gavin is right--rankings are based on research dollars. All 3 of the schools touted their research machine and the research funding from the govt. In my evaluation of school programs, research means diddly squat--clinic is king!

 

[delicious]

Dental research done by schools is by-and-large not of significant impact to the dental profession.

Is that a joke?! Dude, I think that you've got a pretty narrow-minded view of what it means to be a dentist. Maybe you're thinking that dental profession means being a gp: filling cavities, doing root canal. Talk to an oral surgeon or perio researcher and they'll tell you that research is seriously impacting what they do.

And I think you might be ignoring many inter-disciplinary aspects of dentistry. For example, the studies relating gum disease and heart disease. Being a dentist these days now means more than just thinking about the oral cavity, it encompasses the entire body.


Also, stem Cells: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993643
Edit: sorry, I have no idea how to make a link on this forum

 

[edkNARF]

Is that a joke?! Dude, I think that you've got a pretty narrow-minded view of what it means to be a dentist. Maybe you're thinking that dental profession means being a gp: filling cavities, doing root canal. Talk to an oral surgeon or perio researcher and they'll tell you that research is seriously impacting what they do.

And I think you might be ignoring many inter-disciplinary aspects of dentistry. For example, the studies relating gum disease and heart disease. Being a dentist these days now means more than just thinking about the oral cavity, it encompasses the entire body.


Also, stem Cells: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993643
Edit: sorry, I have no idea how to make a link on this forum

Huah.

 

[ItsGavinC]

And I think you might be ignoring many inter-disciplinary aspects of dentistry. For example, the studies relating gum disease and heart disease. Being a dentist these days now means more than just thinking about the oral cavity, it encompasses the entire body.

True, and the vast majority of THAT research is done by medical institutions, not dental schools.

 

[delicious]

Dental research done by schools is by-and-large not of significant impact to the dental profession.

The real innovations are created by private practitioners looking for smarter and more effective ways to accomplish procedures.

Gavin, you underestimate the roal of dentists in health care.

It's weird that you are in dental school, yet your own views of dentistry compare to those of the general public.

Gavin, dentistry is a lot deeper than you think. Grow up!

 

[Dr.BadVibes]

Here's a list to the latest rankings.... a la 1994

http://www.xupremed.com/AppSeries/App09.Rankings.html

Keep in mind that when these rankings were done, Vanilla Ice and Mc Hammer were also highly ranked musicians

Things can sure change within 10 years, eh!

 

[adamlc18]

Keep in mind that when these rankings were done, Vanilla Ice and Mc Hammer were also highly ranked musicians

Things can sure change within 10 years, eh!

Hey, Vanilla Ice will always be a highly ranked musician in my book! Gotta love the original white rapper!

 

[dyarhea]

The real innovations are created by private practitioners looking for smarter and more effective ways to accomplish procedures.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Gavin, you underestimate the roal of dentists in health care.

It's weird that you are in dental school, yet your own views of dentistry compare to those of the general public.

Gavin, dentistry is a lot deeper than you think. Grow up!

I feel that biomedical research, even stuff that involves us on a daily basis, is done by those with doctorate degrees and/or physicians.

That says NOTHING about how shallow or deep dentistry is. I don't ever recall saying anything about that. What I do know is that even at dental schools that are deep into research, that research is almost always coupled with their respective medical schools.

It's TOUGH for government/other organizations to grant research monies to dental schools because the research scope is so limited, but much easier to grant said monies to medical schools. So usually the initial discoveries pertaining to dentistry are found at medical schools.

Your slanders that are directed at me are way off base. You're making this a personal argument, which it isn't. I just don't believe that much of the great research, even DENTAL research, happens at dental schools.

 

[delicious]

I just don't believe that much of the great research, even DENTAL research, happens at dental schools.

Sorry my last post was confrontational: I'm just very frustrated with this topic in general. And I'm still trying to figure out what my view is. You make some good points in your last post - I understand what you're saying.

I'm just trying to say that great dental research is done at dental schools. This research is sometimes done by people without dental degrees - but that doesn't mean that the research isn't happening at the dental school. For example, at many dental schools, there are numerous PH.D.s that do dentally related research - and their affiliation is strictly with the faculty of dentistry. True, a lot of stuff is inter-disciplinary and involves dentists and doctors, but the involvement of MD's doesn't make those discoveries the property of the med schools. Funding, publications, and praise for research on say 'gum disease and heart disease relations' is shared by dental and medical faculties. If none of the money came from the dental school, how could dentists be involved in the projects?

