Dentists

High School

If you are considering a career as a dentist, be sure to study biology, chemistry, physics, health, and mathematics in high school. English and foreign language courses are also important for meeting college entrance requirements and developing good communications skills. Participation in extracurricular activities will also enhance your background because it provides opportunities to interact with many different people and develop interpersonal skills.

Postsecondary Training

The dental profession is selective, and standards are high. Your college GPA and the amount of college education you have completed at the time of application are carefully considered in the admissions process for dental school. In addition, all dental schools approved by the American Dental Association require applicants to pass the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), which gauges a student's prospects of success or failure in dental school. The total administration time for the DAT is five hours and 15 minutes. Information on tests and testing centers may be obtained by visiting https://www.ada.org/education/testing/exams/dental-admission-test-dat.

Dental schools require at least two years of college-level pre-dental education. However, about 85 percent of students entering dental schools have already earned a bachelor's degree. Professional training in a dental school generally requires four academic years. Many dental schools have an interdisciplinary curriculum in which the dental student studies basic science with students of medicine, pharmacy, and other health professions. Clinical training is frequently begun in the second year. Most schools now feature a department of community dentistry, which involves a study of communities, urban problems, and sociology, and includes treatment of patients from the community. Generally the degree of doctor of dental surgery (D.D.S.) is granted upon graduation, although some schools give the degree of doctor of dental medicine (D.D.M. or D.M.D.).

Dental students who wish to enter a specialized field should plan on postgraduate study ranging from two to five years. A specialist can only become certified by passing specialty board exams. A dentist may obtain further training as a dental intern or resident in an approved hospital.

Other Education or Training

Dentists must continually keep abreast of developments in the profession by reading professional magazines and journals, taking short-term graduate courses, and participating in webinars, seminars, and classes provided by professional associations. The American Dental Association offers online classes on topics such as practice management, clinical dentistry, endodontics, implantology, and restorative procedures. It also offers continuing education lectures and seminars through in-person classes at its Chicago headquarters and at its annual meeting. Many national and state dental associations offer new dentist sub conferences or new dentist receptions at their annual conferences. These events allow new dentists to network and often participate in continuing education courses on leadership, practice issues, and other topics.