Best practices

Question:
What is Dentistry? Answer:
Dentistry, more appropriately "dental medicine", is the art and science of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions, diseases, and disorders of the oral cavity, the maxillofacial region, and its associated structures as it relates to human beings. While the work of dentists is often surgical in nature, dentists can and do treat many diseases of the oral cavity and face chemotherapeutically (i.e. with prescribed medicines). A dentist is a doctor, qualified to practice dentistry after graduating with a degree of either Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), Bachelor of Dentistry (BDent), or Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). In most western countries to become a qualified dentist you must usually complete at least 8 years of study; an undergraduate degree (usually in the sciences) and 4 years dental training. At least 2 years practical experience working with patients in the educational setting during the last two years of training are required. The first dental school, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, opened in Baltimore, Maryland in 1840. Harvard Dental School was the first dental school to affiliate with a university in 1867 (renamed Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 1940.)