 

[Sprgrover]

...Dental research done by schools is by-and-large not of significant impact to the dental profession...

Along the lines of Gavin's post: a lot of the research that was touted to me during interviews, the kind that made the interviewer's eyes sparkle, related to market brands, such as Advil and Listerene, or projects linking oral enzymatic activity and AIDS research. While some of these research projects were intriguing I don't think that they will have an immediate and direct impact on me as a (future) practitioner. And unless I want to steer my career towards the world of academe and research then the research aura promoted by a school will play second fiddle to their clinical offerings. It's expensive to run a dental school and many don't have access to the same financial resources as medical schools do, so research (especially from private companies) is undoubtedly a valuable source of income. Research, in my opinion, is not the be-all-of-end-all of a dental school and basing a dental school's rank on it or lack thereof is a bit strained and far-fetched.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I'm just trying to say that great dental research is done at dental schools. This research is sometimes done by people without dental degrees - but that doesn't mean that the research isn't happening at the dental school. For example, at many dental schools, there are numerous PH.D.s that do dentally related research - and their affiliation is strictly with the faculty of dentistry. True, a lot of stuff is inter-disciplinary and involves dentists and doctors, but the involvement of MD's doesn't make those discoveries the property of the med schools. Funding, publications, and praise for research on say 'gum disease and heart disease relations' is shared by dental and medical faculties. If none of the money came from the dental school, how could dentists be involved in the projects?

You're right. Great research is done at dental schools. But not much research period is done at dental schools. Some of that is shifting, but dentistry hasn't been founded in evidence-based techniques to the extent that our medical counterparts have.

To use your example, I"ll still say that "gum disease and heart disease relations" doesn't have a significant impact on the everyday practice of dentistry.

To the dental clinician our message is still the same--take care of your soft tissues. And the patient? Well, they still have trouble brushing, flossing, etc. Our knowledge may change but the way we do things doesn't really change based on that clinical finding.

There are two sides to every story, and I understand yours fully. I'm very aware that my opinion isn't concrete fact.

 

[delicious]

You're right. Great research is done at dental schools. But not much research period is done at dental schools. Some of that is shifting, but dentistry hasn't been founded in evidence-based techniques to the extent that our medical counterparts have.

To use your example, I"ll still say that "gum disease and heart disease relations" doesn't have a significant impact on the everyday practice of dentistry.

To the dental clinician our message is still the same--take care of your soft tissues. And the patient? Well, they still have trouble brushing, flossing, etc. Our knowledge may change but the way we do things doesn't really change based on that clinical finding.

There are two sides to every story, and I understand yours fully. I'm very aware that my opinion isn't concrete fact.

Yeah gavin, I see what you're saying. That's a good example. But - correct me if i'm wrong - you kind of seem to imply that the progression of clinical dentistry has reached its zenith: that everything we know and do now is good enough. I just used one example there; but how about growing teeth, or genetic saliva tests for predicting succeptability to gum disease. What we know now is good, but there is room for improvement. And a handful of schools are leading this improvement; you're right, most do little or none (i.e. Detroit Mercy).

 

[Mo007]

travis, if you hadn't given your background I woulda thought this was a joke. You gotta be careful on these dental forums. People are ultra sensitive and wacko on questions like this. I'm glad I got to you first.

To answer your question, the top five schools are:

1) Harvard
2) UPENN
3) Michigan
4) UCSF
5) Columbia

a lot of people like UPacific

Ok, that's it... time for...

 

[delicious]

Ok, that's it... time for...

Research is important when judging dental schools!!! Therefore my list is quite correct, and possibly the most pure thing ever created. I mean it's big baby, real big. Bigger than the ten commandements. Screw Moses!!!

 

[Mo007]

Research is important when judging dental schools!!! Therefore my list is quite correct, and possibly the most pure thing ever created. I mean it's big baby, real big. Bigger than the ten commandements. Screw Moses!!!

Take your spiritual journey somewhere else...

Quit giving out the wrong info.

 

[delicious]

Quit giving out the wrong info.

Are you talking to me?! Sounds like you're talking to someone who says research isn't important.