Logan's Eportfolio

This week we’ll be analyzing the University of West Virginia School of Dentistry. The school offers a four year D.D.S. The school has a small class around 50 students coming in per year that allows for better interaction between the faculty and students. The campus is located in Morgantown, WV which is a two hour drive from the capital city of Charleston and an hour and a half away from Pittsburgh, PA. Morgantown is a suburb that runs around the university’s spirit and liveliness. Unlike most schools, there is campus housing for their dental students as told on ADEA Dental School Explorer. Most of their students had average DAT scores of 19.2, and average GPAs of 3.7. I know a dentist who attended this school and gave them high praise fro their program.

Mission & Core Values

The university of West Virginia School of Dentistry aims to develop the necessary attributes of good character and integrity in their students to defeat challenge of becoming a competent dental professional through dedication to providing comprehensive, compassionate, and high quality oral health care to patients in West Virginia and the rest of the country.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

West Virginia University strives to create a safe, diverse, hospitable, and integrated community regardless of race, creed, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic class. Students, faculty, and administration create a welcoming environment for patients, students, staff and faculty by treating them with respect, dignity and nondiscrimination. Through equitable treatment, a dynamic learning environment that addresses present and future oral health in an unbiased manner they can hold onto diversity in their program

Cost

WVU is no cheap school. Like the others, they offer an in-state tuition that nearly splits that cost in half. Out-of-state tuition is $83,000 and during your first year, you’ll also need to buy $20,000 worth of instruments and tools for yourself. Along with estimated living expenses of $17,000 and other small fees this totals to a first year cost of $123,000. A breath-taking, yet normal number for dental schools that I’ve been looking at and researching. After four years, of course without any financial aid this would cost about half a million dollars.

Last Thoughts

Yet again, UNE takes the cake. After looking at the required courses for this school I’m not sure I can even apply because I’ve shockingly only taken one english course over the last three years. I believe I am allowed to list an english course I am taking next year and this will count toward my requirements. Overall, I think living in West Virginia would be better than in Boston, Connecticut, and New Jersey strictly based on price but the lifestyle of the state would have to be something I would need to get used to.

In this week’s travels we make it to Newark, New Jersey onto the campus of Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. The 4-year D.M.D. program is very difficult to get into, with average DAT scores of approximately 22 which is 3 points above the national average. The school is in search of a well-rounded applicant who is great in the classroom, involved in campus life, and contains the attitude and perseverance needed to get through dental school. Most of their enrolled students are from the state of New Jersey (~70%). Although the program is statistically great, the website had very little information that all of the other schools had regarding mission and core values, diversity, equity and inclusion, and even cost.

Mission & Core Values

Rutgers University has a mission with a goal to improve the health and quality of life by creating a generation of dental professionals who will provide the highest quality, evidence-based care serving New Jersey and communities worldwide. The university’s values push excellence, integrity, respect, and innovation when serving the community.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Rutgers, unlike the other schools have very little on diversity, equity, or inclusion but they have something that they emphasize that the other schools do not. They touch a small amount on their inclusion, and diversity but a new emphasis they speak on is their effort to promote the inclusion of the LGBTQ community.

Cost

Rutgers University is very, very expensive. The cost of tuition for out-of-state applicants is approximately $89,000 on top of an yearly fees and payments necessary for the school year. Add this onto the increasingly expensive cost of living in the area, a student would be looking at yearly cost of nearly $130,000 which is similar to that of the schools in the Boston area.

Last Thoughts

Considering everything, I would put Rutgers at the bottom of the list that I’ve shared as of this point. The school looks very nice and the program is credible and well put together if I were to get into any school in Boston I would choose Boston over the city of Newark, New Jersey for many reasons. Boston has more life to begin with; professional sports, night life, and historical past time. Boston would also be closer to home, which would make it easier to get home and make commuting from Maine seem more realistic.

Moving out of Massachusetts and into Connecticut to the great state university. UCONN School of Dental Medicine is an esteemed program located in Farmington, Connecticut which is a suburb outside of Hartford. They are the only dental school in Connecticut and also the only public dental school in the New England Region. They offer a D.M.D. in just under 4 years (45 months). Their entering class sizes are around 50-60 per year.

