The program provides instruction in the 10 competency areas defined by the American Board of dental public health. (See the Journal of Public Health Dentistry 1998, Volume 58 (Supp. 1), pages 114-122):
In addition to the areas defined by the American Board of dental public health, this graduate program can also help prepare students for teaching community dentistry and dental public health to predoctoral dental students and dental hygiene students. Graduates of the M.S. program in dental public health typically take teaching positions in dental schools in departments of community dentistry or dental hygiene, or administrative positions in local or state health departments, public health agencies, foundations, or community health centers.
A unique feature of the graduate program in dental public health at The University of Iowa is its location at the College of Dentistry. This provides students the opportunity to maintain their identity with the dental profession while studying a multidisciplinary subject. The program gives graduate students many opportunities to learn through participation in the teaching, administrative, or research aspects of the department's ongoing programs and projects in cooperation with a variety of community agencies off campus. Among these affiliated programs are the Iowa State Department of Health's Dental Health Bureau; Broadlawns Medical Center; Community Health Care, Inc; the Dental Health Center of East Central Iowa; the state dental programs of Illinois and Nebraska; the Department of Veterans Affairs; the Indian Health Service; and The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet the general admission requirements of the Graduate College and those of the department. Departmental requirements include dental or dental hygiene degree, an acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
or Dental Aptitude Test (DAT), and an acceptable cumulative grade-point average (usually
3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent). The program accepts and trains both dentists and dental hygienists, but the latter are not eligible for board certification. All previous university-level grades are reviewed from transcripts when computing cumulative grade-point averages. Foreign applicants for whom English is not their native language must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
(minimum score of 81 on the Internet-based test, 213 on the computer-based test,
and 550 on the paper-based test).
Joint Training Program in Pediatric Dentistry and dental public health
Interested dentists who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents may apply for a
three-year combined dental public health/pediatric dentistry training program. Interested individuals should contact Dr. Michael Kanellis in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry (e-mail: michael-kanellis@uiowa.edu) in time to apply through the PASS system (PASS deadline is October 1). Selected trainees will receive financial support for three years as they pursue a certificate in Pediatric Dentistry and MS Degree in
dental public health. Additional information on the three-year combined program can be found at
Post Graduate Program Information.
Curricular Goals
To offer a planned sequence of advanced courses and experiences which will provide graduate students
with the opportunity to develop comprehensive scientific competence in the field, the program requires a minimum of 40 semester hours of graduate study. This includes a thesis containing original research. Most full-time students should expect to take two years to complete all M.S. degree requirements. The program welcomes part-time students who naturally
will take longer.
Objectives
The objectives of this program are to provide students with:
In addition to the required courses, it is strongly recommended that each student take field experience in dental public health and teaching methods and evaluation. Students also will take a sufficient number of elective courses with a concentration in one of the key areas of public health dentistry.
Faculty
*Steven M. Levy, DDS, MPH - Program Director
Jane Chalmers, BDSc, MS, PhD
Howard J. Cowen, DDS, MS
Marsha A. Cunningham, RDH, MA
Peter C. Damiano, DDS, MS
Deborah V. Dawson, PhD
*Jed S. Hand, DDS, MHSA
*Rhys B. Jones, DDS, MS
*Raymond A. Kuthy, DDS, MPH
Teresa A. Marshall, RD, PhD
Michelle R. McQuistan, DDS, MS
Fang Qian, PhD
Erin Lacey-Spector, DDS
*John J. Warren, DDS, MS
*Diplomate, American Board of Dental Public Health
1. Epidemiological study of oral problems in the elderly -- Several longitudinal epidemiological studies of elderly Iowans, in collaboration with faculty from the Center for Health Services Research, have been funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Alzheimer's Disease and oral health is a related area of study, with recent grant support from the American Fund for Dental Health and the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research.
