Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Encyclopedia
Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University
. It is an American dental school located in the Longwood Medical Area
in Boston
, Massachusetts
. In addition to the DMD degree, HSDM offers specialty training programs, advanced training programs, a Ph.D. program affiliated with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Master of Medical Sciences & Doctor of Medical Sciences degrees in Oral Biology.
Today, HSDM is the smallest school at Harvard University. With a total student body of 280, including pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students spread over several disciplines, HSDM is an intimate community of students and faculty. Even when compared to other dental schools, HSDM is small, and its total living alumni number is approximately 2,300 worldwide. While HSDM is small, it continues to have considerable influence on dental education and research within the broader oral health community. Many other HSDM alumni pursue careers as full-time faculty members, department heads, and leaders of organized dentistry.
, noted oral pathologist and founding dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry, commented on the significance of the school's formation in a 1977 New England Journal of Medicine
article:
("Chirurgae Dentium Doctoris," or CDD) was too cumbersome. A Latin scholar was consulted and suggested "Medicinae Doctor" be prefixed with "Dentariae." This is how the DMD, or "Dentariae Medicinae Doctorae" degree, was started. Other dental schools made the switch to this notation, and in 1989, 23 of the 66 North American dental schools awarded the D.M.D. There is no difference between the DMD and DDS degree; all dentists must meet the same National & Regional certification standards.
/MD
/General Surgery
residency program; a Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMSc) in Oral Biology; and 3- and 4-year joint-degree programs with an emphasis on combining clinical training with research into Health Policy, Public Health
, and/or biomedical sciences.
The school's current post-doctoral programs include both school-based and hospital based residencies. School-based programs award the Master of Medical Science (MMSc) degree, with an optional Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMSc) degree available for those spending extra time on research activities.
School-Based Programs
Hospital-Based Programs
and salutatorian
of the graduating class, respectively.
Deans and Former Deans of US Dental Schools
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. It is an American dental school located in the Longwood Medical Area
Longwood Medical and Academic Area
The Longwood Medical and Academic Area is a medical campus in Boston....
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. In addition to the DMD degree, HSDM offers specialty training programs, advanced training programs, a Ph.D. program affiliated with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Master of Medical Sciences & Doctor of Medical Sciences degrees in Oral Biology.
Today, HSDM is the smallest school at Harvard University. With a total student body of 280, including pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students spread over several disciplines, HSDM is an intimate community of students and faculty. Even when compared to other dental schools, HSDM is small, and its total living alumni number is approximately 2,300 worldwide. While HSDM is small, it continues to have considerable influence on dental education and research within the broader oral health community. Many other HSDM alumni pursue careers as full-time faculty members, department heads, and leaders of organized dentistry.
First University-based Dental School
In the early 19th century most dental practitioners had either learned their "trade" through apprenticeships, or they simply offered their services to the public as self-proclaimed experts. The move toward more formal dental education in the United States began when the state of Maryland chartered the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in 1840. The establishment of this independent college, which may have occurred after the University of Maryland refused to add dental education to its curriculum, exemplified the nineteenth-century debate over whether dentistry should be part of scholarly education, or be taught in separate "trade" schools. As a result of this resistance, the four American dental schools that existed by 1865 were all freestanding. The move towards university-based dental education institutions (as they exist today) began with the formation of Harvard Dental School in 1867. Dr. Reidar Fauske SognnaesReidar Fauske Sognnaes
Reidar Sognnaes was Dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, founding Dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry and world-renowned scholar in the field of oral pathology.-Biography:...
, noted oral pathologist and founding dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry, commented on the significance of the school's formation in a 1977 New England Journal of Medicine
New England Journal of Medicine
The New England Journal of Medicine is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It describes itself as the oldest continuously published medical journal in the world.-History:...
article:
- There was a time when the mouth, relatively speaking, was considered a scientific "no-man's land." That was when dental education fell between academic chairs--literally between the eyes, ears, nose and throat. In the United States dentistry was denied the academic status of other segments of higher education until 1867, when Harvard established the first dental school affiliated with a university-based faculty of medicine.
Origins of DMD Degree
Harvard was the first dental school to award the DMD degree. Harvard University only grants degrees in Latin and school administrators thought the Latin translation of Doctor of Dental SurgeryDoctor of Dental Surgery
There are a number of first professional degrees in dentistry offered by schools in various countries around the world. These include the following:* Doctor of Dental Surgery * Doctor of Dental Medicine * Bachelor of Dentistry...
("Chirurgae Dentium Doctoris," or CDD) was too cumbersome. A Latin scholar was consulted and suggested "Medicinae Doctor" be prefixed with "Dentariae." This is how the DMD, or "Dentariae Medicinae Doctorae" degree, was started. Other dental schools made the switch to this notation, and in 1989, 23 of the 66 North American dental schools awarded the D.M.D. There is no difference between the DMD and DDS degree; all dentists must meet the same National & Regional certification standards.
