# Why is dental education separate from general medical education in the US?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dental-education-separate-from-general-medical-education-in-the-us/615916>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 16, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dental-education-separate-from-general-medical-education-in-the-us/615916 "2012-03-16T00:32:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![aux203](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/77aa72/32.png) [@aux203](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aux203)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dental-education-separate-from-general-medical-education-in-the-us/615916/21 "2012-03-17T01:41:57Z")

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> [@Hail\_Ants](#):
>
> So do (or did) physicians look down their noses at dentists? Or is that an overblown rumor?

Overblown? Yes. It’s not like all physicians think the same way of course.

But… maybe a little, sometimes.

Not the oral surgeons though. Their training is ludicrous.

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**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dental-education-separate-from-general-medical-education-in-the-us/615916/22 "2012-03-17T01:59:32Z")

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> [@obbn](#):
>
> So, your telling us you missed out on the joy of learning to do a prostate exam? 😃

Makes me think of a general practice country doctor sticking his fingers into my mouth right after doing a colonoscopy…

Perhaps it’s because originally dentistry was a part of barber’s job? 😃

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