University of Tennessee College of Dentistry
Encyclopedia
The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry is located in Memphis
, Tennessee
, United States
near the intersection of Union Avenue and South Dunlap Street and is part of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
. The college has a four year program and has approximately 320 students.
, TN in 1878, making the college the oldest dental
college in the Southern United States
and the third oldest public dental college in the country. The college was moved to Memphis, TN in 1911 and was located in Rogers Hall on Monroe Avenue until 1978, when it was moved to the newly constructed Dunn Building, named after Governor Winfield C. Dunn, a 1955 graduate of the school.
In 2002, the DentSim laboratory was added to the preclinical academic curriculum in an effort to include advanced computer technology to enhance learning. The DentSim is a group of 40 workstations, each containing high-speed handpieces, suction tips, a patient manikin, and a computer. With the use of several sensors, computers monitor the actions of students and return feedback.
Curriculum for the college includes courses on the basic sciences, including biochemistry
, microbiology
, pathology
, histology
, and anatomy
. Dental courses include advanced pain control, oral pathology, and advanced oral radiology. Several optional courses are also offered.
On October 12, 2005, a Shelby County
grand jury
indicted 68 people alleged to be part of an embezzlement
scheme which targeted the UT dental college. Agents for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found that about $130,000 was embezzeled by three former employees of the college via reimbursement checks, which is reserved for patients at the college. The crime occurred between August 15, 2002 and November 3, 2003. To date, two of the former employees, Connie Ackerson and Alberta Paylor, have been arrested.
, periodontology
, pediatric dentistry
, prosthodontics
and orthodontics
. The college also offers a program in Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD).
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
near the intersection of Union Avenue and South Dunlap Street and is part of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis includes the Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. Its pediatric residency program is affiliated with Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and residents in pediatrics,...
. The college has a four year program and has approximately 320 students.
History
The college was founded in NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, TN in 1878, making the college the oldest dental
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
college in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
and the third oldest public dental college in the country. The college was moved to Memphis, TN in 1911 and was located in Rogers Hall on Monroe Avenue until 1978, when it was moved to the newly constructed Dunn Building, named after Governor Winfield C. Dunn, a 1955 graduate of the school.
In 2002, the DentSim laboratory was added to the preclinical academic curriculum in an effort to include advanced computer technology to enhance learning. The DentSim is a group of 40 workstations, each containing high-speed handpieces, suction tips, a patient manikin, and a computer. With the use of several sensors, computers monitor the actions of students and return feedback.
Today
The UT dental college is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The dean of the college is Dr. Timothy Hottel.Curriculum for the college includes courses on the basic sciences, including biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
, pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, histology
Histology
Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining cells and tissues commonly by sectioning and staining; followed by examination under a light microscope or electron microscope...
, and anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
. Dental courses include advanced pain control, oral pathology, and advanced oral radiology. Several optional courses are also offered.
On October 12, 2005, a Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
indicted 68 people alleged to be part of an embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
scheme which targeted the UT dental college. Agents for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found that about $130,000 was embezzeled by three former employees of the college via reimbursement checks, which is reserved for patients at the college. The crime occurred between August 15, 2002 and November 3, 2003. To date, two of the former employees, Connie Ackerson and Alberta Paylor, have been arrested.
Graduate programs
The UT dental college offers several graduate programs in specialty fields of dentistry. These programs include 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...
, periodontology
Periodontology
Periodontology or Periodontics is the specialty of dentistry that studies supporting structures of teeth, diseases, and conditions that affect them...
, pediatric dentistry
Pediatric Dentistry
Pediatric dentistry Pediatric dentistry Pediatric dentistry (formerly pedodontics (American English) or paedodontics (Commonwealth English) is the branch of dentistry dealing with childrenfrom birth through adolescence...
, prosthodontics
Prosthodontics
Prosthodontics, 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...
and orthodontics
Orthodontics
Orthodontics, 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...
. The college also offers a program in Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD).