- The second-year curriculum is devoted to the acquisition of psychomotor skills and training in the basic procedures of patient treatment. In addition to preclinical courses, students spend significant time studying the basic sciences of microbiology and general pathology.
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What to Expect
- During the second year, students gain both theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills across a range of dental disciplines for the first time, including direct and indirect restorations, removable prosthodontics, endodontics, and periodontics. They also receive their first clinical exposure, rotating through all predoctoral and postdoctoral clinics.
- Instruction also includes oral radiology, occlusal diagnosis and therapy, and biomaterials. The fall semester of the second year is often considered the most demanding term in the four-year curriculum. Students experience significant changes compared to their D1 year, including three preclinical courses each semester.
- D2 students assist D3 and D4 students in the clinic and perform cleanings on live patients.
Year 2 Curriculum
- Click the links below to view full course descriptions.
Fall Semester
| CLD 821 | Clinical Dentistry II | |
| This course introduces students to the basic elements of clinical dentistry and provides students initial experiences utilizing the Clinical Team in order to provide care in the School of Dental Medicine’s patient-care clinics. Credits: 4 | ||
| CLD 827 | Integrated Dental Practice II | |
| CLD827 will provide dental students the opportunity to obtain a thorough understanding of dental assisting. In addition students will learn the basics of SDM clinical operations, assist D4 students in treating patients in the comprehensive care clinic and review anesthesia techniques in a seminar format. Students also administer anesthesia to a colleague during a clinical rotation. CLD827 introduces predoctoral dental students to dental assisting, anesthesia techniques, SDM clinic operations, anesthesia and clinical dentistry. Second-year dental students have already had an initial exposure to clinical dentistry in the first year. CLD827 builds on this initial experience through formal training in dental assisting, anesthesia, clinic management and clinical dentistry. CLD827 is an essential element in the clinical dentistry curriculum as it is one of the first courses in which participants learn and engage with other dental team members in the delivery of direct patient treatment. Course goals: • Clinic Operations: To familiarize the D2 student with SDM clinical operations, policies and protocols utilized in direct patient care and management. • Oral Health Topics: The dental student should be able to administer local anesthetic. Patient Management: To provide an opportunity for students to coordinate treatment and patient concerns with several other departments and staff within the SDM. Credits: 3 | ||
| ODS 821 | Oral Radiology Technique | |
| Knowledge of the fundamentals of radiography is important to obtain the most informative radiographs of the highest quality to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of oral disease while keeping the patient and the operator’s exposure to radiation at a minimum. Radiation documentation is a legal and ethical requirement as is the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) Principle regarding dosage, patient communication and proper shielding. Digital sensors and sensor holders that align the receptor precisely with the x-ray beam are used to increase accuracy. Quality assurance is enforced through strict infection control; lead shielding use and maintenance, exposure setting, record documentation, digital image processing and storage, and proper PSP sensor placement using Rinn XCP holding and aiming devices. Students observe a variety of radiographic images illustrating variations of normal anatomy, caries, periodontal disease, artifacts, dental anomalies, and pathology. Digital Image Enhancement and Measurement Tools: Students will store original digital radiographic images in MIPACS to the DICOM server after faculty review and approval via the swipe card. Students will document in axiUm by completing a Radiographic Templated Note. Students will create derived images utilizing image enhancement and measurement icons. Credits: 3 | ||
| ORB 820 | Nutrition In the Practice of Dental Medicine | |
| This didactic course is designed to increase your knowledge and understanding of general nutrition and the role of nutrition in maintaining oral health. The student is responsible for all of the material presented in the course. It should be noted that PowerPoint presentations in class are considered to be a discussion/presentation guide and are not a comprehensive representation of everything presented or discussed in class. As such, the student is fully responsible for the material covered in class regardless of whether it appears in the PowerPoint slides. This course incorporates a number of didactic and clinical technologies to support instruction, as follows: • UBlearns (Blackboard) course management system • Zoom/Webex video/web conferencing • Panopto recording • Examsoft/Examplify & Respondus examination technologies Credits: 2 | ||
| ORB 825 | Oral Sciences & Preventive Dentistry I | |
| ORB825 is a bridge science course that provides essential information on oral sciences and preventive dentistry. This course is composed of Oral Histology, Oral Microbiology and Preventive Dentistry that are organized in a tissue-based manner. The course also integrates oral science information to clinical sciences. To effectively teach the topics and enhance critical thinking, this course uses active learning methods, including mini-tests, team-learning, case studies, reflection and interactive formative assessments and assignments (i.e., Exit slips, polls, think-pair-share, concept maps). Credits: 3 | ||
| OSU 822 | Regional Anesthesia | |
| This required course in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery begins your exposure to oral and maxillofacial surgery. Didactic instruction will consist of lectures and suggested reading. It will cover the basics of local anesthesia physiology, pharmacology, anatomy and clinical skills to administer local anesthesia as well as medical emergencies/complications which can arise. This course is given concurrently with Clinical Dentistry where the basic injection skills will be demonstrated and performed. Credits: 4 | ||
| PER 821 | Intro to Perio & Prevention | |
| Periodontal diseases are among the most common infectious diseases. The prevalence of biofilminduced gingivitis is 99% in children and the prevalence of periodontitis is 67% in some age groups. Periodontal diseases are characterized by gingival inflammation, loss of connective tissue attachment and alveolar bone. These diseases are, in general, initiated by oral biofilms and exacerbated by host immune responses. PER821 is the first of six courses in the pre-doctoral curriculum covering periodontics and related aspects of preventive dentistry PER821 introduces predoctoral dental students to periodontics and preventive dentistry. The lectures generally follow the standard sequence of diagnosis and treatment for periodontal diseases starting with the periodontal examination. Upon completion of this course, students will have basic knowledge of periodontal disease and preventive dentistry which will be applied to clinical care in the next course in the periodontics curriculum, PER822, in the Fall semester of the second year. Credits: 4 | ||
| PER 822 | Intro to Clinical Periodontics | |
| The activities in this course are designed to help dental students achieve competence in managing and preventing periodontal diseases. Specifically, this course is designed to prepare second year dental students to perform adult prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance for their patients in the spring semester of the second year. Dental students will perform adult prophylaxisor periodontal maintenance on each other and a School patient during their clinical rotation in PER822 Credits: 4 | ||
| PAS 600 | Pathology | |
| General Pathology Introduction is the study of basic mechanisms of disease and as such represents an essential prerequisite for an understanding of organ pathology, human systemic disease and experimental pathology. Since abnormal body function or “disease” is usually presumed to result from some form of tissue “injury”, much of pathology can be viewed as a “reaction to injury”. The injurious agent may be easily recognizable (trauma, infection etc.), subtle and/or complex (immunologic injury), or may be completely unknown (some tumors presently fall into this category). The human body can react to injury in a large number of ways. These reactions vary with the type and duration of injury, and with the inherent nature of the organ or tissue injured. Some tissues react with monotonous uniformity to any of a wide variety of injurious agents. Other tissues can react to injury in a multiplicity of ways. These patterns of “reaction to injury” are what we recognize pathologically and clinically as specific disease and determine many of a disease’s clinical manifestations as well as its natural history. Students will be prepared with an understanding of the principles of disease and the reactions to injury. Credits: 4 | ||
| PDO 836 | Principle of Public Health | |
| Coming soon.. Credits: 4 | ||
| RDN 811 | Cariology & Direct Restorations Lecture & Lab | |
| *** Lecture portion *** Counts for 35% of combined course grade This lecture course is designed to provide relevant information regarding the topics of diagnosis and treatment of carious lesions and other hard tissue defects, caries risk assessment, fundamental methods for the prevention of dental caries using fluorides, varnishes and other remineralizing agents, fundamental concepts in the practice of modern direct restorative dentistry, as well as the principles for the preparation and restoration with direct restorative materials. Dental amalgam, resin composites and glass ionomers will be discussed from the clinical application, composition and handling stand point. Dental biomaterials relative to the restorative materials presented in the course will be discussed as the different types of restorations are introduced. The course is designed to provide the second-year dental student the cognitive knowledge of the terminology, principles, instruments, materials and techniques utilized in the practice of direct restorative dentistry. In this course students will also learn to critically think about patient assessment, examination, and treatment planning. *** Pre-Clinical Lab Portion *** Counts for 65% of combined course grade This lab course is designed to introduce students to the non-surgical and surgical treatment of dental caries. Students will develop the psychomotor skills required to perform basic direct restorative dentistry procedures to a clinically acceptable level when working in patient simulated position with manikins. The development of these skills will be required for achieving competency in the course. In addition, this course presents contemporary concepts in the practice of direct restorative dentistry, as well as the principles for the preparation and restoration with direct restorative materials. In this course students also learn to critically think about patient assessment, examination, and treatment planning. This course introduces dental amalgam and glass ionomer materials, which will be presented from a clinical application, composition and handling standpoints. Credits: 4 | ||
