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Pre-Dentistry
Background Information
Graduates of most dentistry programs receive a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree; the remainder offer the equivalent Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.D.M.) degree. More than 90% of dentists are in private practice, with the vast majority in general practice. Subspecialties of dentistry include such areas as orthodontics, dentofacial orthopedics and oral and maxillofacial surgery. All states and the District of Columbia require successful completion of a licensing examination. The proportion of women in dentistry continues to rise, although the total number of first-year students in dental schools decreased from a high of 6,301 in 1978 to 4,255 in 1996 (1997 comprehensive survey).
There are 65 schools and colleges of dentistry in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada. Accreditation of schools in the United States and Canada is recognized through reciprocity agreements, with final certification through the state or province licensing examinations. Schools require applicants to have taken the Dental Admissions Test (DAT).
Examples of Prerequisites
As an example of application requirements, the requirements for admission to the Indiana University School of Dentistry are:
Dental Admission Test (DAT) - http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat.asp -
College courses (minimum required or highly recommended):
General Biology/Zoology - 2 semester courses with labs Microbiology - 1 semester course with lab Human or Comparative Anatomy and Physiology - 2 semester courses with labs General Chemistry - 2 semester courses with labs Organic Chemistry - 2 semester courses with lab Biochemistry - 1 semester course Physics - 2 semester courses with labs Calculus - 1 semester course Statistics - 1 semester course Psychology - 1 semester courses English Composition - 1 semester course
Recommendation letters Interview - to assess motivation, degree of maturity, and general character
Primary Contact Information:
Office of Administration and Student Affairs
Indiana University School of Dentistry
1121 West Michigan St.
DS 105
Indianapolis, IN 46202
USA
Phone: (317) 274-8173
http://www.iusd.iupui.edu/Depts/EDU/sa/admissions_information.htm
Professional Societies
Other Career Options
Students interested in a dental care career may complete programs in dental technology, dental assisting, or dental hygiene. Most of these careers are two year programs following high school (see links above for examples of programs). Schools of dentistry also have Master’s and Doctoral degree programs for those interested in dental research or materials applications. See the Indiana University web site for an example of graduate programs available.
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