Renaming the School: 1940
The school was established as Harvard Dental School in 1867, but renamed the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 1940. This symbolic change was made to emphasize the biological basis of oral medicine and the increasingly multidisciplinary focus of dental research.Expansion of Postdoctoral Educational Programs: 1957
In 1957, Harvard School of Dental Medicine was awarded a training grant from the National Institute of Dental Research (now the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) to expand its postdoctoral training programs. These new programs included an Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryOral and maxillofacial surgery
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is surgery to correct a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty...
/MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
/General Surgery
General surgery
General surgery, despite its name, is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal organs, e.g., intestines including esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland . They also deal with diseases involving the skin, breast, soft...
residency program; a Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMSc) in Oral Biology; and 3- and 4-year joint-degree programs with an emphasis on combining clinical training with research into Health Policy, Public Health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, and/or biomedical sciences.
The school's current post-doctoral programs include both school-based and hospital based residencies. School-based programs award the Master of Medical Science (MMSc) degree, with an optional Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMSc) degree available for those spending extra time on research activities.
School-Based Programs
- OrthodonticsOrthodonticsOrthodontics, orthodontia, or orthodonture is the first specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions , which may be a result of tooth irregularity, disproportionate jaw relationships, or both...
- EndodonticsEndodonticsEndodontics is one of the dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, and deals with the tooth pulp and the tissues surrounding the root of a tooth...
- ProsthodonticsProsthodonticsProsthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry, is one of nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons...
- Periodontics
- Advanced Education in General Dentistry
Hospital-Based Programs
- Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryOral and maxillofacial surgeryOral and maxillofacial surgery is surgery to correct a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty...
: Combined Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/General Surgery program at Massachusetts General HospitalMassachusetts General HospitalMassachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
with MD degree awarded from Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.... - Pediatric DentistryPediatric DentistryPediatric dentistry Pediatric dentistry Pediatric dentistry (formerly pedodontics (American English) or paedodontics (Commonwealth English) is the branch of dentistry dealing with childrenfrom birth through adolescence...
: At Boston Children's Hospital - General Practice Residency: Combined program at Brigham and Women's HospitalBrigham and Women's HospitalBrigham and Women's Hospital is the largest hospital of the Longwood Medical and Academic Area in Boston, Massachusetts. It is directly adjacent to Harvard Medical School of which it is the second largest teaching affiliate with 793 beds...
and Massachusetts General Hospital
Major Changes in Predoctoral Curriculum: 1994
In 1994, a major change in the predoctoral curriculum included an increase of the predoctoral class size to 35, introduction of problem-based curriculum, and a switch from a 5-year program to a 4-year case based curriculum.Harvard Dental Alumni Association
The Harvard School of Dental Medicine has an active group of over 2500 alumni who continue to participate in the day-to-day events of the school and are major contributors to the school's vision and goals for the new millennium. In addition to publishing a quarterly bulletin, marking the current events of the school as well as the achievements of alumni, the Association also sponsors the annual Gold Medal and Silver Medal awards at graduation, honoring the valedictorianValedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
and salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
of the graduating class, respectively.
Early Graduates and Deans
Early Graduates- Dr. Varaztad H. Kazanjian, Pioneer in Plastic SurgeryPlastic surgeryPlastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
, Harvard's First Professor of Plastic Surgery, DMD 1905 - Dr. Robert T. Freeman, First African-American Dental College Graduate, DMD 1869
- Dr. Nathan Cooley KeepNathan Cooley KeepDr. Nathan Cooley Keep was a pioneer in the field of dentistry, and the founding Dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.-Biography:...
, Founder and First Dean of Harvard Dental School, DMD 1870(Honorary) - Dr. George Franklin GrantGeorge Franklin GrantGeorge Franklin Grant was the first African American professor at Harvard. He was also a Boston dentist, and an inventor of a wooden golf tee.-Biography:...
, First African-American Faculty Member at Harvard University, DMD 1870
Deans and Former Deans of US Dental Schools
- Dr. Michael C. Alfano, Former Dean, New York University, Currently, Vice-President of New York University, PD Perio’74
- Dr. Leon Assael, Editor Emeritus and Former Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, former Dean, University of Kentucky College of Dentistry, DMD'75
- Dr. Frank A. Catalanotto, Former Dean, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry Cert.'71
- Dr. Bruce Donoff, Dean, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, DMD'67, OMFS'71
- Dr. Donald Giddon, Former Dean, New York University College of Dentistry, DMD'67
- Dr. James R. Hupp, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, former Editor-in-Chief, Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology and Endodontology, founding Dean, East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine, former Dean, University of Mississippi School of Dentistry, DMD'77
- Dr. Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, Former Dean, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, DMD'76, Perio'78
- Dr. Ira B. Lamster, Dean, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, MMSc'80, Perio'80
- Dr. Lonnie Norris, Dean, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, DMD'76
- Dr. No-Hee Park, Dean, UCLA School of Dentistry, DMD'82
- Dr. Peter J. Polverini, Dean, The University of Michigan School of Dentistry, DMSc, Oral Path
- Dr. Ray C. Williams, Dean, Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine