The clinical component of the educational program is provided by the departments of children's dentistry, periodontics, general dentistry, dental medicine, oral biology and pathology, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. Conjoint courses are offered in oral diagnosis, radiology, occlusion, pain control and emergency care. Students are introduced to patient care in a carefully controlled environment according to a timetable adjusted to each student's ability.

Students are taught to obtain a medical and psychosocial history and to incorporate this information into the total treatment plan for the patient. Most didactic teaching and preclinical laboratory experience is completed by the end of the second year.

Clinical training begins in the latter part of the first year, with the major portion of clinical experience occurring during the third and fourth years. The student is responsible for the complete care of the patients assigned to them. When the services of a specialist are required, the student participates in the treatment as provided by the appropriate dental consultant. All phases of patient care are closely supervised by the professional staff.

Students are trained in the efficient use of dental assistants in a special program of dental auxiliary utilization and management. The objective of the program is to teach new concepts of dental health care delivery by training dental students to be able to practice four-handed, sit-down dentistry effectively and efficiently. Specially trained dental assistant teachers work with students to accomplish these objectives.

During the fourth year, students conduct their practices in cubicles equipped and maintained as private general dental offices in which they provide care to a panel of patients assigned to them. The manner in which their patients are treated is designed as a general practice with general dentists of the faculty supervising the care. Additional faculty representing all specialties are available for consultation with the students and treatment of their patients, if needed. The goal of the clinical experience in the fourth year is to duplicate as closely as possible how a general dental practice is conducted in a community setting. In addition, during the fourth year, students may participate in one of the many selective programs offered by the various departments of the school or its affiliate regional hospitals.

The program of study leading to the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree consists of a fixed sequence of courses as listed below. Enrollment in the second, third and fourth years requires the satisfactory completion of all courses in the previous year. Exception may be made in special cases as described in the section on academic standing. Under certain conditions, credit may be given for equivalent courses taken at other recognized academic institutions. The course hours listed may vary from year to year because of holidays and other school closings. The sequencing of courses, course titles and course hours are subject to modification to reflect changing concepts in dental education and curriculum revisions.