Exploring Dental Education and Care at UCF and Beyond

The University of Central Florida (UCF) has made significant strides in dental education and care. This article delves into UCF's dental initiatives, including the proposal for a College of Dental Medicine and the services offered at the UCF Dental Center. Additionally, it broadens the scope to discuss general pathways to becoming a dental assistant, including online courses and certification, and touches on other dental programs such as the UF College of Dentistry.

UCF's Vision for Dental Education

In early May 2011, UCF announced that the board of trustees would consider a motion to create a new College of Dental Medicine. This followed a private donation of $10 million to the university for the purpose of creating a dental school. On May 26, 2011, the Board voted to approve the new college. According to UCF President John C. Hitt, "The College of Dental Medicine will mean opportunities for our local students to obtain a dental education that they must now leave our area to achieve," and "The college will mean opportunities to help more people in need of dental care who cannot afford it."

However, much of the University of Central Florida's proposal remained the same, with plans to use a $10 million donation, a loan with itself, and student tuition to fund the College of Dental Medicine.

Accessible Dental Care at the UCF Dental Center

Located on the second floor of the Health Center, the UCF Dental Center combines quality and affordability in a nurturing, soothing environment. The Dental Center is open to the entire UCF community, including students, faculty, and staff, regardless of dental insurance coverage. It offers preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dental services.

Services and Costs

The UCF Dental Center aims to provide affordable dental care. While there are no free services, the fees average 20% less than dentists in the Orlando area. The center also offers a Dental Membership Plan as a viable option for those without conventional dental insurance. UCF students can pay an annual membership fee of $300 to receive regular exams, regular cleanings, and x-rays at the UCF Student discounted rate.

The Dental Membership Plans are direct primary care agreements between an individual and a dental practice, and they help reduce overall dental costs for members. It is important to note that these Dental Membership Plans are NOT insurance and cannot be used in conjunction with conventional dental insurance or other benefits. Membership is for services normally covered in the scope of General Dentistry, and membership fees must be paid in full before membership benefits may be used. Referrals to Specialists are not covered in treatments.

Insurance and Payment

The Dental Center is currently in-network with the following insurance plans: Ameritas PPO, Cigna Dental DPPO Network, Humana PPO, and United Healthcare Dental PPO. Claims are submitted to these in-network dental plans. Claims are not submitted to out-of-network dental plans.

Appointments and Emergency Care

If you are experiencing pain and/or swelling, you can walk into the Dental Center for urgent care, and staff will make every effort to work you into the schedule. If you do not have pain or swelling, you will need to call to schedule an initial appointment. The center is also happy to provide a second opinion. They can do a limited exam with two to three x-rays of the problem area, addressing only the one tooth/problem area. The dentist will do an evaluation and will treat the area if possible.

Cleanings and Examinations

For patients with a healthy, disease-free mouth, a cleaning is recommended every six months. If you had x-rays taken at another office within the last six months, you can bring them to your appointment at the UCF Dental Center, and in most cases, you will not be charged to take additional x-rays. A routine healthy mouth cleaning, called a prophylaxis, is given to patients who have no periodontal (gum) issues present. Scaling and root planning, sometimes referred to as “deep cleaning”, is a more advanced cleaning to treat certain aspects of periodontal disease. A comprehensive examination and x-rays are required because a dentist is legally responsible for diagnosing the treatments and cleaning necessary for each patient. Wisdom teeth need to be evaluated because in most cases they can cause pain, swelling, and eventual crowding problems for many college-aged patients.

Language Assistance

The Dental Center offers assistance in multiple languages, either through a bilingual staff member or through a certified medical translation service.

Read also: Aspiring Dentists Guide

Pathways to Becoming a Dental Assistant

Becoming a dental assistant is a fulfilling and rewarding career path with flexible hours and strong job growth predicted. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects employment of dental assistants to grow 7% through 2032, faster than the average for all occupations, with a median annual wage of $46,540.

