What does a dentist do?
What is the difference between a DDS and a DMD?
How much does a dentist earn?
What are the dental specialties?
What is the best major for dental school?
What are the pre-requisite courses necessary for dental school?
What are the major factors in dental school admissions?                    When should I apply to dental school?

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What does a dentist do?

Dentists diagnose and treat diseases, injuries and malformations of the teeth and mouth. Dentists also improve a patient?s appearance by using a variety of cosmetic dental procedures, educate patients on how to better care for their teeth and prevent oral disease, and perform research directed to improving oral health and developing new treatment methods


What is the difference between a DDS and a DMD?

The DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) and DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) are the same degrees. The difference is a matter of semantics; dentists who have a DMD or DDS have the same education. Universities have the prerogative to determine what degree is awarded. Both degrees use the same curriculum requirements set by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. State licensing boards accept either degree as equivalent, and both degrees allow licensed individuals to practice the same scope of general dentistry (ada.org).


How much does a dentist earn?

The average earnings for a general practitioner who owns his/her practice is $170,000; the average earnings for a dental specialist is $300,000.


What are the dental specialties?

The ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure recognizes nine specialties:

- Dental public health
- Endodontics
- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
- Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Orthodontics
- Pediatric dentistry
- Periodontics
- Prosthodontics


What is the best major for dental school?

There is no "predental" major. Dental schools do not have specific requirements stipulating which major applicants should pursue. Regardless of the major, students must complete the predental course work. You should choose a major you excel in and that you enjoy. You will probably get better grades and your undergraduate experience will be more pleasant. Choose a major you can fall back on if you don't get into dental school or choose not to go (healthpro.byu.edu).


What are the pre-requisite courses necessary for dental school?

Listed below are typical dental school admissions requirements See the ADEA Guide to Dental Schools for specific requirements of individual schools. Some majors will require you to take a slightly different path in completing admissions requirements. Be sure to check with individual dental schools about their policy.

•  General or Inorganic Chemistry- one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory CHEM 102a, 102b, 104a, 104b
  

• Organic Chemistry: one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory CHEM 220a, 220b, 219a, 219b

• Biology: one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory                     BSCI 110a, 110b, 111a, 111b 
• Physics: one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory               PHYS 117a, 117b, 119a, 119b
  

•   English: one year                                                                      Any two "W" courses or ENGL courses.
  

Some schools require additional math courses (MATH 150 or higher), and many schools are now requiring/recommending biochemistry (BSCI 220) for pre-dental students. Other recommended courses include anatomy, histology, and pathology.

What are the major factors in dental school admissions?

1) GPA: Your science GPA (biology, chemistry, physics, and math) is a very important factor in the admissions process, as is your overall GPA. Dental schools now routinely admit students with GPAs of 3.3 or higher.

2) DAT scores: The DAT consists of four sections: survey of the natural sciences (including biology, general chemistry and organic chemistry), reading comprehension, quantitative reasoning (including general algebra, some trigonometry and math reasoning questions), and perceptual ability. The DAT is offered at Sylvan Learning Centers on computer the year before you plan to matriculate into dental school. Do not take the DAT lightly; treat it as if it were a four-credit science class. Be prepared!  Great ways to study include: a Kaplan course, DAT Destroyer, or TopScore.

3) Work load: It is important to take full course loads  (15+ credit hours) each semester. Consistently light loads raise a question about an applicant's ability to handle the much heavier loads required in dental school. Incomplete scores and unofficial withdrawals (W) on a transcript are detrimental. Withdrawals are detrimental only when your transcript contains numerous W?s and it is apparent that you are withdrawing from difficult classes to keep from receiving undesirable grades. Generally, work may not be total justification for taking fewer hours.

4) Repeating classes: If you receive a C grade or higher in a class, it is usually not recommended that you retake the course. It will only be a waste of your time. When you apply to dental school each grade is treated equally regardless of how many times you have taken the class. You should only retake a class in which you received a C grade or higher if you did not learn the subject matter well enough to do well in subsequent classes and on the DAT. You should repeat classes in which you received a C- or below.

5) Letters of recommendation: Don't forget to make the letter writers aware of your situation. Often the same people you are requesting letters from have the added burden of writing similar letters for many students. This process is often lengthy and can result in untimely application to dental school. Generally, the earlier you inform your perspective writer of your need for a letter of recommendation, the better. 

When should I apply to dental school?

It is best to apply to dental school during the summer before your senior year of college.  The AADSAS becomes available May 15th and the TMDSAS (for Texas schools) is available May 1st.  All dental schools have a "rolling admissions" process, so it is imperative that you complete your application and turn in all required parts of your application as EARLY as possible. The AADSAS requires transcripts, Letters of Evaluation ( from Dr. Baum and three professors, 1 science, 1 from your major, and 1 other) and 1 from a practicing dentist.  Submit all of these to the Health Professions Advising Office early (May) so they can send your letter to AADSAS quickly and before the rush. 

Schools begin interviewing applicants in August, and the national date schools can notify you if you are accepted is December 1st.  Having your application in early will give you a better chance to get an early interview date and thus have a better chance of acceptance. If you interview early, there are more spots available for the schools to place you. However, if you interview in November, and there are only 3 spots left for the first round of acceptances, it is a much harder because they have already filled up most of their spots.