The highest degree you can earn in the field of dentistry is a doctorate in dentistry, either doctor of dental surgery (DDS) or doctor of medicine in. The highest degree you can earn in the field of dentistry is a doctorate in dentistry, either Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD). The doctorate in dentistry is the highest general dentistry degree in the U.S. UU.
Dental schools in the United States award a doctorate in dentistry (DMD) or a doctorate in dental surgery (DDS) to graduates. Despite different degree degrees, a DMD and a DDS generally involve the same training and qualify graduates for the same areas of specialized practice. This page explores the prerequisites, requirements, and cost expectations for attending dental school. Dentistry, one of the oldest medical professions, dates back to the Indus Valley civilization, around 7000 BC.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the French surgeon Pierre Fauchard published a medical treatise on caries, dental fillings and prosthesis. This marked the beginning of modern dentistry. Fauchard's discoveries sparked significant progress in the dental profession around the world. In the early 1840s, Baltimore established the first dental school.
A few years later, Colgate began mass-producing toothpaste and toothbrushes. Even so, most Americans didn't practice good dental hygiene until after World War II. Today, general dentistry continues to play a fundamental role in society. Modern dentists are often engaged in specialized practices, such as oral oncology, cosmetics, or surgery.
Dentistry often attracts ambitious individuals with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently. Students interested in the dental profession may wonder if they should pursue a career as dentists or as dental hygienists. While the two degrees overlap, they differ in several crucial aspects, such as length, credit load, prerequisites, cost, courses, objectives, income, and work obligations. Ultimately, the degree a student obtains depends on their professional goals. A dental hygienist program may appeal to students with more limited financial resources or to those without the academic interests or skills necessary to succeed in school of dentistry.
Dental school requires a minimum of 90 credits and requires at least four years of full-time study. Prerequisites usually include a bachelor's degree in a life science discipline, such as biology or chemistry. Many programs also require students to complete a dental residency. Dental school offers aspiring dentists multiple options to shape their careers.
Most programs offer a variety of specialization options, including endodontics, orthodontics, and periodontics. A typical dental school curriculum comprises basic classes such as anatomy, microbiology, and physiology, along with elective subjects and concentration courses such as oral oncology, oral pathology, and epidemiology. The cost varies depending on the program, but attending a state's public dental school generally involves lower tuition than a doctorate in dentistry from a private school or another state. Dental schools normally require that applicants have a bachelor's degree in a life sciences-related discipline awarded by a regionally accredited institution.
Students with bachelor's degrees in other fields generally must complete prerequisites in mathematics, biology, and chemistry. Many dental schools require that applicants have a minimum GPA of 3.0-3.5 in their bachelor's degree. Dental school applicants usually submit an online application, a resume, a university transcript, DAT and GRE scores, letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a non-refundable application fee. Some schools may exempt the U.S.
from the GRE test requirements. The specialization in orthodontics focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of malocclusions and dentofacial deformities. Learning objectives include competence to identify abnormal facial growth and tooth development, determine possible orthodontic regimens, and treat cleft lip and palate. A specialty in periodontics trains students in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of gum and bone diseases.
Students also study installation, maintenance and repair of dental implants. The courses familiarize those enrolled with the latest methods for treating inflammatory periodontal disease, performing cosmetic procedures, and placing implants. Endodontics is a special area dedicated to the study and treatment of dental pulp, the portion of the tooth that contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissues. The specialization in this specialty area focuses on teaching students how to perform endodontics and treat dental trauma and broken teeth.
A typical dental school curriculum includes basic requirements, specialized courses, and elective subjects. Dental programs typically require students to complete the clinical training required for state licensing exams. Below, we describe the courses that are most frequently offered at dental schools. Public dental schools in the state tend to offer lower tuition rates than private public institutions and other states. Online or hybrid programs sometimes offer lower enrollment than in-person programs.
To calculate the total cost of dental school, aspiring dentists must also consider the costs of textbooks, relocation, travel, parking and campus services. Dental school rankings are a great starting point for aspiring dentists to start looking for programs. However, prospective students should also consider their own professional goals and personal interests before choosing which schools to apply to. Other critical factors to consider are regional accreditation, field-specific credentials, and state authorization.
To study dental medicine, you must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited school. Most dental schools require a college degree in a STEM discipline and a minimum GPA of 3.0-3.5.The application process for dental school can be very competitive. Students with a high undergraduate GPA and strong test scores are more likely to gain admission. The difficulty of dental school depends on your academic strengths.
A typical dentistry curriculum includes STEM courses, such as anatomy, physiology, and microbiology, making a degree in dentistry especially suitable for students who excel in STEM disciplines. Dental school typically requires four years of full-time study. Mastering a specialty area, such as orthodontics, periodontics, and endodontics, generally requires additional clinical training. There are currently 68 accredited dental schools in the U.S. Dentists enjoy excellent compensation and the high demand for dental care is likely to continue in the future.
The understanding that oral health can have a serious impact on systemic health drives the expansion of new professional opportunities every year. Approximately 80% of all dentists practice general dentistry. General dentists treat all patients, adults and children, in many different treatment centers and settings. General dentists graduate from dental school and have a D, D, and S. These are equivalent degrees awarded to dental students upon completing the same types of programs.
Additional qualifications can be obtained at the Royal College of Dentists of Canada (RCDC), which administers exams for qualified dental specialists as part of the dental profession in Canada. The General Council of Dentistry of the United Kingdom had been recognizing the dental degree of Australia and New Zealand as a registrable degree until the year 2000. In the United States, doctorates in dental surgery and dental medicine are terminal professional doctorates that allow a professional to become licensed. Most dental graduates successfully manage their loan repayment through a variety of options offered by the federal government and, in some cases, are eligible to participate in loan repayment programs that reduce the amount of student loan debt in exchange for providing services to certain populations, pursuing research, or pursuing academic dentistry.
Each of them meets all the requirements to practice dentistry, at least in the jurisdiction in which the degree was filed, provided that it meets the licensing requirements of local and federal governments. Additional graduate degrees can be obtained at the university after the candidate has completed the primary exam (basic science exam in anatomy, histology, physiology, biochemistry, pathology and microbiology) and the final exam (clinical subjects in dentistry).
