The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry is the
dental school
A dental school (school of dental medicine, school of dentistry, dental college) is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches dental medicine to prospective dentists and potentially other dental auxiliaries ...
of the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
. It is in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, United States, and its facilities are part of the
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is a public medical school in Memphis, Tennessee. It includes the Colleges of Health Professions, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. Since 1911, the ...
. The college has a four-year program and approximately 320 students.
History
The college was founded in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, TN in 1878, making the college the oldest
dental college in the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
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.
Curriculum for the college includes courses on the basic sciences, including
biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
,
microbiology
Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...
,
pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
,
histology
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...
, and
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
. Dental courses include advanced
pain control
Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving relief of pain (pain relief, analgesia, pain control) in various dimensions, from acute and simple to chronic and challenging. Most physicians and other health professionals pr ...
,
oral pathology
Oral and maxillofacial pathology refers to the diseases of the mouth ("oral cavity" or "stoma"), jaws ("maxillae" or "gnath") and related structures such as salivary glands, temporomandibular joints, facial muscles and perioral skin (the skin aro ...
, and advanced oral radiology. Several optional courses are also offered.
On October 12, 2005, a
Shelby County grand jury
A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...
indicted 68 people alleged to be part of an
embezzlement
Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...
scheme which targeted the UT dental college. Agents for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found that about $130,000 was embezzled 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 surgery,
periodontology
Periodontology or periodontics (from Ancient Greek , – 'around'; and , – 'tooth', genitive , ) is the specialty of dentistry that studies supporting structures of teeth, as well as diseases and conditions that affect them. The supporting ...
,
pediatric dentistry
Pediatric dentistry (formerly pedodontics in American English or paedodontics in Commonwealth English) is the branch of dentistry dealing with children
from birth through adolescence. The specialty of pediatric dentistry is recognized by the Ameri ...
,
prosthodontics
Prosthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry, is the area of dentistry that focuses on dental prostheses. It is one of 12 dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA), Royal College of Surge ...
and
orthodontics
Orthodontics is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modification of facial growth, known as dentofacial ...
. The college also offers a program in Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD).
See also
*
American Student Dental Association
The American Student Dental Association (ASDA) is a national student-run organization that is concerned with the rights, interests, and welfare of dental students. It has the aim of introducing students to lifelong involvement in organized dentist ...
References
The Tennesseanas listed by the University of Tennessee's website
also on UT's website
Homepageof the UT Dental College
{{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Tennessee College Of Dentistry
Dentistry, College of
Universities and colleges in Memphis, Tennessee
Dental schools in Tennessee