Mission and Core Values

UCONN aims to reach the people in Connecticut and others through research, new knowledge, education, and development of great dental professionals who provide high quality patient care. Their pursuits in education, patient care, research, service and outreach will support the missions of their University. In all of the courses, the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine strives for excellence, embraces innovation, promotes professionalism, compassion, diversity and social responsibility, and above all of this they hope to maximize the potential of their dental students.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The School of Dental Medicine embraces diversity and strives to create a multicultural and diverse community similar to the state of Connecticut. The School recognizes the many benefits of racial and cultural diversity. UCONN strives for a diverse student population of dental professionals prepared to treat a diverse, multicultural society. To promote diversity across the campus, UCONN welcomes people across all aspects of society as current or future faculty and staff. Because of this diversity, UCONN believes they’ve gained strength in the field of dental education.

Cost

At UCONN, they offer a New England resident tuition of approximately $62,000 dollars. Their in-state tuition is nearly half that at $35,000. After paying for tuition, any fees, and estimated cost of living in the area, one year of school at UCONN would cost around $100,000 for the New England Resident before financial aid. UCONN is similar to price with UNE but in comparison to UNE, I wouldn’t have to worry about housing in Maine but would have the additional cost of living in Connecticut.

Last Thoughts

UCONN has amazing facilities and a cheaper tuition than those schools in Boston, but UNE still holds the highest rank because my cost of living would be nearly eliminated when factoring in cost. I would place UCONN over the Boston schools also because of the suburbia lifestyle as compared to that of Boston. I personally don’t like the fast-paced life in the cities over the slower pace of Farmington and Portland. I’ve noticed that none of these schools have any housing provided for the students, of course this is normal for graduate students but there is no recommended housing either.

For my next school, we’ll stay in Boston at Boston University’s school of dental medicine. Boston University is a well known program similar to that of Tuft’s. Students who attend are great students, come from all different walks of life, and are thrown into the clinical setting in their first year, giving them great hands-on experience. They offer a 4-year DMD degree for students going through their program in comparison to those that offer a DDS.

Mission & Core Values

The Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine works to be the best academic dental institution that excels in dental education, research, oral health care, and community service. Through scholarship, creating and disseminating new knowledge, developing and using the newest technologies and educational methods they will change the dental field for the better. Their students will enforce an ethical, supportive environment filled with trust, responsibility, respect, fairness, compassion and excellence in their services. All if this will be done while maintaining reasonable pricing.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Their site has a sub-menu with diversity and inclusion, but no words on how they enhance or maintain it. They do have a code of ethics that touches on respect, responsibility, truth, fairness, and compassion. The code of ethics talks about behavior expected from faculty, students, staff, researchers, and administration. This code of ethics, if followed by the staff and students, is meant to support the standard for patient care in their clinics, and eventually the students’ own practices.

Cost

Boston University, like Tufts is very costly. After tuition and fees, schooling is estimated at $95,000 before financial aid. This is not including any costs for housing, food, gas, etc. Estimating any outside costs, most likely amounting to upwards of $30,000 the final cost would come to roughly $125,000 dollars per year. Boston’s dental schools have proven to be much more expensive than UNE.

Last Thoughts

Boston University’s website was not very informational regarding their dental school. Their program is very well known and credible but in comparison to Tufts it seems they may be a tier below. Although I don’t necessarily like the city, I think living in the city would be much different than being an occasional visitor and for this reason I think living in Boston would be a cool experience. Of course, if I were to get into BU and only BU I would go but if possible I would take Tufts or UNE over BU.

For my next school, I will be moving farther south into the historical city of Boston, Massachusetts. Tufts University has an esteemed program in the heart of the city. They too like UNE, are a private school with a small undergraduate population that is known for their sciences. Their dental school is quite large, usually taking classes sized in the hundreds. Their average DAT scores for students in their last class was a 20, which is a point above the national average. Their students’ cumulative GPA’s reflected a score of 3.42, and a cumulative science GPA of 3.33.

