A New Patient's First Visit to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

Last year, readers of this column learned how to become patients at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Tufts' dental clinic is the largest dental group practice in New England. The Pre-doctoral Clinics offer most of the services of general and specialty dental offices including periodontal (gum) treatments, simple aesthetic treatments (tooth colored fillings, bleaching, veneers, and crowns), dentures, dental implant treatment, root canal treatment and pediatric (children's) dentistry. Anyone may call to set up a screening appointment by calling (617) 636-6828.

Treatment at Tufts' dental clinic is not free. Fees are set to be about a third to half what a local dentist charges. Tufts accepts MassHealth (Medicaid), and Delta Dental insurance. Other insurance may reimburse payments made to the school. There is no charge for the screening examination, but the student will ask for the new patient to pay for the x-ray examination.

There are several clinics at the dental school. The largest and busiest is the undergraduate clinic. This is where students become dentists. Most new patients enter the school through this venue. A dental school clinic is a learning environment. Treatment at the Tufts Pre-doctoral Clinics will differ from treatment in a private office in many ways.

The students who staff the undergraduate clinic are college graduates are at least half way through their dental school education. They have studied medical sciences including anatomy and physiology (how the human body works), and pharmacology (medications). Dental students study dental subjects such as dental anatomy (the shape of teeth), prosthetics (crowns, bridges and dentures), periodontics (the diagnosis and treatment of gum disease), and dental materials. Some students are dentists from other countries who attend Tufts for an abbreviated, two and a half year course, in which they earn their Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).

Instructors supervising the students range from recent dental school graduates who are studying to become specialists to dentists who retire from the practice of dentistry and elect to pay back a debt they feel that they owe teachers who went before. Many instructors are dentists at the top of their careers who volunteer a day or a part of a day a week to benefit from the joy and stimulation of the educational environment. Some of the teaching staff are career educators who dedicate themselves to advancing their profession.

The school's web site, http://dental.tufts.edu, includes this list of necessities for the first appointment, the "New Patient Encounter":

• Dental insurance card and photo identification (if you have Mass Health or Delta Dental insurance)
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• Dental x-rays taken in the last two years
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• List of your current medications and dosages
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• Primary care physician's name, address, and phone number
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• Emergency contact's name and phone number
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• Payment or co-payment by cash, check, or MasterCard, Visa, or Discover credit/debit card
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• If you do not speak English and need an interpreter, please bring someone to assist you.

Check in on the first floor for the screening appointment. The receptionist directs adult patients to the third or fourth floor. Once on the correct floor, a student calls the new patient's name and escorts them into the clinic.

First, the student explains the basics of treatment at the Tufts Pre-doctoral Clinics. Appointment times are typically, 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday (no 4:30 PM appointments on Friday). Patients must check in on time or risk loosing their appointment for the day. Miss three appointments, and the student will not be able to make another appointment for that patient. The inexperience of the providers and the need for supervision slows the treatment process. For example, a procedure that may take an hour or a half hour in a private office may take a full three hours in the undergraduate clinic.

After some conversation, the student will introduce the new patient to the school's computer system by asking the patient to read, approve and consent to treatment in the clinic. After reading, the patient will sign their name on a computer signature pad. The student will ask the patient several questions about their health, and record the answers in the computer.

The student and their instructor briefly examine the patient. The examination includes a screening for oral cancer. Then, the instructor will decide to assign the patient to the undergraduate clinic, or the graduate clinic (where dentists learn advanced techniques). Instructors cannot accept every patient for treatment at Tufts. Sometimes the patient's medical or dental condition requires specialized attention not available in a dental school environment. Sometimes, the instructor recognizes that a patient's expectations do not match the reality of a dental school clinic.

Finally, the students accompanies the patient to the third floor radiology clinic. After a thorough, digital x-ray examination, the "New Patient Encounter" is complete. The patient should hear from their new dentist within a few weeks to schedule appointments.

People choose Tufts Pre-doctoral Clinics for a variety of reasons. Some people appreciate the professionalism of the teaching staff, and the quality of the treatment they receive. People enjoy getting to know their dental student and witness their growth. Patients of Tufts Pre-doctoral Clinics learn as the students learn, which for many, is the best feature of care at any dental school.

Please note that there are 57 accredited dental schools in the United States and ten more in Canada. Boston is fortunate to have three dental schools, a school of dental hygiene and nearby Burlington, Ma, has another hygiene school. Their contact information follows:

• Boston University Goldman School of Dentistry (617) 638-4700.
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• Harvard School of Dental Medicine (617) 432-1434.
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• Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, (617) 636-6828.
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• Forsyth Dental Hygiene Clinic, (617) 278-2700.
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• Middlesex Community College Hygiene Clinic, (978) 656-3250.
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