Curriculum Overview

The ISP program is a hybrid program where ISP students take some of their courses with just their ISP cohort and other courses with the traditional dental students. This has been designed specifically to fast-track courses that incoming advanced standing students will already have taken. In particular, the first semester and part of the second semester are spent in fast-paced and intensive pre-clinical courses, both didactic and simulated labs. ISP students begin to see their first patients during the 3rd month of school in the Periodontics Clinic and Transition Clinic.

Among the courses specifically designed and compressed for ISPs are restorative dentistry, occlusion, complete and removable prosthodontics, fixed prosthodontics, endodontic laboratory, esthetic dentistry, oral radiology. Additionally, students take multiple lecture courses alongside second and third year dental students including clinical dental pharmacology, implant dentistry, orofacial pain, oral surgery, infection control, diagnostic radiology, pediatric dentistry, pain control and medical emergencies.

After completing transition clinic in spring, beginning in summer, the students are assigned patients for comprehensive care typically starting with oral diagnosis and treatment planning. Rotations are held for oral surgery and emergency dental care. The time spent in the clinic is integrated with the traditional students. Students also participate in a case presentation seminar where ISP 2 students present treatment plans and patient cases to their faculty and peers.

Advanced standing international dentist students take a course in communication and behavior change in order to enhance their understanding and practice of patient interactions and expectations in North American dental settings.