School of Dentistry

Dentistry is a vast field which is not only greatly fulfilling but also invites you to reflect upon a lifestyle of relating to patients.

The School of Dentistry was granted permission to be established in 1965, as the first private dental education institution in the Hokkaido-Tohoku area. Since then, under the founding principle of Iwate Medical University— ¡°nurturing true and good human beings¡±—we have striven to provide a well-rounded education that nurtures well-balanced dentists of character. One of the features of the School of Dentistry is the education of adjacent medical disciplines made possible by the coordination with the School of Medicine; since the establishment of the School of Pharmacy in 2007, the educational range of knowledge and skills widened even more, with the integration of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacology.
Dentists of the future are hoped to provide flexible and timely responses to social changes and patients’ needs.
We hope that you aspire to become a dentist who can sympathize and understand patients’ feelings, interacting with many people and refining your sensitivity in this wonderful city of Morioka, full of nature and history.

Hiroyuki MIURA, Dean, School of Dentistry
Professor of Orthodontics,
Department of Oral Health Enhancement

Advice and Perspective Towards Inquiry

Dentists must continue learning throughout their career, not just during the six years in school. To do that, they must gain active learning habits and skills while they are still in school. Learning through problem solving is a learning method in which students gain skills to explore new fields through the process of deciding on themes on their own, finding solutions, and presenting what they have learned. Students are divided into groups of 6, each of which works with a tutor (faculty) on an academic theme that suit their year.

With an interactive multimedia education system, students can receive digital teaching materials, send reports to their professors, with a free access when studying. At the practicum desk, there is a clinical simulation unit with a mannequin. Other equipment includes a 3-D shape measuring device and a cutting pressure sensor.

Projects at the Advanced Oral Health Science Research Center include diagnosis methods, treatment methods, and materials. The research results are used for education, and students are able to learn the latest information. As part of the clinical practicum, internal medicine has been added, in which students can learn diagnosis approaches, how to decide on a treatment method, and basic manual skills.

In the fourth year, students will take courses in specialized subjects such as endodontology, periodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatric dentistry, and various other clinical dental fields. At the end of the fourth year, there will be an exam to check the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary for clinical practicum. CBT is a computer-based test which evaluates students’ achievement in knowledge, problem-solving skills, and clinical reasoning. In OSCE, a medical interview, medical examination, testing, and treatment are conducted in a lab with simulators and mock patients. We will provide ample support towards clinical practicum.

The adjacent medical disciplines, taught with the cooperation of the School of Medicine in the fifth year, is also a distinctive feature of the curriculum. Students of social and internal fields will learn forensic medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, neuropsychiatry, and laboratory medicine. Students of surgical fields will study orthopaedic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology, and urology. By learning the relationship between clinical dentistry and other fields, students will gain a deeper knowledge and approach. In addition, with the recent opening of the School of Pharmacy, there are plans to integrate medical pharmacy knowledge and dental education.

6-Year Integrated System at the School of Medicine

Six years to foster and solidify your basis to become a dentist
Interdisciplinary pursuit of adjacent medicine for well-rounded abilities

Curriculum

During the first three years, students will take liberal arts courses and foster sympathy and compassion sought in dentists, a correct understanding of nature, and a sound sense of judgment. In addition, the first-year students will also take specialized courses such as introduction to dentistry, hospital observation practicum, and nursing and nursing care practicum.
From the second to third year, basic dentistry courses such as anatomy begin. In the third year, clinical dentistry begins and continues into the fourth year. During this time, tutorial hours are held to help students develop self-study skills in small groups.
At the end of the fourth year, there is a common test to see if students are ready to take the participatory clinical practicum that starts in the fifth year. In the fifth year there are many lectures on adjacent medical disciplines, as well as general thematically-classified lectures that surpass the existing field categories. >From the second semester of the fifth year, clinical practicum begins, and
until the middle of the sixth year, it will involve interacting with patients. After that, students will review all the knowledge and skills they have gained, and take the national examination for dental practitioners.
After they pass the national examination, they will obtain their dental license. After working for 1 year as clinical internship doctors, there will be options such as clinical dentistry and research.

Curriculum in the School of Dentistry