2. Health services research -- These projects are related to either cost, access, quality of care, or outcomes of dental care. Current projects include: the influence of third party payment mechanisms on the delivery and quality of dental and other health care services; characteristics affecting dentists' participation in the Medicaid program; trends in Iowa's dental workforce; provider selection criteria for continuing education; longer term comparisons of treatment services; and impact of student extramural programs on practitioners' willingness to treat traditionally underserved population groups.
3. Dietary research - Projects include investigation of relationships among dietary factors, oral health, and systemic health. Independent variables include dietary habits (e.g., meal patterns, quantity of sugared beverages) and nutrient intakes (e.g., sugar, vitamins, energy). Outcome variables include dental caries, dental fluorosis, growth, and nutritional status. Supported by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).
4. Fluoride ingestion and dental fluorosis/dental caries -- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research grants support The Iowa Fluoride Study, which conducts analyses of fluoride content of different beverages, infant formulas, bottled waters, etc., and a longitudinal study of all fluoride exposures and ingestion among a birth cohort, with linkage to dental fluorosis and dental caries examination results. Dental caries prevalence and incidence and dental fluorosis are being assessed and related to demographic, genetic, fluoride, and dietary variables. Microbial factors are also being studies concerning dental caries. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supported a multi-year collaborative project to establish epidemiologic methodologies to assess fluoride intake as well as creation of a national fluoride database.
5. Fluoride ingestion and childhood bone development: The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research grant supports a longitudinal assessment of determinants of bone mass and density in children ages 11-13 years. The determinants include intake of fluoride, calcium and other nutrients, physical activity, and genetic markers, as well as parental factors.
6. Infant/child sucking behaviors and dental arch development: the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research grant supported assessment of dental arch parameters and occlusal relationships in the primary dentition linked to longitudinally-assessed nutritive and non-nutritive sucking behaviors during the first five years of life; the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation supported analyses of the early mixed dentition, and additional funding from the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation is supporting examinations for age 13.
7. Oral Health Promotion and Interdisciplinary Education in Geriatric/Special Needs Dentistry: Faculty collaborate with the Iowa Geriatric Education Center (IGEC) grant to develop interdisciplinary curricula in geriatric/special needs dentistry and have implemented an Oral Health Care Training Initiative for Long-Term Care Nurse Surveyors. Research has also been conducted to develop and evaluate an Oral Assessment Screening Tool and Oral Hygiene Care Plan for use in long-term care.
8. Early Childhood Caries: Several department faculty are members of a collegiate research team focused on Early Childhood Caries (ECC). Recent efforts in this area, supported by NIDCR, Carver Foundation, and Delta Dental grants, focus on the feasibility of conducting clinical trials of Early Childhood Caries at community-based Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program sites. Head Start, and other sites, and caries risk factors among preschool children attending a pediatric dental clinic. Also, microbial, dietary, and genetic factors are being studied. Future projects, including a recently funded study of Native-American children, will emphasize prevention through dietary, fluoride and chlorhexidine interventions.
Program of Study
Required courses (33 semester hours):
111:200 Introduction to dental public health - 2 s.h.
Science, philosophy, and practice of dental public health.
111:201 Literature Review Methods: dental public health - 2 s.h.
Concepts and process of literature review, particularly in area of student's interest.
111:202 Research Protocol Seminar - 2 s.h.
Development of a master's thesis protocol; students identify a thesis topic, write a detailed review of the relevant literature,
and outline potential research methods.
111:204 Principles of Oral Epidemiology - 4 s.h.
General principles of epidemiology, including retrospective, prospective, and cohort study designs; validity and reliability;
distribution and determinants of oral diseases - caries, periodontal diseases, oral cancer, malocclusion, fluorosis, and HIV infection.
111:205 Administration of Public Dental Programs - 2 s.h.
Application of general management concepts; includes practical aspects of planning, financing, staffing, implementing, operating,
and evaluating dental public health programs at the federal, state, and local levels.
