UB Prehealth Advising

Health Careers

Dentistry

About the Profession

Dental Schools: To apply usually requires 5 achievements:

• Complete a bachelor's degree in any major.
• Achieve excellent grades; most recently admitted students had overall and science GPAs of 3.4 and 3.3, respectively.
• Earn a good score on the DAT (Dental Admissions Test). Competitive applicants usually score in 18-19 range.
• Obtain a University Prehealth Committee evaluation letter.
• Involve yourself in sincere, sustained dental related volunteer work. Research is a plus.

Studies in dentistry take 4 years to earn a Doctor of Dental Science (DDS) or a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM) with additional years for a residency to specialize. There are 56 schools of dental medicine in the US and they belong to the American Association of Dental Schools (AADS). Fifty-two utilize the centralized American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). Information about dental admissions can be found in the AADS Admission Requirements of US and Canadian Dental Schools. There are 4 dental schools in NY: SUNY at Buffalo and Stony Brook are public; NYU and Columbia are private. Please go to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) for more information.

There are two special admission programs to the UB School of Dental Medicine: Early Assurance and the Combined BS/DDS Degree Program (PDF). Please click on the informational links and contact our office if you have additional questions.

Course Requirements

Start planning as a freshman to meet the following course requirements: A minimum of one year each of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, all with a year of lab; one year of English; and one year of Math recommended. Twenty-four require biochemistry. Below are the UB courses we recommended to meet these requirements:

• Some Dental schools may have additional courses required or recommended. Review the Admission Requirements of US and Canadian Dental Schools in the Preprofessional Health Advisor's Office, the Undergraduate Library, or purchase your own copy from the UB bookstore.
• All required courses must be taken for a grade. Each school has its own policy about AP credit. Usually, AP credit in these areas should be followed with additional upper level work in the discipline including labs. AP credit in math is the only subject in which more advanced work is not necessarily required.

Additional Courses

To further strengthen your application, here are some additional UB courses you could take:

• Students not majoring in Biology should seriously consider taking BIO 205 and PGY 300.

Timetables

• A Working Plan
• Your Plan Form (PDF)

• Chiropractic Medicine
• Dentistry
• Medicine
• Optometry
• Podiatry
• Veterinary Medicine