Online Dental Assisting Courses

Comprehensive online dental assisting courses provide the essential skills and knowledge needed to become a dental assistant, including every aspect of professional dental assistance. These courses cover essential aspects of professional dental assisting, including invaluable real-world perspectives from experienced dental assistants and essential information about anatomy and physiology, preventive dentistry, patient care and communication, radiology, pharmacology, anesthesia, assisting in specialty practices, employment strategies, and much more.

Clinical Experience

After completing a dental assistant certification training, you may have the opportunity to apply for a clinical experience, through which you will get real-life clinical assistant experience. Students have the option to directly seek employment after the completion of this clinical dental assistant course or take advantage of the opportunity to participate in an optional clinical experience program. As a Clinical Dental Assistant program student, you have up to 6 months after course completion to apply, but please note clinical experiences are not guaranteed. If you meet all the educational, pre-screening checks, and industry qualifications, including a completed application package, you will be considered for placement based on host site availability.

Certification

Upon successful completion of a clinical dental assistant course, you may receive vouchers to sit for the Anatomy, Morphology, and Physiology (AMP), Infection Control (ICE), and Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) portions of the Dental Assisting National Board examinations. The exams meet 3 of 3 exam requirements for the NELDA certification and 2 of 3 exam requirements for the CDA. If you already have 3,500 hours of clinical experience and wish to pursue the CDA certification, you will need to acquire the General Chairside Assisting exam. The General Chairside Assisting exam is not included in this voucher package.

To qualify for the clinical experience application process, students must successfully complete the online course and ensure their account balances are current (at a minimum). It is important to note that ed2go cannot guarantee placement at any clinical site, and students must take full responsibility for fulfilling their clinical requirements. However, affiliated partnerships can increase the likelihood of finding a site that matches student needs.

UF College of Dentistry

UFCD offers all nine American Dental Association specialties and AEGD programs in Miami/Hialeah and St. Petersburg. Centers in Gainesville offer a complete range of general and specialty care for adults and children in one location. UF Health Dentistry - Wildlight began serving patients in January 2020. The center in Naples offers complete dental care for children, including routine and specialty services.

Student Affairs & Involvement nurtures a humanistic environment honoring the values of integrity, honesty, respect, fairness, cooperation, and professionalism.

Admission Requirements for Dental Programs (UCSF Example)

While specific admission requirements vary among dental schools, the example of UCSF provides a general overview of the prerequisites and academic expectations.

Academic Prerequisites

Applicants typically need to complete specific coursework before applying to dental school. These prerequisites often include:

English: Two courses in English composition. Note that ESL, scientific, professional, technical, and creative writing classes do not fulfill the English requirement.
Inorganic Chemistry with Laboratory: A minimum of three quarters or two semesters of inorganic chemistry with laboratory.
Organic Chemistry with Laboratory: A minimum of two quarters or one semester of organic chemistry with laboratory.
Biochemistry: This must be taken at a 4-year institution.
Physics: A minimum of three quarters or two semesters of physics with laboratory.
Biological Sciences: One year of general biology or zoology with laboratory, designed for science majors. Vertebrate zoology is strongly recommended. Anatomy, botany, or elementary courses of a descriptive nature cannot be used to complete this requirement.
Psychology: General psychology.
Social Sciences, Humanities, or Foreign Language: In addition to the English and Psychology requirements.

A minimum grade of C- is required in prerequisites “a-g.” Prerequisites should be completed before taking the DAT and submitting an application.

Units and Institution Type

At least 43 quarter (29 semester) units from a four-year institution are generally required. Up to 96 quarter (64 semester) units may be from a community college. Additionally, elective courses may be needed to bring the total number of units to at least 139 quarter units or 93 semester units.

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams

Coursework is generally preferred, but AP exams may partially fulfill prerequisites. If relying on AP credit, submit an official AP Test Score Report through the College Board (School Code 5482). IB exams may also partially fulfill prerequisites, and applicants should submit an official IB transcript directly to UCSF. Scores of 5, 6, or 7 on Higher Level IB exams may award credit.

Grading Policies

Pass/fail grades are generally accepted for courses taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, though graded coursework is preferred when available.

Institution Type

Credits are typically accepted from any regionally accredited institution or English-speaking Canadian institution.

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