| RDN 813 | Indirect Restorations Lecture & Lab | |
| Indirect restoration refers to a dental restoration fabricated indirectly in the dental laboratory, including inlays, onlays, complete coverage crowns, partial fixed dental prosthesis and custom made posts. RDN813 introduces students to the basic knowledge, material science, and clinical/laboratory procedures involved in the fabrication of single complete coverage crown for vital and non-vital tooth. Students learn to: fabricate diagnostic casts, mount diagnostic casts, perform diagnostic wax up, prepare tooth for single crown, fabricate definitive conventional impression and record digital impression, fabricate the removable die system (Pindex), procedures for the insertion single crown restoration, indirect cast post. In addition, students learn to design and mill an all-ceramic restoration. They also will be exposed to wax pattern, wax pattern investment and casting procedure. Moreover students will be exposed to CAD-CAM technology, design and manufacturing of single complete coverage crown. Credits: 4 | ||
| RDN 824 | Removable Prosthodontics I Lecture & Lab | |
| The removable prosthodontics pre-clinical curriculum spans the D2 Fall (RDN824) and Spring (RDN826) semesters, and introduces students to the methods used to evaluate and treat patients who are partially or completely edentulous. In these courses, students are introduced to the clinical and laboratory procedures involved in complete and partial denture treatment. Content in these courses is divided into didactic (lecture) and psychomotor skill development (laboratory). Complete dentures is the focus of RDN824, in which students learn how to fabricate custom trays, record bases, mount casts on an articulator, set anterior and posterior denture teeth, and wax-up final denture base contours. Students trim and polish their processed dentures during the Spring semester (RDN826). A mannequin is used to simulate clinical procedures, which include secondary impressions and maxillomandibular records. During the final two weeks of the course, concepts of partial denture terminology, surveying, and design are introduced in order to afford sufficient time in the Spring semester (RDN826) to devote to partial denture pre-clinical activities. Accompanying lectures during the afternoon session provide clinical relevance to the tasks performed in the laboratory, including an introduction to CAD/CAM denture fabrication Credits: 4 | ||
Spring Semester
| CLD 822 | Clinical Dentistry II | |
| This course prepares students to provide care in the School of Dental Medicine’s patient care clinics. Second-year dental students have already had an initial exposure to clinical dentistry in CLD821 and CLD827. The CLD822 course builds on these initial experience through formal training in dental assisting, anesthesia, clinic management and clinical dentistry. CLD822 is an essential element in the clinical dentistry curriculum as it is one of the first courses in which participants learn and engage with other dental team members in the delivery of direct patient treatment. Credits: 4 | ||
| ODS 822 | Oral Radiology Clinic I | |
| Paralleling technique skills developed on DXTTR (Dental X-ray Training and Teaching Replica) phantoms during the first semester’s Oral Radiology Technique Course (ODS 821) will be reinforced. For this second semester course, students will practice proper digital sensor placement on each other (with no radiation exposure) utilizing alternative imaging techniques to acquire patient management skills while employing infection control practices. Students will observe alternative methods to obtain intraoral radiographs utilizing various holders such as the UniBite, Snap-A-Ray, hemostat, foam block, and Rinn XCP for periapical views. Bitewing radiographic methods include Rinn XCP, UniBite, and tabs. Occlusal radiographic techniques and limited bisecting angle techniques will be demonstrated. Digital imaging with exposure of the DXTTR phantom will be reinforced as students obtain and process digital bitewing radiographs utilizing (PSP) Photostimulable Phosphor sensors. Students will be given the opportunity to employ these newly acquired digital imaging, processing, and infection control skills during the Tuesday afternoon session while providing and assisting in the acquisition, processing, and storage of digital radiographs for referred patients of 2nd and 4th year dental students. The case-based small group seminar conducted Thursday morning will provide students with the opportunity to review and discuss multiple radiographic images as a case-based introduction to diagnosis. The buccal object/SLOB rule will be reinforced with hands-on demonstration followed by a short interpretation quiz. Credits: 3 | ||
| ODS 824 | Evaluation of Medically Complex Patient | |
| This course introduces the student to the management of patients with significant co-morbidities that influence dental treatment. This course is designed as a systems approach to oral health care of medically complex patients. Credits: 3 | ||
| ODS 825 | Oral Pathology I | |
| This course will cover selected developmental, inflammatory, metabolic, genetic and neoplastic conditions that affect the jaws. In addition, dental abnormalities will be covered. Emphasis will be placed on the radiographic interpretation of the lesions reviewed. Credits: 2 | ||