111:206 Preventive Programs in dental public health - 2 s.h.
Public health methods for preventing and controlling major dental conditions, primarily dental caries and periodontal disease;
clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness; students develop a comprehensive preventive oral health plan for a community.
111:207 Health Promotion and Behavior - 2 s.h.
Selected literature in the social and behavioral sciences as it applies to dentistry; critical analysis of research.
111:208 Field Experience in Dental Public Health -- arr.
Directed field experience of varying length, individually arranged with public and voluntary health agencies according
to needs to students and agencies.
111:215 Introduction to Statistical Computing - 2 s.h.
Use of statistical packages on a personal computer for data management and analysis.
151:224 Research Design in Dentistry - 2 s.h.
Types of studies used in dentistry; design validity; sampling methodologies; major descriptive and experimental designs used in dental research; application of statistical tests to these designs.
174:200 Introduction to Health Care Organization - 3 s.h.
Basic organizational arrangements of health services in the United States;
analysis of social, political, psychological, and economic forces that shape health services; determinants of utilization,
amounts and types of health resources available, methods of financing, government regulation, current issues. Same as 63:181.
Electives:
Other electives should be selected only after consultation with the graduate program director. Some examples of appropriate
departmental courses are listed below.
111:203 Independent Study: dental public health - 2 s.h.
Individual study in student's special interest area, which must be approved by faculty supervisor, study design, procedures,
and results are reported in a paper.
111:218 Clinical Teaching Practicum: Preventive Dentistry - 2 s.h.
Practical teaching experience in Preventive Dentistry clinical setting with first-year dental students. Emphasis on
clinical teaching methods, evaluation, and remediation.
111:230 Geriatric Care I - arr.
Diagnosis and management of geriatric dental health care problems, with emphasis on clinical dental treatment; case study approach.
Relevant elective courses also may be chosen from those offered by the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, other departments in the College of Dentistry, or the University's programs in the Colleges of Public Health, Medicine, Business Administration, Education, Pharmacy, and Liberal Arts.
Application Procedures
International applicants must have taken the GRE or DAT exam. International applicants must have taken the GRE (or DAT) and
TOEFL examinations and apply by October 31 of the year prior to the
intended start of the program. U.S./Canadian applicants should take the GRE or DAT and apply by October 31, but later U.S./Canadian
applications can sometimes still be considered. Application materials can be sent to the applicant on request or can be obtained
electronically.
Go to: www.uiowa.edu/admissions/graduate/index.html. (They can
also be sent to the applicant on request.)
Financial Aid
There is the potential for limited funding from a federal training grant for U.S./permanent resident dentists only. Contingent upon continued funding, one year of support may be available for U.S. dentist trainees through a dental public health specialty training grant from the U.S. Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The funding could include tuition, books, stipend, and limited research and meeting travel costs.
Financial support is generally not available to international applicants (or to non-dentist applicants) and students generally must secure their own funding (i.e., savings, loans). However, limited financial support is occasionally available, mostly through teaching or research assistantships, when available. If it became available, it would not be from the start, but later in the second semester or second year. Awards are based on the availability of funds, the student's academic record, and the assessment of the student's potential contribution to the teaching or research program. Resident tuition is charged to out-of-state students who receive teaching or research assistantships.
Additional Information
For further information on the graduate program in dental public health, please write to:
Dr. Steven M. Levy
Director of Graduate Program in dental public health
Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry
The University of Iowa
College of Dentistry, DSB
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
(319) 335-7184 (phone)
(319) 335-7187 (FAX)
steven-levy@uiowa.edu
The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination in employment and in its educational programs and activities on the basis of race, national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or associational preference. The University also affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunities and equal access to University facilities. For additional information on nondiscrimination policies, contact the Coordinator of Title IX, Section 504, and the ADA in the Office of Affirmative Action, (319) 335-0705 (voice) and (319) 335-0697 (text), 202 Jessup Hall, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1316.