Osaka Dental University

Established in 1911, Osaka Dental University has a long history of education in the field of dentistry. The year 2011 will mark the 100th anniversary of our institution. In response to new trends in dental education, Osaka Dental University will change. More opportunities will be provided to potential students. Further improvements will be made in student education and faculty development. Greater emphasis will be placed on nurturing a rich sense of humanity, so important for medical practitioners. With these changes, we will continue our endeavors in providing oral health care specialists to the community.

By the time of graduation, students are expected to have acquired the specialized knowledge and techniques of dentistry and dental medicine. They will also have been encouraged to cultivate a caring attitude, maintain a strong sense of responsibility toward the path they have chosen, acquire a philanthropic social outlook and spirit of dedication, and strive to work for the common good.

Five Basic Goals:

• Improve branding to attract students.
• Improve scholastic performance.
• Improve teaching.
• Focus on cultivating caring attitude.
• Focus on faculty development.

Three Additional Goals:

• Expand student abilities to conduct international exchange.
• Boost graduate school performance.
• Improve research capabilities.

Our educational policy follows the general educational objectives and policies prescribed in Japan’s Fundamental Low of Education. Our objective is to produce dental practitioners who are also well-balanced individuals capable of applying everything they learn at the university. To achieve this, we focus both on academic scholarship relating to dentistry that involves in-depth research and teaching of theory and techniques in specialist fields, and provide students with the knowledge, skills, and moral principles that a dentist needs in the real world.

Accordingly, students of the university must have aptitude and potential to be a dentist and study in line with this educational policy. The aptitudes needed to be a dentist are summarized in the three items below.

• The intellectual and scholastic ability needed to understand dentistrydefineheory and techniques and the technical aptitude to put them into practice.
• A sense of responsibility as a dentist, with a dentist’s outlook on society, a broad worldview, attitude, will, and other facets of character.
• The stamina and energy to do the physical work required of dentist.

To be a dentist, one cannot have one aptitude but lack another. All three aptitudes listed above are essential. Over the course of the university’s integrated six-year program these crucial aptitudes are cultivated while all the time maintaining respect for the individual personality of each student. The goal of our educational program is, ultimately, to produce capable dentists who possess a rich, human warmth.

The essential qualities (knowledge, clinical skills, communication, and attitude) necessary to become a dental practitioner are acquired.Dental medicine is covered through 6 years of lectures ranging from basic science to clinical studies. Also featured are integrated lectures that provide a deeper understanding.

The new curriculum provides lectures methodically arranged for students to attain a comprehensive understanding of dental medicine. There are also integrated lectures conducted in each year that laterally combine the different areas studied in daily courses. Thus, the curriculum enables students to effectively acquire a deeper understanding of the knowledge and obtain skills within the limited 6-year time frame. Since the lectures are labeled and ordered methodically, students can easily figure out what they are studying (or what they are missing) in the general context. This eventually leads to the encouragement of self-study.

As the first step in becoming a dentist, the mentality necessary as a health care provider is taught through fieldwork. Upon entering the university, students conduct fieldwork at our university hospital.
Before starting studies on dentistry, students observe treatment of the patients at the university hospital. This is an opportunity for them to enhance their sense of vocation as a future dentist and be prepared for the oncoming curriculum studies. Though the students yet do not have any background of specialized knowledge, they attempt communication with the patients and their families. It is a way for the freshmen to realize the fear and anxiety held by the patients and think of ways to provide relief.

The school supports the students in maintaining their concentration and motivation until test day. Information concerning the trends of the examination is analyzed and incorporated into the courses for preparation. Students aim for the national board examination standards studying in different classes depending on their progress. They are quizzed each morning and full-scale simulation tests are conducted on a regular basis. This helps the students to maintain their concentration during the long haul. There also is support from faculty through special lectures and private consultation sessions.