Pre-Dental
Why become a dentist?
Dentistry is a healthcare profession whose importance is growing as the value of oral health to overall health is increasingly recognized. Dentistry is ranked #2 in The 100 Best Jobs for 2018 by U.S. News and World Report and has a projected employment growth of 16% (23,300 new positions) through 2022 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the ADA Health Policy Institute, the average net income for a private practitioner in 2017 was $197,190 for a general practitioner and $320,990 for a specialist. 78% of active private-practice dentists owned their own practices.
Earning a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) or a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree means receiving education and clinical traning on par with those offered by medical schools. MGA, like most universities, does not offer a "pre-dental" major, nor is there a single best major for getting into/succeeding in dental school. Choose a major that you are interested in and will be successful in, keeping in mind that most dental schools require multiple lab science courses.
Accredited dental schools in the United States award dentists either a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree or a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree at the end of their training. The DMD and the DDS degree are essentially the same degree, with individual universities deciding which degree they would like to award. Both degrees involve the same education and curriculum requirements as designated by the American Dental Association. State licensing boards accept either degree, and anyone with a DMD or DDS is qualified to practice general dentistry.
You MUST become a general dentist before you can become a specialist.
Nine specialties are recognized in dentistry. All specialties require additional training after receiving the DMD or DDS. They are:
- Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
- Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Endodontics
- Periodontics
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Prosthodontics
- Dental Public Health.
Only students graduating near the top of their dental school class will be accepted for residency training in these specialties.
Many pre-professional students would be equally successful in medical or dental school and in either profession. The requirements for admission to dental school are about the same a medical school. Therefore, deciding between medical school and dental school means considering the differences between the two fields. Dentists do not usually treat patients in life or death situations, except for oral surgeons who often treat accident victims with injuries to the head and mouth. Most dentists focus on preventative treatments and the maintenance of good oral health. That emphasis involves fewer stressful situations than the treatment of trauma cases. However, while a physician usually treats a person who is sick or injured, a dentist often provides preventative or restorative treatments that are sometimes painful. Finally, dentistry usually demands less of its practitioners' free time than medicine does.
These resources will answer many of the questions you may have about pursuing a career in dentistry and the process of applying to dental school.
- ADA Resources for Pre-Dent Students
- ADEA GoDental
- ADEA Future Dentists
- ADA Something to Smile About
- Understanding Organized Dentistry
- Preparing for Dental School
One of the best places to begin learning about the process for becoming a dentist is the ADEA website.
Starting early is essential! Complete and submit all materials by June to improve your chances of admission. By agreement between dental schools, no school may issue an acceptance before December 1st of each year. Many schools begin interviews in the summer and have selected their class by December 1st, accepting any remaining seats on a rolling basis thereafter. This general timeline is a guide, but please consult the ADEA AADSAS application website for current deadlines.
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Fall semester, junior year |
Begin shadowing; plan on 200-300 hours of shadowing, with the majority of shadowing hours under a general dentist. |
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Fall semester, junior year |
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Spring semester, junior year |
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May-June of junior year |
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June |
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August of senior year |
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August-Dec. of senior year |
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December 1 |
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July-Aug. |
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To enter dental school, you will need a strong science GPA and a strong overall GPA. Admissions committees look for trends on transcripts, so don't panic if you stumble in your first semester or two as long as you show substantial improvement each subsequent year. However, admissions committees will notice negative trends such as consistently withdrawing from or performing poorly in hard science courses. One or two instances is not a deal-breaker, but you must demonstrate the ability to handle difficult scientific content.
Dental schools will consider:
- Academic record (both overall and science GPA)
- Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores
- Letters of evaluation (from faculty and from a general dentist)
- Exposure to dentist-patient interaction ("shadowing")
- Volunteering and charity work
- Research experience (if you are interested in pursuing research as a dentist)
- Leadership abilities
- Interpersonal communication skills
- Manual dexterity ("are you good with your hands?")
Dental schools may also require background checks.
Check out ADEA GoDental to learn more about the factors dental schools consider when selecting applicants and read about their holistic approach to evaluating applications. ADEA also publishes the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools, which details admissions requirements and data for every accredited dental school in the U.S. and Canada. This guide, published each March, includes statistics on the class that matriculated in the past summer/fall. You can purchase your own copy of the guide and use it in conjunction with each school’s website for the most up to date information.