Mission and Core Values

At Tufts, they have three core values. Education committed to clinical excellence, provide knowledge to improve general and oral health, and provide care that creates a community. They’re able to achieve their mission and reach these goals by education on pre-clinical and clinical education on the newest techniques and technologies while satisfying patient needs. Their research programs allow for the continued knowledge and practice of oral health and general health, and through inclusivity the school creates a community feel for their patients.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Tufts University School of Dental Medicine creates a climate that recognizes differences and commonalities. The student body has diverse ideological viewpoints, socio-economic statuses, racial/ethnicity, equity and more. They are committed to increase faculty and staff awareness of issues of diversity and inclusion through professional development programs. In their most recent class they were among the most diverse dental school classes in the country.

Cost

An education at Tuft’s University comes at a large cost. Of course, this is before aid but financial aid can only take away so much of the cost. When all of the costs are compiled for the first year, this not including any living expenses and books, the total comes out to $103,000. When including the cost of living in Boston and expenses for books the total rises to nearly $130,000. After four years, this total debt if not supported by financial aid would result in $520,000 in the hole.

Last Thoughts

The program at Tufts is the top of line, with a staff-to-student ratio below the national average, diverse classes, and great facilities, the school is truly top of the line. With this great school, there comes high tuition and the expensive cost if living in the city. Overall, if I were to be accepted at this school I would take it of course, but if there were less costly options then I would go with those. I would also rather not live in the city just based on my own current lifestyle.

If you or anyone you know is a current Pre-dental major thinking about schools, here is the link Tuft’s page.

https://dental.tufts.edu/

For the rest of the semester, I will be doing my own research on dental schools I plan to apply to over the summer and into the early fall. By doing this now, and having a general knowledge about schools I would like to go to I can use my thoughts and knowledge on the schools in my interviews and the application process. It’s also always good to know what the program will offer ME as a student to help me succeed in the long run. For my first school, I’ll be telling you guys about the College of Dental Medicine at UNE in Portland!

Mission and Core Values

UNE CDM has a mission that is grounded in public health, especially in northern New England and other underserved areas. They plan to touch these communities with professionalism, and great service to their patients. Their core values are stemmed in excellence, professionalism, patient-centered care, social responsibility, diversity, scholarship, and leadership.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At UNE they make the effort to create a diversity through a shared community of different backgrounds, perspectives, and lifestyles. The diversity is found through race, gender, ethnicity, biological sex, age, and disability among others. They try to regulate this diversity through equal opportunity among applicants, the student body, and their patients. Because of this, inclusion has become a staple in their program that is here to stay.

Cost

Tuition starts at $68,380, with a general service fee of $720. Along with this is a yearly program fee of $11,200. The fees help pay for cadavers, e-textbooks, instruments/tools, supplies, and other necessary technology. Fortunately for myself, I would be able to drive there and back which would save me money on room and board.

Last Thoughts

Overall, I love UNE’s dental school because of the convenience it would give me when it comes to travel. I wouldn’t have to get up and move, and find an apartment across the country. I also love how quickly the students get into the clinic and learn the functions of a clinic. If I were to get into UNE I would definitely go there to continue my education.

In this week’s edition of the “Weekly Dentistry Update” we’ll be talking about a study done on baby teeth that could one day help identify kids who may be at risk of developing mental disorders in their life time. This study was run by researchers at the University of Bristol and tested 70 different subjects. These teeth could possibly help psychologists get an understanding of any prior life-changing trials and tribulations a child may go through early on in their lives that could lead to mental health disorders. The goal of the study is to hopefully one day use the findings to then provide preventatives to help children grow up and live normal lives.

How do the teeth tell the story?

The teeth have different growth patterns as a child grows to the point that they will fall out. If a child were to have suffered from some sort of physical stress like some sort of disease, or nutritional deficiency the teeth would have a specific growth pattern. This growth pattern would leave large, grooved lines called stress lines. In particular doctors studied the neonatal line of the children in relation to the mother’s psychological state. Amongst the subjects, mothers who experienced psychological stresses throughout, before, and after the pregnancy the children had a wider neonatal line on the teeth. Hopefully with more research, and a larger study, this theory could be used to prevent mental health issues at a young age.

