University of Illinois VDEO Report

Veterinary Dentistry Education Online (VDEO) 2019-2020

Dr. Sandra Manfra Marretta, DVM, Diplomate ACVS, AVDC, Professor Emerita University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine Small Animal Surgery and Dentistry would like to especially thank Crystal Zulauf, Dr. Mike Overend and Dr. Rod Salter for helping to expand this program to reach more veterinary schools and students this year and for the staff at the University of Illinois for offering this program free of charge to students for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester following the coronavirus pandemic outbreak.

Background: This veterinary dental course is the same course that veterinary practitioners can enroll in post-graduation for CE credits (ilearningvetmed@illinois.edu). The cost of the program for veterinary practitioners is $80/module or $510 for all 8 modules. This same course is offered to any veterinary student at a reduced rate of $35 for all 8 modules. Immediately following the coronavirus pandemic, the University of Illinois opened up a third registration period and offered this veterinary dental course for free to all students for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester. Dr. Mike Overend was instrumental in contacting veterinary schools regarding these opportunities. The $35 registration fee/student for this course is divided between the University of Illinois, Urbana Campus, the U of I, College of Veterinary Medicine Continuing Education Office and the U of I, College of Veterinary Medicine Dental and Oral Surgery Service. The modules include PowerPoint voice over presentations, videos and 3-D images. Each module takes approximately 3 hours to complete for a total of 24 hours of instruction time. To successfully complete this course a student must complete a 20-question quiz from a 40-question bank with an 80% or higher grade. They can take each of the 8 quizzes multiple times to achieve a grade of 80% or higher on each quiz. After successfully completely all modules the students receive a certificate of completion at the end of each semester. The modules include:
•    Canine and Feline Dental and Paradental Anatomy
•    Extraction Techniques and Complications
•    Veterinary Dental Radiography
•    Canine Dental and Oral Pathology
•    Feline Dental and Oral Pathology
•    Periodontal Disease
•    Oral and Dental Trauma
•    Recognition and Management of Oral Tumors
There were a total of 3,299 students from 34 different veterinary schools enrolled in the University of Illinois’ Veterinary Dentistry Education Online Course throughout the 2019-2020 academic year.