Prosthodontics

Get advanced education in prosthodontics

Contact us

Program directors: Dr. Caho-Chieh Yang and Dr. John Levon

Office of Graduate Education
1121 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
  • Phone: 317-274-8408
  • Email: dsgrad@iu.edu

As a student in the Advanced Specialty Education Program in Prosthodontics at the Indiana University School of Dentistry, you will gain the knowledge and skills to diagnose, plan treatment, and provide comprehensive care for patients using an evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach. During the three-year program, which is accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), you’ll receive extensive didactic, clinical, and laboratory training in:

  • Fixed and removable prosthodontics
  • Esthetic dentistry
  • Implant dentistry (including surgical placement)
  • Digital CAD/CAM dentistry
  • Maxillofacial prosthetics
  • Partial and full mouth rehabilitation

You’ll hone your skills in state-of-the-art clinic and lab facilities in the newly built Fritts Clinical Care Center, where you’ll have access to technology such as intraoral and laboratory scanners, CAD design and modeling software, implant planning software, a 3-D dental printer, a 5-axis CAM milling machine, and a jaw-tracking device.

Upon completion of the program, you will earn a Master of Science in Dentistry degree and a clinical certificate in prosthodontics, which will qualify you to take the American Board of Prosthodontics certifying exams.

About the Master of Science in Dentistry degree program

The Master of Science in Dentistry (M.S.D.) degree and a clinical certificate are awarded upon completion of required didactic and clinical coursework, oral and written qualifying exams, and a research project culminating in a thesis or journal manuscript. This is a combined degree/certificate program; the school does not offer the option to earn only a clinical certificate.

The M.S.D. program starts the first week of July each year; students may not enter the program in the spring semester. If you are an international student, you must arrive on campus at the end of May to complete the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) placement test.

View the degree requirements

Core competencies

If you successfully complete the program, you will be able to demonstrate competency in these areas.

You will be able to:

  • Diagnose, plan treatment for, and rehabilitate dentate, partially edentulous, and completely edentulous patients having clinical conditions associated with missing or deficient teeth and/or oral and maxillofacial tissues using biocompatible substitutes
  • Be competent in a wide variety of treatment modalities utilized in the treatment and/or rehabilitation of dentate, partially edentulous, and completely edentulous patients
  • Be competent in all aspects of the restoration of dental implants
  • Be competent in all aspects of occlusion and the prosthodontic management of TMD/TMJ disorders and/or orofacial pain
  • Be competent in the laboratory procedures associated with the treatment of complete edentulism, partial edentulism dentate patients
  • Describe the relationship between material characteristics and clinical performance of dental biomaterials

You will be able to:

  • Draw upon evidence-based research to select and justify appropriate treatment methods and biomaterials
  • Formulate hypotheses and design the necessary experiments for a given procedure or material evaluation scenario

You will be able to:

  • Present appropriate treatment plans to patients and referring dentists in oral and written reports
  • Provide evidence-based agreements on research findings in oral and written reports
  • Provide patient education and oral hygiene instructions to patients based upon clinical findings and upon current prosthodontic literature

Application process

You will use the American Dental Education Association Postdoctoral Application Support Service (ADEA PASS) and the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program (the Match) to apply for admission to the program.

The application deadline is October 1 each year.

Learn how to apply

Costs and financial aid

M.S.D. students pay an annual flat rate for tuition. The rate varies based on your residency classification (whether you’re considered an in-state or out-of-state student). Other costs include university fees and instrument rental or purchase.

Federal student loans are available to qualified students. A limited number of small scholarships are awarded by academic departments.

Learn more about costs and financial aid

Find out more