Advanced Training Program
The Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry offers an
advanced training program in Dental Public Health. The specialty of Dental Public
Health is one of the eight dental specialties formally recognized by the American Dental
Association. The Dental Public Health training program at the College of Dentistry
fulfills all the educational requirements for dentists wishing to complete the
board-certifying examination given by the American Board of Dental Public Health.
The graduate program in Dental Public Health offers advanced training for dentists or dental hygienists who are interested in careers in dental public health administration or dental academic settings. The program requires two years of full-time study and culminates in the awarding of a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Dental Public Health. The training program places an emphasis on research and includes the preparation and defense of a master's thesis. A minimum of 40 semester hours of coursework is required, of which about one-fourth are elective. Most required courses are taken within the College of Dentistry, but some required courses and elective courses are taken through the Colleges of Medicine, Education, Business Administration or Liberal Arts.
Program Strengths
A unique feature of the program in Dental Public Health is its
location within a school of dentistry. This arrangement permits dentists and dental
hygienists to maintain their identity and ties to the dental profession while studying a
multidisciplinary subject (dental public health) that is much broader than dentistry itself.
A major strength of the graduate program in Dental Public Health is the diversity of research activities undertaken by faculty. In addition to conducting their own research project for a thesis, graduate students in the department are encouraged to participate in larger departmental research projects as Research and Teaching Assistants.
The main areas of research in the department include:
1. Epidemiological study of oral problems in the elderly -- Several
longitudinal epidemiological studies of elderly Iowans, in collaboration with faculty
from the Center for Health Services Research, have been funded by the National Institute on
Aging and the National Institute of Dental Research. Alzheimer's Disease and oral
health is a related area of study, with grant support from the American Fund for Dental
Health and the National Institute for Dental Research.
2. Health services research -- Projects include the investigation of the influence of third party payment mechanisms on the delivery and "quality" of dental and medical services (including the factors affecting dentists' participation in Medicaid), use of an index of need for orthodontic treatment, the influence of dental disease and function on perceptions of health among older adults, and an ongoing study of dental manpower in Iowa.
3. Psychoneuroimmunology -- Projects supported by the National Institute of Dental Research and other private funding sources are examining the relationship among stress, pain, and health outcomes. Cognitive control of pain during dental treatment is being tested as well as the role of of stress and relaxation on the inflammatory response. Several intervention studies are currently underway.
4. Health promotion -- Components of health promotion messages are being tested for persuasive impact on dental attitudes and on improvement of oral health outcomes
5. Marketing -- In collaboration with faculty from the College of Business Administration, projects include an investigation of factors that may be important in patients' selection of dental care providers.
6. Fluoride ingestion and dental fluorosis -- Current projects supported by National Institute of Dental Research grants include analyses of fluoride content of different beverages, infant formulas, bottled waters, etc. and longitudinal study of all fluoride exposures and ingestion among a birth cohort, with future linkage with dental fluorosis examination results. Future studies with this birth cohort could focus on relationships between bone health and intake of fluoride and other nutrients.
7. Simulations -- development of interactive computer simulations for the education of dentists and dental hygienists in the management of geriatric patients supported by funding from the Bureau of Health Professions. Faculty are also exploring the use of simulations to train examiners for epidemiological surveys and to assess intra- and inter-examiner reliability.
Graduates of the M.S. program in Dental Public Health typically take teaching positions in dental schools in Departments of Community Dentistry or Dental Hygiene, or administrative positions in local or state health departments, public health agencies, foundations, or community health centers.
HOW TO APPLY: Prospective candidates should address inquiries to:
Steven M. Levy, DDS, MPH
Director, Graduate Program in Dental Public Health
Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry
College of Dentistry
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
(319) 335-7185
e-mail: Steven M. Levy, DDS, MPH