In the second year, students address more complex related issues. The development of abnormal occlusion and strategies for correcting skeletal-muscular imbalances are presented in orthodontics and pediatric dentistry. From the first day of enrollment, students are taught the manual skills necessary to the technical aspects of oral health care. First-year students learn areas of restorative and prosthodontic care in the college s preclinical laboratory and in clinics. They also begin to understand the specific diseases that affect the supporting tissues of the teeth and strategies to combat them in periodontics.
Patient interactions emphasize interview and intervention.
Early in the second year, students begin the application of knowledge to oral health care situations soon after they have acquired it. It also affords extensive opportunities for students to refine skills during their time in the educational program. A unique aspect of the first year of the program is a seminar series in professional ethics, which focuses largely on ethical issues facing dentists today. Also in the first year, the behavioral sciences program begins to develop student skill in interpersonal aspects of patient care. First-year students learn the skills that are essential in patient interview, history taking, and facilitating a positive attitude toward oral health.