- One year of inorganic/general chemistry with lab (CHEM 1211K/L and 1212K/L)
- One year of organic chemistry with lab (CHEM 2211K/L and 2212K/L)
- One year of biology (principles level) with lab (BIOL 2107K/L and 2108K/L)
- One year of physics (trig- or calculus-based) with lab (PHYS 1111K/L and 1112K/L or PHYS 2211/L and 2212K/L)
- One year of English (ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102)
In addition to the courses listed above, complete the following courses before taking the DAT:
- One year of physiology (BIOL 1114K/L and 1124K/L)
- Biochemistry (BIOL 3310K/L) and Statistics (MATH 1200) are helpful, but not always required.
- 3-D design (ARTS 1030) can be helpful for the "Perceptual Ability" section of the DAT.
This list is not definitive. Always check with individual schools for their specific requirements. Some schools require courses in biochemistry (about 2/3 of U.S. dental schools require it), microbiology, physiology, calculus, statistics, psychology, English, and the humanities. Most schools strongly recommend additional hours in upper-division biological science. Schools may change their requirements from cycle to cycle, so double-check your chosen schools' admission websites or contact their admissions counselors.
AP Credit and Course Substitutions
Most schools have policies regarding advanced placement (AP) credit and may restrict the use of such credit in fulfilling prerequisites. In these cases, schools will often allow you to take additional upper-level courses in the science areas where AP credit was received. See the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools and dental school websites for current requirements and restrictions.
Shadowing
Plan to spend about 200-300 hours shadowing 2-3 general dentists and building good relationships with them so that you can request letters of recommendation. Shadowing must consist of hands-off observation only. Your goal is to learn both the nuances of patient care and aspects of dentistry beyond patient care such as running a business, teaching, or research.
Some dental schools require a specific number of shadowing or observation hours. Check the individual websites of the schools to which you plan to apply for these numbers. Keep an Excel spreadsheet of your hours and journal as you observe patient interaction and procedures. This documentation will be beneficial when you fill out the “experiences” section on your ADEA AADSAS application.
Volunteering
Volunteering is an important aspect of the dental school application. Dental schools are looking for students who can manage rigorous courses while staying busy and who are compassionate and enjoy working with people. You can volunteer in a clinical setting or with any organization (on-campus or off-campus) that you are passionate about.
If you are volunteering at a local hospital or clinic, be mindful of deadlines and requirements. Hospitals and clinics may accept and train potential volunteers only at specific times of year, and most require volunteers to pass background checks and have up-to-date immunizations and tuberculosis testing. Be sure to research deadlines and requirements when seeking out volunteer opportunities.
Start your application 15 to 16 months before matriculation into dental school. The ADEA Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (ADEA AADSAS) is a centralized application processing service that is available to applicants applying to participating U.S. dental schools. Most DMD- and DDS-granting dental schools use ADEA AADSAS as their primary application method. ADEA AADSAS opens in early June each year.
There is a fee associated with this application service. See the ADEA AADSAS Fee Assistance Program for information.
- Starting your AADSAS Application (Tips)
- AADSAS 2018 Application Instruction Manual
- List of ADEA US and Canadian Dental Schools (Member Institutions)
- AADSAS Application Grade Conversion Guide
The AADSAS essay is limited to 4500 characters. You will be asked to address why you want to pursue dentistry and how a dental degree contributes to your personal and professional goals.Your personal statement highlights things about you that are not mentioned in other sections of your application and lets you set yourself apart from other applicants.
Start on your personal statement early in the spring semester before you apply so that you have time to ask for constructive feedback from mentors, your letter-writers, and the Writing Center. Some of your letter-writers will want to see your personal statement before they write your letter, so you should have a polished draft ready by January or February.
Use your personal statement to discuss your interest in and motivation to study dentistry, experiences you have had that will make you successful in the field, professional role models and goals, and any other information that makes you a distinctive and desirable candidate. As in any piece of university-level writing, avoid clichés, vagueness, unsupported claims, or potentially controversial statements.
