There are different routes to becoming a dentist depending on which the country one lives. In some countries, high school graduates enroll in dental school. Some countries train medical school graduates to specialize in dentistry.
Here in the United States, dental schools choose top graduates of 4 year colleges for admission to dental school. These college students may choose any major course of study such as mathematics, chemistry, English, Music, or Art History. However, they must take a series of courses or prerequisites to prepare for dental school.
Most prerequisites are science courses, including one year of biology, two years of chemistry, and a year of physics. These courses enable the prospective dental student to understand applied science courses they will encounter in dental school such as pharmacology, anatomy, physiology, and dental materials. Communication is a very important skill for dentists; many dental schools ask that their applicants take at least one semester of a writing intensive humanities or social science course.
Dental school admissions officers appreciate applicants who do well in the prerequisite courses. The average grade point average (GPA) for the first year class this year is 3.4 with a range of 3.2 to 3.7 overall, and 3.15 to 3.6 in science courses. (For those who don’t speak college admissions, that’s a high B to A average on a four point scale.)
There is a test similar to the SAT or ACT for application to dental school, the Dental Admissions Test or DAT. Information on the DAT is available on the American Dental Association’s web site at: http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/. The DAT tests knowledge of natural sciences, reading comprehension, and math. There is a special part of the test unique to dental school admissions, the “Perceptual Ability” test.
The Perceptual Ability test requires the test taker to solve simple geometric and architectural problems such as, “Which two angles are the same?” A more complex problem shows drawings of two sides of an object; the test taker must choose the drawing that represents the three dimensional view of the object. The strongest applicants to dental school have high GPA’s and score well on all sections of the DAT.
Mark Gonthier, Assistant Dean for admissions of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM), offers this description of the ideal dental school applicant. We are looking for mature, well-rounded students capable of handling the rigor of the basic sciences curriculum and are equally adept at and committed to providing quality comprehensive patient oral health care.”
Mr. Gonthier’s comments provide keen insight for college students. It is not enough to do well in course work. Balance that with social activities, sports or exercise, and volunteerism. It is equally important to work, volunteer, or observe in a dental clinic environment.
Understand that dentists have a history of compassion and volunteerism. Dental schools are more likely to choose applicants who already demonstrate these qualities.
TUSDM is a private university. It does not prefer applicants from a particular region, state or even country. Public dental schools, Medical College of Georgia, State University of New York, and University of California among them, are unlikely to accept students from outside their state or states that they have admissions agreements with.
There are no age requirements for dental school. The age range of the TUSDM first year class, the class of 2011, is 22 to 39. There are many dentists who were both older and younger when beginning their studies.
Taking all of this into consideration, what are the chances of a qualified applicant’s acceptance to Tufts? According to Mr. Gonthier, Tufts expects roughly 4300 applications for the class of 2012. Of those 4300, Tufts will invite a lucky 300 to join the class. Of those 300, only 165 will walk through the front door, at the corner of Kneeland and Washington streets, on that first day of class. The numbers for Tufts are a bit different from some dental schools. Tufts is the second largest dental school in the United States and receives more applications than any other dental school.
Upon entering dental school, dental students study basic and applied sciences for two years. Some first and second year courses are common to dental schools and medical schools. Others are unique to dental education. Even first year dental students spend some time in the clinic learning to work with actual patients. Second year students spend more time on dental courses and in the clinic.
Third year students continue taking regular dental courses including courses on psychology and ethics. Third and fourth year students spend much of their time with patients in the school clinic. Fourth year dental students spend most of their time treating patients in the school clinic and on rotations to outside clinics. The most exciting rotation is a 5 week externship in a clinic away from school.
Dental students treat their patients with the close supervision of their professors. A simple procedure that will take a licensed dentist 13 to 30 minutes may take a third year dental student a few hours. That is partly due to working carefully, and equally due to the time it takes professors to check the students’ work. Sometimes, professors jump in to help students complete procedures on time or to show the student how to do it better.
Dentists take and pass various examinations while they are in school and after to obtain a license to practice. During school, at the end of the second and third years, dental students take the National Board Exams parts one and two. These exams test students’ knowledge of basic, medical and dental sciences. Near the end of their education, successful students become eligible to take state or regional board examinations. Such exams may include a day of written exams that test the applicants’ diagnostic and treatment planning skills. Then, there are stressful practical exams that stretch over two or more days.
A common practical exam requires the applicant to choose a patient with a particular size and shape cavity and successfully repair that cavity. Another common exam requires the dentist to find a patient with excessive calculus (tartar) and clean it away. These examinations are very difficult to pass. The applicant may fail if their patient does not show up, if they choose a patient who does not have the right condition to treat, or if any of a number of things go wrong during the procedures.
Examiners expect that those who take the test are prepared to do their best work. Examiners do not curve the grades on these exams. Those who fail will not be able to practice dentistry in a private office or clinic until they pass successfully.
One last exam is not difficult. Each dental license applicant must pass an ethics and jurisprudence examination on the regulations that govern dentistry in that state. Every states’ laws are different. If a young dentist desires to practice in two towns in adjoining states, for example Nashua, NH, and Topsfield, MA, they may only have to pass one regional board exam, but they must take two state jurisprudence exams.
Author’s note: Becoming a dentist was enjoyable. It was difficult, but it came as a natural progression of my education and interest. Dental school work is hard, but very interesting. I do see some brilliant students struggle with the enterprise. The worst thing that anyone can do is to choose a profession that is not right for them. Before committing to dental education and a life of dental practice, please spend time in the field. Shadow or work for a dentist. Speak with dentists about the profession. Visit dental news groups on-line such as the Yahoo dental_dentistry group at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/dental_dentistry/.
