Course and Program Catalogue 2013-2014

The College of Dentistry, in principle, does not approve the granting of exemptions in medical or dental courses in any year of its D.M.D. degree program.

The computation of the Sessional Weighted Average for each year of the dental program will include the grade that the student obtained in the course while in dentistry, even if it is a lower grade than that obtained while enrolled in another program of study.

The only exception to this policy may occur when a student has completed a Master’s or Ph.D. degree in the subject area and can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Course Coordinator and Phase A or B Chair as applicable, that s/he has a thorough knowledge of the subject area. It will be at the Course Coordinator’s discretion to determine how this thorough knowledge will be demonstrated. Such exception to the general policy will be granted only within the first two weeks of the start date of the applicable year of study.

The following promotion and graduation regulations apply within the College of Dentistry. The grading system followed differs from the general one detailed in the Grade Reporting section in that the literal descriptors have been expanded to include some terminology which reflects competency in cognitive and/or psychomotor and/or attitudinal skills. 

These guidelines apply to students in all years of the dental program and supersede rules that may have been in place in any preceding year of a currently registered student.

1. In most Dentistry courses the passing grade is 60%. There are some courses in which the passing grade is 65 or 70%. When deemed appropriate by the UEC, Course Coordinators may receive approval for a pass/fail evaluation system in their courses. A failing grade in such a course will be assigned a mark of 45%.
2. There are also some courses that are P/F. A “P” grade will not be included in the overall average calculation but an “F” will be assigned a mark of 45%.
3. Should a student fail a supplemental or remedial examination, the original of the two failing grade shall be used to calculate the overall average in the current academic year.
4. Upon successful completion of a supplemental or remedial examination the student will be assigned the minimum pass percentage grade for that class.
5. Failure of a “program course”, defined as a course that has a credit unit score greater than 9, will mean failure of the entire year.
6. A student achieving less than 50% in a course is not allowed a supplemental or remedial examination.
7. Failure of a single course may result in failure of an entire year if a supplemental or remedial examination is not practical, possible, or warranted.
8. At the discretion of the Undergraduate Education Committee, a student who has failed in not more than two courses, received a grade of at least 50% in the course(s) failed, and has an overall averagof at least 60% or greater in all courses, may be allowed to take supplemental or remedial examinations in the course(s) failed.
9. At the discretion of the Undergraduate Education Committee, a student who has failed a laboratory or clinical course may be allowed to complete a specified remediation program between the regular academic sessions (summer months). If remediation is unsuccessful, the student will fail the year.
10. Students who have failed and wish to repeat the year must submit a formal written request to the Dean for approval by the Executive Committee within 30 days of notification of the failure.
11. A student who has failed a year and has permission to repeat must repeat all courses for that year.
12. Failure of more than one year (including failing the same year twice) automatically requires withdrawal from the program.
13. Under extenuating circumstances, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, a student may be asked or permitted to withdraw for one year. A student must apply to the college for reinstatement.
14. During any year of the program, the circumstances outlined below require the UEC to determine if student should be allowed to continue in good standing:

• Students missing an extraordinary length of time due to illness or personal problems such that it is not possible for them to meet the requirements prior to the next academic year.
• Students demonstrating persistent documented weakness (< 64% grade) in one or more preclinical or clinical discipline(s) that indicates to faculty that they are not prepared to meet the standards for the next year of the program.
• A student displaying (documented and reviewed) unprofessional behavior.
• A student failing enough components of a “program course” or failing enough “half-classes,” that failure of the year is inevitable. 

The UEC will determine if students in such circumstances are asked to withdraw or required to withdraw immediately. UEC will then determine if such students can repeat the current academic year.

15. In the year end evaluation of students, the circumstances outlined below require the UEC to determine if a student is to be allowed to proceed in good standing to the next year of the program or to graduate:

• Students missing an extraordinary length of time due to illness or personal problems such that it is not possible for them to meet the requirements prior to the next academic year.
• Students demonstrating persistent documented weakness (< 64% grade) in one or more preclinical or clinical discipline(s) that indicates to faculty that they are not prepared to meet the standards for the next year of the program or have not met the standards for graduation.
• A student displaying (documented and reviewed) unprofessional behavior. 

The UEC will determine if students in such circumstances are asked to withdraw, required to withdraw or permitted to repeat the current academic year.

A reciprocity agreement exists between the Canadian Dental Association and the American Dental Association making graduates from accredited Canadian or American dental programs eligible for licensure in either country. The written National Dental Examining Board (NDEB) and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) are taken in the final year of the D.M.D. program at the College of Dentistry, University of Saskatchewan. Once these are successfully completed, students are eligible for licensure in any province in Canada.

Graduates from the College of Dentistry, University of Saskatchewan are also board eligible in each state or region of the United States. Dental licensing is under the authority of each state in the United States. For details of licensure, students should check with the state in which they plan to practice. Appropriate telephone numbers by state are listed on the American Dental Association website.

For all important dates please see the Academic Schedule.

Late registration will be permitted only under exceptional circumstances, and by special ruling of the Faculty.

Students cannot register for the full program of study in any session until they have completed the requirements of the previous session.

Students may be Required to Discontinue the study of dentistry for non-academic reasons such as health.

Preclinical/Laboratory and Clinic Session Attendance Policy

Regular attendance in preclinical/laboratory and clinic sessions is mandatory.  The number of available preclinical/laboratory sessions and clinic days, and the number of available days for patient treatment, is limited. Students are therefore expected to be present in the clinic unless the appropriate clinical discipline has granted written permission for the absence, written notification has been provided to the Assistant Dean, Clinical Affairs, and/or satisfactory documentary evidence is provided within a reasonable period following the absence. Such procedures are to be followed regardless of whether or not a student has fulfilled minimal expectations for the clinical component of any given course. For absences from preclinical/laboratory sessions, written permission from the appropriate clinical discipline is required, and/or satisfactory documentary evidence must be provided within a reasonable period following the absence.

In the event a student experiences an unavoidable inability to attend clinic, the clinic office should be informed as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements may be made to ensure that patient appointments are cancelled, or that patients are looked after appropriately.

If a student misses more than 10% of preclinical/laboratory or clinic sessions without submitting satisfactory documentary evidence within a reasonable period following the absence, the student may not be allowed to sit the final examination for that course at the regularly scheduled time.

Lecture/Didactic Session Attendance Policy

For lecture/didactic sessions, the attendance policy is left up to the discretion of the Course Coordinator, but such policies require prior approval from the Undergraduate Education Committee, and upon approval, must be included in the course syllabi.