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 average GPAs of 3.5 and 3.4, respectively.
• Earn a good score on the DAT (Dental Admissions Test). Competitive applicants usually score in 18-20 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 Surgery (DDS) or a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) with additional years for a residency to specialize. There are 57 schools of dental medicine in the US and they belong to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). Approximately 52 the centralized American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). Information about dental admissions can be found in the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools - Admission Requirements for all 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 see additional information regarding applying to the BS/DDS Program here.

BS/DDS APPLICATION PROCESS
Prospective UB freshmen interested in the BS/DDS combined degree program MUST indicate their interest in this program when applying to the university. The application process involves several steps:

STEP #1
Complete the SUNY Application, followed by UB’s Supplemental Application, and indicate your interest in the BS/DDS combined degree program by selecting Biological Sciences/Dentistry as your intended major/academic program each time you are asked. Both applications are available on UB’s Undergraduate Admissions website at http://admissions.buffalo.edu/. Please note that students are encouraged to use the SUNY Application (along with UB’s Supplemental Application) as opposed to the Common Application. If you do elect to use the Common Application, please be very clear that you are interested in the "BS/DDS" Program as your intended major or "Biological Sciences/Dentistry".

STEP #2
Students who have indicated an interest in Biological Sciences/Dentistry AND met the GPA requirement of at least 93 and SAT of 1300 (critical reading and math; ACT of 29) criteria will be sent a letter detailing how they can access a secondary/supplemental application from the School of Dental Medicine. Students applying for Fall 2010 admission will likely receive this information around January or February 2010.

STEP #3
After the completion of the secondary application and other supplemental materials (e.g., letters of recommendation, transcripts), The School of Dental Medicine will contact competitive applicants to schedule an interview, likely in or around March/April. Please note that not all applicants will be selected for an interview. Admission decisions will be made by the School of Dental Medicine once interviews have been completed. Decisions are made prior to May 1.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The BS/DDS combined degree program is an agreement between UB’s School of Dental Medicine and eight different undergraduate colleges. Only 12 seats are available each year and it is, by far, the most competitive way to enter our School of Dental Medicine. Again, the program requires at least a 93 high school average and SAT of 1300 (critical reading and math) or ACT of 29. Please refer to our pdf online for additional information: http://www.prehealth.buffalo.edu/pdfs/combinedDegree.pdf.

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES TO UB’S SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE
Other options for admission to UB’s School of Dental Medicine include the Early Assurance Program, to which students apply at the end of sophomore year. Go to http://www.sdm.buffalo.edu/programs/dds/EarlyAssurance.html. Students can also apply regular admission in which students (typically) apply at the end of junior year.

QUESTIONS? Call (716) 645-6013 and ask to speak with a Prehealth Advisor about the BS/DDS program.

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

• November 20, 2009: The Princeton Review Announces DAT Courses at UB
• November 20, 2009: Kaplan Announcement
• November 18, 2009: Human Anatomy for Undergraduates
• November 17, 2009: Part Time Job Available with the Department of Emergency Medicine