Doctor of Science in Dentistry (DScD) in Pediatric Dentistry

The goal of the Boston University advanced education program in pediatric dentistry is to prepare specialists who are competent in providing both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral healthcare for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special healthcare needs, in the context of family, culture, and community. Students are trained to provide services in institutional, private, and/or public health settings.

Learning Outcomes

The goal of the Doctor of Science in Dentistry program in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry is to train specialists in pediatric dentistry who are not only competent in providing oral healthcare services to infants and children, including those with special needs, but who are also highly competent in the practice of scientific research and teaching as well.

The Doctor of Science in Dentistry program requires a total of three years in addition to the time commitment for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in Pediatric Dentistry and entails a research project, thesis, and thesis defense.

In the CAGS program, pediatric dentists receive intensive training to provide both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral healthcare for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special healthcare needs, in the context of family, culture, and community.

The objectives are that students will:

• Gain a strong scientific background and knowledge of pediatric dentistry through coursework and seminars. In particular, students will gain in-depth knowledge in basic sciences, clinical pediatric dentistry, bioethics, healthcare management, and research methodology, specifically epidemiology and biostatistics.
• Participate in and gain an understanding of approaches to design and implement experimental strategies to answer fundamental questions in their discipline or field of inquiry by participating and contributing to a research project. As part of the advanced research training, students gain knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts of research methodology and its applications in pediatric clinical research.
• Learn how to present objectives, experimental design, and results of scientific inquiry, both orally and in writing. Specifically students will learn how to hypothesize scientific questions, conduct data collection, and analyze and present the results of the analysis orally and through written papers including the required thesis.
• Participate in and contribute to research projects which result in new knowledge that advances their discipline or field of inquiry, as seen ultimately in publications stemming from their dissertation.
• Participate in national and international scientific meetings and contribute significantly to the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Requirements

The DScD program requires a minimum of three years in addition to the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in Pediatric Dentistry.

Required Coursework

• SDM PD 992, 993, 994 Research: Pediatric Dentistry

Electives

• SDM OS 828 Anxiety/Pain Control
• SDM PE 827 Applied Dental Pharmacology
• SDM PH 808 Health Care Management
• SDM PH 812 Oral Epidemiology

Completion is not tracked by credit accumulation but by successful completion of individual courses and duration requirements.