Provided below is the link to the article by ScienceDaily

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211110104603.htm

A recent article from ScienceDaily jumped out at me as I was scrolling and looking for my next blog post topic. The article titled “Evidence grows for vaping’s role in gum disease” caught my attention due to how much I can relate to this topic. This connects to me because vaping and e-cigarettes are highly intertwined with the college culture. Students are constantly spending loads of money on Juul pods, vape juice, and other vapes chasing their next head buzz. At parties, the Juul is being passed around from begging one person to another begging person for that one hit. Now there are studies by New York University that theorize these e-cigarettes and vapes could lead to gum disease.

What is Gum Disease?

Gum disease is when the gums start to recede lower and lower toward the bone. This can lead to inflammation of the gums, bleeding or the gums, and tooth loss among other things.

Study

Of course, we know that cigarettes ruin our gums, so it would only make sense that a vape would also have a negative effect on one’s gum health. The study was conducted by two professors at the NYU dental school and ran for a year. There were 84 test subjects divided into three groups; cigarette smokers, e-cigarette smokers, and non-smokers. The patients would go in to be observed every 6 months. It was found that e-cigarette smokers had much worse gum health than smokers and non-smokers. The results were found in the plaque taken from the dental exam. The “oral biome” of the mouth was much different from the non-smokers and cigarette smokers. There were bacterium related to gum disease that were found in the biome of the e-cigarette smoker. For anyone who chews tobacco, or smokes both cigarettes and e-cigarettes, stop while you still can. There are levels of gum disease, with the photo showing the worst of it. This disease is painful and also expensive if you need teeth removed or dentures created to fill the place of the old tooth.

Here is a link talking more about gum disease if you’re interested

https://www.sweettoothdent.com/services/periodontal-disease/types-of-periodontal-disease/

In this week’s article, I will talk about the importance of primary or “baby” teeth. By the age of 3 these teeth come in and are usually all gone and replaced by “adult teeth” by the age of 13. Most parents and kids don’t take care of these teeth because they know they’re going to fall out. Dr. Dale Mayfield says regarding baby teeth “by age 4 more than 25% of children have at least one cavity, and by age 5 about 60% have experienced some tooth decay. What parents don’t know is that there are negative effects in the future.

Why we need healthy “baby teeth”

• Create space for permanent teeth
• Allow for proper speech development
• Develop good habits for future hygiene

What happens if these teeth aren’t taken care of

If a tooth is damaged and decayed, it may have to be removed completely. If this were to happen and a spacer wasn’t placed, then the surrounding teeth would drift along the gums and cause the “adult” or permanent teeth to grow in at odd angles, or incorrect places in general. Missing teeth can also affect articulation, teeth are used to pronounce the “T” sound, being one of the most prominent sounds developed using teeth. It is important as parents that you monitor your children’s teeth by helping them brush, talking with their dentist, and encouraging them to maintain good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing twice a day.

Here are a few links that relate to this week’s post

https://www.dentistrytoday.com/benevis-highlights-the-importance-of-caring-for-primary-teeth/

https://www.acadianapediatricdentistry.com/the-importance-of-baby-teeth

https://yourdentalhealthresource.com/the-role-of-baby-teeth-in-your-childs-speech-development/#:~:text=The%20teeth%20work%20together%20with%20the%20tongue%20and,more%20difficult%20for%20children%20to%20properly%20pronounce%20words.

Social Media’s Impact on Your Business

Social media gives dentists a way to have community-wide outreach with the press of a button. Posting about their services, staff, and new technology can give prospective patients the ability to have a look inside the office before visiting. Not only this, but the page could promote new products, specials and oral hygiene for current patients to indulge in on a daily basis. For example; a dentist could post a daily fun fact or piece of advice for their followers/friends to keep them involved. Replying to comments and messages lets your patients know that you care about them and builds a stronger relationship. Adding all of these things together will make for an informational, engaging social media page for your business. This will help you bring in new clientele and bond with the current client pool you already have.

Attached below is a link to an article by Forbes on how to grow your social media

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2014/09/29/25-ways-to-grow-your-social-media-presence/?sh=29352adb62fb