The School of Dentistry at UCLA offers a four-year DDS degree. In addition to the four-year program, there is a two-year PPID program for dentists who received their education in another country and are not yet allowed to practice in the United States. They also offer pre-dental courses for those who do not yet meet admission requirements. Admission requires a minimum of three years of previous post-secondary education, although four is recommended. Dental Admission Test scores are also factored into admissions. The course focuses on the science portion of training in the first two years, and then pushes students to gain as much clinical experience as possible.
The University of California San Francisco offers a four-year DDS program for those who want to enter the field of dentistry. Graduate and post-graduate degrees in dentistry are also offered. A joint DDS/MBA program is available that is ideally suited for those who want to open their own practice after graduation. This degree gives students the dental knowledge they need along with the business skills required to make a new practice profitable. The DDS/MBA is a four-year program as well.
OHSU has a history of more than a hundred years of educating dentists. They also train dentists in the various recognized specialties that dentists can focus on, and have training programs for dental hygienists. This school is located in Portland, Oregon, and brings together the teaching of practical dentistry and a world-class research facility. The specialties they instruct dentists in include pediatric dentistry and endodontology. A DMD rather than a DDS degree is offered by OHSU in its four-year dental program.
The U of W School of Dentistry is located in Seattle. The first year of their DDS program focuses on the basic scientific skills that a dentist requires. Classes in physiology, oral development and dental anatomy are taught. The second year introduces more advanced medical topics such as drug use and anesthesiology, as well as general dental health and diagnosis of dental problems. Third and forth years focus on more clinical aspects of the training, including oral surgery and endodontics, and offer classes that actually focus on the business of running a dental practice. This includes information on dealing with patients and keeping students abreast of the latest developments in dental industry.