The Dentistry programme at the Medical University of Vienna serves to provide the academic qualification that is necessary for the profession of a dentist, and to provide for the acquisition of the theoretical and practical skills necessary to work in this profession.
The Dentistry programme was first set up in 2002, with the legal validity of the new Medicinecurriculum in the so-called Vienna Medical Curriculum. With the graduation from the Dentistry programme, degree holders obtain their professional licence and the right to set up a practice, in contrast to the Medicine degree programme.
The Focuses of the Dentistry Degree Programme
The aim of the programme is to educate competent and clinically experienced dentists. The instruction imparts the necessary capabilities and skills for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of anomalies and diseases of teeth, mouth and jaw as well as the attendant tissue.
The graduates are meant to acquire the skills to fit the job profile of specialist in dentistry, oral medicine and maxillofacial surgery. After their studies, they should be
- able to take full responsibility for the successful and safe treatment of patients
- conscious of the need for constant, lifelong professional continuous education, and
- able to correctly interpret new scientific findings and to apply them in their professional practice.
The Schedule of the Dentistry Degree Programme
The instruction takes place in so-called thematic blocks structured in time and content and based on each other in all three study phases. The blocks are accompanied by courses lasting for the entire semester, which create the connection to clinical work. In the courses the corresponding clinical skills will also be trained. Starting with the 3rd term, studying will additionally take place in small groups dealing with precise problems.
In the first two years of the programme, the Dentistry curriculum follows the Medicine curriculum with a few exceptions. The third year of the programme consists of dentistry-oriented courses - the general medicine content is limited to frequent problems that dentists may encounter in practice. Especially the course "Dental Propaedeutic Training 2" is meant to prepare for clinical work in dentistry, in the form of theoretical and practical training. Special emphasis will lie on the development of the appropriate manual skills.
A clinical training amounting to 72 weeks takes place at the University Clinic of Dentistry or at selected dental teaching practices. In addition, there is the possibility to complete a voluntary vocational field investigation at a dental practice.