This page is intended to provide information to Davidson students interested in pursuing careers in dentistry after graduation. If you are interested in dentistry and would like to talk to someone about it, contact Dr. Putnam or the president of the Davidson Pre-Dental Society.

Coursework
While most dental schools require the following courses, many dental schools have small differences in their undergraduate course requirements. Make sure to check with the specific school's website or the ADEA Guide to Dental Schools to make sure you understand which classes are required by the dental schools you in which you are interested. BIO 111 BIO 112 CHE 115 CHE 201 CHE 202 CHE 215 PHY 120 (or 130) PHY 220 (or 230).

Course Requirements (as of May 2008)
Because you're at Davidson, lab is included with most of these classes, so you don't have to worry about additional labs. BIO 111 BIO 112 CHE 115 CHE 201 CHE 202 CHE 215 PHY 120 (or 130) PHY 220 (or 230) MAT 130 MAT 135 (strongly recommended)

DAT
The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is like the MCAT for medicine, or the SAT for high school students. You must take it before applying to dental school. You can take it as many times as you want, and most schools will only take your best score. The test evaluates your knowledge of subjects covered in the required courses, as well as reading comprehension, quantitative reasoning, and perceptual ability. Kaplan and the Princeton Review offer courses to prepare for this test. Check with the dental schools you're interested in to see what an acceptable DAT score is; most schools require 17-20 (the test is out of 30). For more information, check out http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp

Dental Schools
When thinking about where you would like to go for dental school, several factors may influence your decision; in-state/out-of-state, class size, GPA requirements, specialties offered, etc. The premedical reading room is filled with literature about dental schools (located on the first floor of the Preyer Building, which is located directly across Concord Road from the Sloan Music Building).

Applying to Dental Schools
If you plan to start dental school directly after graduating from Davidson, you should begin applying the summer before your senior year. You must fill out an online application (through AADSAS). Once that is complete, you have them send it to all the schools you want to apply to. Keep in mind that some schools (like UNC) have a supplemental application that is required in addition to the AADSAS application. Check with each dental school's website to see if they require a supplemental application. Also, check the dates that applications are due for the different dental schools. Some are as early as October, while some are as late as January. For more information about the AADSAS application or to begin yours, check out http://www.adea.org/AADSAS/default.htm

The Competitive Dental School Applicant
Most dental schools have a part of their website devoted to describing what they look for in applicants. This is intended to give you a brief idea of those qualities.
Academic Excellence
So you probably don't have a 4.0 (from Davidson? are you kidding?), but you also shouldn't have below a C in any science class. Strive for those As and Bs.
DAT Score
Different schools weigh the parts of the DAT differently. Most schools look for an academic average between 17-20.
Exposure to Dentistry
There is a widely circulating rumor that dentistry has the highest suicide rate of any profession. While there hasn't been a conclusive study to verify this, the suicide rate of dentists is certainly up there. Dental schools want to make sure that you are familiar with the dentistry as a profession and you aren't going to give it up after practicing for 5 years because you hate it. Those scenarios look like failures to dental schools because they could have been spending that time training someone who was going to go out and spend 20 years helping fix people's teeth. Make sure you've explored the field through shadowing, internships, or hands on experience. They seem to especially like it if someone within your family is a dentist.
Community Service
Dental schools are looking more and more at applicants who have expressed long term commitment to community service. This doesn't mean you have to be Mother Teresa, but consistent community service throughout your time at Davidson goes a long way.
Letters of Recommendation
The AADSAS application requires 3 letters of recommendation. One has to be from a dentist and one has to be from a science professor. Many dental schools also offer the option for your letters of recommendation to be through a committee. By going through the PAC at Davidson you can get a composite letter of recommendation to send to dental schools. If you are interested in this option, talk with Dr. Putnam about what going through the PAC process entails for pre-dental students.

Dentistry is an exciting profession with advances in technology making new procedures possible (and more comfortable for patients) every year. Many dental schools, especially in the south, recognize Davidson's high academic expectations and know that students graduating from Davidson seem to excel in graduate school. This page is intended to give you information so you can understand what the track of a pre-dental student is going to look like while you're at Davidson.