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Dental Students

Dental students traditionally learn basic and clinical sciences including appropriate treatment modalities and methods that are necessary to become competent practitioners.

Continuing progress in dental research has enhanced accuracy in diagnosis and has improved patient management. Therefore, both clinical training and oral health research serve to improve the dental care provided to the public.

At present, the School of Dental Medicine does not offer a DDS/PhD degree option. However, dental students are encouraged to participate in oral health research.

Incoming dental students may apply for the Summer Research Scholarship Program. This program enables eligible students to experience basic science or clinical research for a sustained period of time during the summer prior to beginning their dental studies. The student conducts a research project for eight weeks under the direction of a faculty member in the School of Dental Medicine. Participating students are provided stipends and funds for supplies.

Dental students may also participate in the Colorado Chapter of the AADR Student Research Group (SRG), a national program that serves to increase the student’s awareness of research to evidence-based dentistry. Students are actively involved in various research projects. They also attend workshops on how to search for and critically interpret literature, how to write scientific abstracts, how to present a poster, and how to give an oral presentation.

SRG participants are eligible to compete for cash prizes at the annual University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus Research Forum and the ARCS Foundation competition, and participate in the School of Dental Medicine Research Day. They are offered the opportunity to compete for the Hatton Award and to attend the annual AADR/IADR and Dentsply meetings.

Also see Graduate Students and Summer Research Scholarship Program

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