DMD Curriculum Overview

Graduates of the DMD Program must be competent in providing oral health care within the scope of general dentistry in order to:

• Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the comprehensive care of patients, scientific inquiry and research methodology.
• Apply advances in biomedical science to clinical practice and to integrate new medical knowledge and therapies relevant to oral health care.
• Apply the principles of behavioral science that pertain to patient-centered oral health care.
• Communicate effectively with and provide care to a diverse patient population.
• Correctly apply legal and regulatory concepts related to the provision and/or support of oral health care services.
• Apply the basic principles and philosophies of practice management to oral health care delivery, and function successfully as the leader of the oral health care team.
• Communicate and collaborate with patients, staff and other members of the health care team to facilitate health care delivery.
• Correctly apply the ADA’s Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct, the laws of the State of Georgia, and the Rules of the Georgia Board of Dentistry.
• Access, critically appraise, apply, and communicate scientific and lay literature as it relates to providing evidence-based patient care.
• Provide oral health care within the scope of general dentistry to patients in all stages of life.
• Assess the patient’s health status, establish oral diagnoses and prognoses, formulate a comprehensive treatment plan, and obtain informed consent.
• Perform screening and risk assessment for head and neck cancer.
• Recognize the complexity of a patient’s treatment needs and identify when referral is indicated.
• Educate, motivate and treat patients to improve and maintain their oral health.  
• Prescribe and administer pharmacological agents for anesthesia, and pain and anxiety control.
• Restore teeth.
• Communicate and manage dental laboratory procedures in support of patient care.
• Replace teeth using fixed, removable and dental implant prosthodontic therapies.  
• Manage periodontal diseases.  
• Manage pulpal and periradicular disease.  
• Diagnose and manage oral mucosal and osseous disorders.
• Perform hard and soft tissue surgery.  
• Diagnose and manage dental emergencies.
• Diagnose and manage malocclusion and space discrepancies.
• Develop a patient recall plan that is based on treatment outcomes and prognosis.
• Assess the treatment needs of patients with special needs.