| ORB 826 | Oral Sciences & Prevent Dent. II | |
| This course is a bridge science course that integrates oral with clinical sciences. This course provides essential information on histology of the tooth-supporting tissues, and pathogenesis and prevention of periodontal disease. Credits: 3 | ||
| PER 811 | Endodontics I | |
| PER811 is the didactic course supporting the Endodontic technique course, PER812. These courses make up the initial phase of the didactic, laboratory, and clinical educational program in Endodontics. This introductory course is a prerequisite for participation in the clinic and subsequent endodontic didactic courses. PER811 is a 1 credit hour course consisting of: • 13 Lectures • Quizzes • Midterm Examination • Final Examination Credits: 4 | ||
| PER 812 | Preclinical Lab I - Endodontics | |
| PER812 is the Endodontic laboratory technique course. This course makes up the initial phase of the laboratory, and clinical educational program in Endodontics. This introductory course is a prerequisite for participation in the clinic and subsequent endodontic didactic courses. This course meets in the Preclinical Laboratory (B30Squire).PER 812 is a 2.5 credit hour course consisting of: • Lectures • Quizzes • Lab Projects • Midterm Practical • Final Practical Credits: 4 | ||
| RDN 814 | Indirect Restorations Lecture & Lab II | |
| Indirect restoration refers to a dental restoration fabricated indirectly in the dental laboratory, including inlays, onlays, complete coverage crowns, partial fixed dental prosthesis and custom made posts. RDN814 introduces students to the basic knowledge, material science, and clinical/laboratory procedures involved in the preparation or/and fabrication of a single surveyed crown, onlay, pressed and CAD-CAM ceramic restoration, partial fixed dental prosthesis, onlay, conventional and digital impressions, interim restoration, working casts and pindexing, cementation, and esthetic modification of ceramic restorations. It also introduces basic knowledge of inlay, onlay, veneer, resin bonded dental prosthesis, all ceramic crowns, endodontically tearted teeth, soldering, laboratory communications, color in dentistry, treatment planning, Computer-Aided Design/ Computer-Aided Manufacturing, and postoperative care. Credits: 4 | ||
| RDN 821 | Ethics & Law in Practice Management | |
| Basic Management concepts are presented to prepare students to treat patients in the clinic, with constant consideration of legal, regulatory, ethical and professional duties. This course follows the foundation laid in CLD800 (Introduction to the Profession), and leads to CLD847 (Professionalism in Practice) and RDN841 (Oral Healthcare Practice Management).This course provides the student with those tools necessary to successfully access and comply with regulatory laws, administrative codes, institutional policies, and ethical principles as part of the clinical component of their undergraduate dental education and future private practice. Credits: 4 | ||
| RDN 826 | Removable Prosthodontics Lecture & Lab II | |
| The removable prosthodontics pre-clinical curriculum spans the D2 Fall (RDN824) and Spring (RDN826) semesters, and introduces students to the methods used to evaluate and treat patients who are partially or completely edentulous. In these courses, students are introduced to the clinical and laboratory procedures involved in complete and partial denture treatment. Content is divided into didactic (lecture) and psychomotor skill development (laboratory). Partial dentures is the focus of RDN826, in which students learn to survey diagnostic casts, design partial denture frameworks, perform tooth modifications, and make final impressions on a typodont, pour master casts, and communicate framework design to a laboratory technician. Students trim and polish their processed dentures that were fabricated during the Fall semester (RDN824). Students are introduced to concepts of CAD/CAM dentures and partial dentures in the lecture section. Accompanying lectures during the afternoon session provide clinical relevance to the tasks practiced in the laboratory. Credits: 4 | ||
| RDN 827 | Implant Dentistry I | |
| This course will focus on aspects of Restorative Implant Dentistry. Lectures will be presented. Treatment planning sessions of the implant patient will be presented by various instructors/lecturers. Students will learn how to carry out an implant case. Credits: 4 | ||
Clinical Experience
- During their second year clinical experience, students treat their first periodontics patient. With faculty guidance, they review medical histories, conduct oral examinations, assess periodontal status, and provide oral prophylaxis along with home care instructions.
- Second year students also assist third and fourth year students in the clinic. This experience helps them become familiar with clinic operations and observe the practical application of concepts introduced in their preclinical courses.
- In the spring semester, students are assigned to one of four practice groups for the remainder of their clinical training. They spend time each week in the clinic and are assigned patients for periodontic care.
- Additionally, second year students continue to practice clinical skills with their classmates, including impressions, jaw records, digital dentistry, and local anesthesia.
2nd Year Photo Gallery
Phone: 716-829-6925
Fax: 716-829-2731
Email: sdmadmit@buffalo.edu
Hours:
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., M-F
DDS Admissions
School of Dental Medicine
315 Squire Hall
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14214