ADEA AADSAS uses the information which you have entered in the coursework section of your application to calculate several tables of GPAs for each applicant. Please review the ADEA AADSAS Verification Guide: GPA Calculations for futher details. For a list of courses that are considered under the BCP and Science GPA, please refer to the AADSAS course list.
Which GPAs does the AADSAS calculate?
ADEA AADSAS calculates GPA and reports it in a number of ways:
- BCP GPA: All undergraduate, graduate and cumulative courses identified on transcripts as biology, chemistry or physics.
- Science GPA: All undergraduate, graduate and cumulative courses identified on the transcript as biology, chemistry, physics or other science.
- Nonscience GPA: All undergraduate, graduate and cumulative courses not used in calculating the science GPA.
- Undergraduate GPA: All courses for which undergraduate credit is received.
- Graduate GPA: All courses for which graduate credit is received.
- Overall GPA: Includes undergraduate and graduate courses. For most dental school applicants who have not completed graduate courses, the overall GPA is the same as the undergraduate GPA.
- College/university GPAs: GPAs are reported for each college/university attended.
The following course types are not included in ADEA AADSAS GPA calculations:
- Advanced Placement/CLEP
- Institutional Department Exam
- Audit
- International Baccalaureate
- Incomplete
- Pass/Fail
- Withdraw/withdraw passing
- Grades of “P” or “Credit”
ADEA AADSAS includes all initial and repeated coursework in its GPA calculations. In ADEA AADSAS, repeated courses are factored into the AADSAS GPA calculations. If the applicant received an “F” in a course, then repeated the course and received a “B”, both grades will be factored in the AADSAS GPA calculations. AADSAS factors all grades no matter how many times the course was taken. There is no grade replacement.
Grades and credit hours for all failed courses will be included in the ADEA AADSAS GPA, even if they are not included in the GPA calculations of the transcript-issuing institution. ADEA AADSAS factors all courses into the GPA calculations, regardless of the institution policy or where the course was taken. If the course appears on an official transcript with a grade/credit, it will be included in the ADEA AADSAS GPAs.
AADSAS allows for up to four letters of evaluation. Check your chosen schools' websites for letter requirements. If the school does not give specific guidance about letters, a good guideline is to request letters from two hard science professors, one general dentist, and one other professional reference.
Click here for AADSAS Instructions for Letters of Evaluation.
Whom should I ask for a letter?
Be selective in who you ask to submit letters on your behalf and always double-check the individual requirements of each school to which you want to apply. Above all, request letters from evaluators who know you well and who can speak positively on your behalf. Do not use personal references such as friends or family, nor professional references from evaluators who do not know you.
How should I ask for a letter?
Ask for a letter of evaluation in person, by early spring (no later than May) of the year you wish to apply to dental school. Your evaluator will need time to work on your letter and is likely receiving requests from other students as well. Give your evaluators as much information as possible when you do request a letter:
- Recent copy of your résumé
- Detailed instructions for how to submit the letter (AADSAS or Interfolio)
- Brief statement of your educational goals
- Rough draft of your personal statement
"Blind" recommendations are a common professional standard. It is preferable that you waive your right to view your letters of evaluation.
How do I submit my letters of evaluation?
Using Interfolio (Recommended)
Interfolio will allow you to collect and submit your letters of evaluation before the AADSAS application cycle opens. You can set up an Interfolio account for free to begin storing documents. However, in order to transmit your letters to AADSAS, you must upgrade to Dossier Delivery for a flat rate of $48 per year. Your letters will be maintained even if your delivery account expires, and you can renew your account any time. Click here for help using Interfolio to submit letters to AADSAS.
Using AADSASIf you do not use Interfolio to store your letters, your evaluators will need to upload their letters directly to AADSAS. You can add new evaluators in the "Supporting Information" section of the application as soon as the application opens in May, but you will not be able to submit your application until the first week of June. Be sure that the information that you enter about the evaluator is accurate and that you include the evaluator's correct email address. Once you complete an entry, AADSAS will send an email to your evaluator with an upload link for their letter. Make sure that your evaluator is expecting this email and remind them to check their spam folder since the email sometimes gets filtered out!
