The Doctor of Dental Surgery program prepares students to practice general dentistry. The DDS is a professional degree awarded by the College of Dentistry.

Dentistry Licensure Examination

The State of Iowa accepts clinical examination results from all Regional Dental Testing Services including a manikin exam in lieu of a patient exam. Examinations are administered at several testing sites located at dental 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 Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. Many states, including Iowa, also require a jurisprudence examination. For further details on licensure requirements for each state, refer to individual state dental board websites.

Student Organizations

The Academy of General Dentistry, the American Dental Education Association, the American Association of Dental Research (Student Research Group), the American Association for Women Dentists, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry student chapter, the American Association of Public Health Dentistry student chapter, the Christian Dental Association, the Student National Dental Association, the Hispanic Dental Association student chapter, and the Tau Sigma Military Dental Club also have local chapters. The College of Dentistry also has interest clubs in oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, periodontics, and prosthodontics.

Students who rank in the upper 20% of their senior class are eligible for election to Omicron Kappa Upsilon, a national scholastic honorary dental society.

The national dental professional fraternity, Delta Sigma Delta, has a chapter at Iowa. The fraternity provides academic and social activities for students and their spouses.

Professional Program of Study

Major

• Doctor of Dental Surgery

Promotions and Graduation

Student promotions and graduation are determined by the Collegiate Academic and Professional Performance (CAPP) 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 executive associate 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, the student 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.