 | Dr. Ray Lansdowne a Wichita native, attended Friends University, graduated from Baylor University College of Dentistry, and served in the Air Force as a dentist before taking over an existing Pediatric Dentistry practice in Wichita. Although Dr. Lansdowne does not specialize in children's dentistry, he holds a special place in his heart for serving children's dental needs. Currently, he is the first General Dentist to serve as Trustee for the A.A.P.D. (American Assoc. of Pediatric Dentistry). Alpha Omega Dental Center at 250 N. Tyler Rd., is a state of the art Family Dental Practice. He is active in numerous dental organizations and has served on various committees, boards and in elected office for local, state and national dental organizations. Reach him by e-mail at rlansdds@aol.com or fax at (316) 729-2754. |
Dental
2003-10-01 11:23:00
What does DDS or DMD mean?
: Some dentists have the letters DDS after their name, others have DMD and some have an alphabet soup of letter after their names. Does the DMD stand for Dental Medical Doctor and what do other letters stand for?
ANSWER: To continue last month’s discussion, there are nine disciplines within dentistry that are recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA) as designated specialties, granted with formal education beyond the degree granted for general practice studies (DDS/DMD). They are as follows:Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (American Assoc. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons - AAOMS)Endodontics (American Assoc. of Endodontists - AAE)Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics (American Assoc. of Orthodontists - AAO) Pediatric dentistry (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry - AAPD)Periodontics (American Academy of Periodontology - AAP)Prosthodontics (American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics - AAMP)Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology - AAOMP)Dental Public Health (American Association of Public Health Dentistry - AAPHD) Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology (American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology - AAOMR) Those qualified to practice in these specialty areas may have an MS (Master of Science) if the institution conferred such a designation and indicate their area of specialization by the listing under the name of their specialty organization in the dentist listings of the Yellow Pages. Often the specialist will utilize the term Fellow, or the initial F, then the initials of the specialty organization indicating the completion or passage of qualifying exams within the specialty recognized by the ADA. The specialty organization is in parentheses following the above listing of the recognized specialty fields. Although not recognized as a specialty by the ADA, the general dentist is organizationally represented by the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). The AGD offers designations as a Fellow or Master (FAGD and MAGD) for the attainment of additional continuing education levels for the general dentist while maintaining membership. In order to maintain one's membership within the AGD, the general dentist must annually maintain a basic level of continuing education credit hours. There are a multitude of dental organizations that relate to the practice of dentistry. Some are honorary and others represent areas of dentistry that are not recognized by the ADA as official specialty areas, yet dentists find these fields mesh with their interests. They are too numerous to mention and dentists often utilize the initials of those organizations and indicate that they are Fellows in the organization. It should be mentioned that the National Dental Association, organized when dentists of color were not honored as equals, is also a national organization representing their members. There are nine specialty areas of dentistry along with the general dentist providing services to the public. General Dentists and Pediatric Dentists are designated Primary Care Dentists as they are the entry point or a 'dental home' for the public. Although the other specialty areas may see patients without direct referral from primary care dentists, the specialty areas of dentistry are used by primary care dentists in the overall treatment plan for the patient by referring patients with more complex problems or with needs the referring dentist elects not to provide. If a primary care dentist does not provide a service, he/she will refer the patient to an appropriate specialist who can provide the service. After the specialty care is provided, the patient will return to their 'dental home' for continuing care. Establishing a dental home is something one should do before an emergency. Allow your dentist to get to know you and you should know him/her before a crisis erupts. As a dentist we are admonished to never treat a stranger. That should apply to the patient as well, never let a stranger treat you.