The majority of dental schools require you to submit Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores as part of your application. The DAT is offered multiple times per year at a cost of $460. It is computer-based and takes approximately 5 hours to complete. The test is multiple choice and covers biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, reading comprehension, perceptual ability, and quantitative reasoning. Read the DAT Guide, especially the "Test Content" or "Scope of the Test," as an important part of your preparations. A new guide is published around the end of December of each year. A competitive score at any given school is usually at or above the average score for the immediately preceding entering class. You may view these scores in the ADEA Guide to Dental Schools chapter 3, Deciding Where to Apply. Schools may also have minimally acceptable sub-scores. The admissions office will tell you if they recommend a repeat of the DAT based on any sub-score.
Plan to take the DAT once you have completed all of the pre-DAT recommended prerequisite courses and when you feel you are ready, usually in your junior year.
Plan to take the exam only once. Retakes are possible, but they are limited, and the testing company (Prometric) requires a 90-day waiting period. It may take 3-4 weeks from the test date for scores to be reported and verified by the American Dental Association and then transmitted to AADSAS. However, you will receive your unofficial scores from Prometric on the day of the test. Please note there is a limit of three attempts on the DAT.
If you are considering retaking the DAT, examine your scores on practice exams.
- If your DAT score is consistent with your practice exam scores, you are not likely to do better on a retake immediately. Assess what you can improve so that you can be better prepared for a future attempt.
- If your DAT score is significantly lower than what you have consistently scored on practice exams, then a retake might be advisable. Consider how quickly you can be ready to take the exam again.
The DAT is valid for two years; however, some schools may accept scores past the two-year mark. Check with each school for the length of time they will accept DAT test scores.
When and where to take the DAT
The DAT is administered through Prometric Test Centers with testing appointments are available year-round. Create a Dental Personal Identification Number (DENTPIN), then submit your DAT application. To request testing accomodations, download and complete the DAT Accomodations Request Form. Each time you take the DAT you must submit a new application.
When you apply to take the test, name as many dental schools as you wish to receive your scores. Adding schools later may cause a delay as well as additional fees.
After the application is processed, you will receive an email with instructions on how to schedule the test. It is recommended to wait 24 hours after receiving this email before attempting to schedule an appointment.
Testing sites are available across the state, including in Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, and Macon. Students can register for the DAT here.
DAT scoring
The American Dental Association breaks DAT scores into eight standard parts. The first six scores are from the individual tests: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, perceptual ability, reading comprehension, and quantitative reasoning. Each sub-section of the DAT is scored on a 30-point scale, with a mid-point of 18 (50th percentile). The Total Science score (TS) combines your raw science score with Reading Comprehension and Math to make up the Academic Average (AA). All scores from a given month are then placed into percentile rankings.
DAT Exam Day Schedule
The exam takes approximately 5 hours:
financial assistance for the DAT
The Partial Fee Waiver assists those who need financial assistance with the DAT fee. This waiver covers 50% of the DAT fee. The waivers are granted on a first come, first served basis beginning on January 1, and are generally exhausted within two or three months.
Apply for assistance before paying for the DAT because the waiver cannot be applied retroactively. It does not apply to any fees associated with rescheduling or score reporting after your initial application.
Studying for the DAT
The best preparation for the DAT is college coursework in the topics/content of the test, but additional study and review is also necessary. However, taking a prep course is not mandatory. Many students do well on the DAT through self-study alone. Create a study plan, stick to it, and take multiple (at least 5-6) full-length practice exams. Preparing for the DAT will take a significant amount of time. Make sure that you have built adequate time into your schedule for studying.
The ADA offers a sample test in a paper format as well as full practice tests and individual modules. Prometric also offers an online tutorial of how the DAT works and a checklist for test takers. Prometric's computer-based practice test is timed and reflects the actual DAT testing time of 5 hours. After the practice test, students will receive an unofficial report indicating the number of correct questions. Students can also use Prometric's Test Drive tool to simulate the day of the test.
ADEA AADSAS has implemented a service for dental schools that wish to obtain a criminal background check on admitted students. Certiphi® Screening Inc. will contact you after the admission offer has been made to conduct a background check. You may have to pay for your background check. Check with the school to find out the cost. If you have any questions about the Centralized Criminal Background Check, please contact Certiphi® Screening Inc. at (800) 260-1370 (8 am - 10 pm EST), email help@certiphi.com, or visit their website at http://www.certiphi.com/.