More than 72,000 patients visit the dental clinic each year, with students treating another 6,000 through affiliated off-campus clinics. These patients require everything from routine dental care to treatment of rare and complex problems. First Year Many students begin their clinical experiences as early as the first Saturday of their first year through participation in the Donna Olsen Memorial People's Clinic. Students in all classes participate according to their interest and expertise. The principal function of the second year is to facilitate the transition between the classroom and the clinic.
Dental students begin to treat patients during the second trimester of the second year.
Second-year students carry a full clinical load of 8 to 10 sessions per week beginning in the third trimester, including rotations and comprehensive care. The last two years of the DDS program emphasize clinical experience. Approximately 25 percent of this experience is comprised of clinical rotations. Third-year student rotations include preventive dentistry, oral surgery, oral diagnosis, oral radiology, endodontics and removable prosthodontics. During their fourth year, students rotate through the oral diagnosis, oral radiology, oral surgery , orthodontics and preventive dentistry departments and the Robert R. McCormick Chicago Boys and Girls Club Dental Clinic .