Pre-Dental Studies

A CAREER AS A DENTIST?

A dentist is a doctor of oral health. They diagnose and treat oral diseases, promote oral health and disease prevention, interpret tests, and monitor growth and development of teeth and jaws. Some can person surgical procedures on the teeth, bone, and soft tissues of the oral cavity. Dentists can spot early warning signs of diseases elsewhere in the body. Dentists have the option of specializing by completing residency programs. 

EDUCATION LEVEL: GRAD-Doctorate (D.D.S., D.M.D.)

_________________________________________________________________

COMPETITIVE PRE-DENTAL STUDENTS:

*NOTE: Each student's path is different! Holistic review takes several factors into account. 

  • GPA: 3.6-3.8 and/or positive trend
  • DENTAL ADMISSIONS TEST (DAT): > 20 in both sections: Academic Ability (AA) and Perceptual Ability (PA)
  • CLINCAL EXPERIENCES: 100+ hours shadowing, 100+ hours volunteering/community service
  • Non-clinical experiences/community service, strong letters and essays
  • Strong in areas such as: communication, interpersonal skills, professionalism, maturity, problem-solving, empathy, intrapersonal skills, and cultural competency
  • TMDSAS Applicant Statistics

 __________________________________________________________________________

THE PATH TO DENTISTRY

Below are some great resources to get you started on your journey to becoming a dentist!

_________________________________________________________________

CONNECT & STAY UPDATED

__________________________________________________________________________ 

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION

 

UTA PRE-HEALTH ORGANIZATION

__________________________________________________________________________ 

DENTAL SCHOOLS 

TEXAS:

All U.S. and Canadian Accredited Dental Schools 

__________________________________________________________________________

RECOMMENDED CLINICAL EXPERIENCES

Getting experience in the field of dentistry is essential to be a competitive dental school applicant. Networking with our student org, local dentists, and your own dentist can be extremely helpful! Shadowing dentists is one of the best ways to be exposed to the field. However, adding additional healthcare and dentistry experience is valuable. Below is a list of recommended experiences for pre-dental students. Please visit our Special Programs Page for additional resources.

  • Shadowing dentists (2-4 general dentists and 1-2 specialties)
  • Participating in dental internships and summer programs (offered by some dental schools)
  • Volunteering or working at dental clinics
  • Registered dental assistant
  • Dental X-Ray technician
  • Dental hygienist 

__________________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

TEXAS A&M COLLIGATE  II PROGRAM FOR DENTISTRY
  • SPEP Collegiate II is a six-week program which provides college and post-college students an opportunity to strengthen their dental schools application and provide DAT preparation. Visit the website for additional information.

SUMMER HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION PROGRAM

  • The SUMMER HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION PROGRAM (SHPEP) is a free, six-week career-enrichment summer program for college freshman and sophomore students, interested in a career within the health professions. Visit the website for additional information. Applications for the summer typically open in November! 

ADEA ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS CALENDAR

  • Search for programs national wide! 

Visit our Special Programs page for a list of more opportunities.

__________________________________________________________________________

PREREQUISITES

The prerequisites below are the typical requirements for all Texas dental schools based on TMDSAS. Each dental school may vary in their requirements but below are common requirements:

  • Courses must be for SCIENCE majors (NOT nursing, kinesiology exercise science, or allied health fields) 
  • Courses must be at the undergraduate level and completed at an accredited US or Canadian institution
  • Most dental schools require at least 90 credit hours of undergraduate coursework including prereqs to be completed at an accredited US or Canadian institution. Foreign-educated dentists should visit the ADEA Foreign-Educated Dentist Page. 
  • Prerequisite courses must be completed with a 'C' or better (AP/CLEP is accepted by most dental programs in Texas, however, additional upper levels are recommended to show competency in the subject)
  • Most dental programs have no expiration date; however, recent course work in the sciences is preferred and highly recommended.
  • Accepted students typically exceed the minimum requirements, have a completed Bachelor's, take 14+ hours in upper-level sciences (3000-4000 level), and have science GPA's > 3.5
  • For questions about major choice, read the first section of the FAQ Page.
  • Non-Traditional/Post Bacc Students should also visit this page

 

COMMON PREREQUISITES*

(*It is the student's responsibility to verify requirements with each dental school's admissions website)

REQUIRED HOURS

 ACCEPTED UTA Course Codes

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

minimum 14 semester hours (12 hours of lecture & 2 hours of formal lab) for traditional science majors. (Nursing, Kinesiology, and any other allied health course DOES NOT SATISFY requirements)

**Note: Competitive candidates typically take more than 14 hours in Biology

See below for additional requirements for Texas A&M and UT Health Houston

BIOL 1441 - Cell and Molecular Biology

BIOL 1442 - Evolution and Ecology

BIOL 3315- Genetics

BIOL 2444 - Microbiology

BIOL 3442 - Human Physiology

BIOL 3446 - Human Anatomy

BIOL 3301 - Cell Physiology

BIOL 3312 - Immunobiology

BIOL 4312 - Intro to Virology 

BIOL 4311 - Histology

***Note: Other Biology courses may count towards this requirement

GENERAL CHEMISTRY

8 semester hours General Chemistry, including the corresponding lab(6 hours of lecture & 2 hours of lab) for traditional science majors.(Nursing, Kinesiology, and any other allied health course DOES NOT SATISFY prerequisite)

CHEM 1441 - General Chemistry I OR CHEM 1341/1181 - General Chemistry I(for CHEM majors)

CHEM 1442 -General Chemistry II OR CHEM 1342/1182 - General Chemistry II(for CHEM majors)

***Note: CHEM 1465 (for ENG majors) can count towards 4 hours

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

8 semester hours of Organic Chemistry, including the corresponding laboratory experience. (6 hours of lecture & 2 hours of lab)

CHEM 2321 - Organic Chemistry I & CHEM 2181 - Organic Chemistry I Lab

CHEM 2322 - Organic Chemistry II & CHEM 2182 - Organic Chemistry II Lab

BIOCHEMISTRY

3 semester hours of Biochemistry

CHEM 4311 - Biochemistry I

 

PHYSICS

 

8 semester hours of Physics, including lab (6 hours of lecture & 2 hours of lab)

PHYS 1441 - General College Physics I OR PHYS 1443 - General Technical Physics II

PHYS 1442 - General College Physics II OR PHYS 1444 - General Technical Physics II

ENGLISH

 

6 semester hours of college English

ENGL 1301 - Rhetoric and Composition I

ENGL 1302 - Rhetoric and Composition II

STATISTICS

 

3 semester hours of Statistics

NOTE: Additional courses may satisfy this requirement

MATH 1308 - Elementary Statistics

BIOL 2300 - Biostatistics

PSYC 2300- Statistics in Psychology

IE 3301 - Engineering Probability

 

*Note: Texas A&M and UT Houston School of Dentistry have the following additional Biology requirements:

TEXAS A&M

Eighteen semester hours of Biology -- (minimum) 15 hours of lecture and 3 hours of formal laboratory.
The Biology hours must include these courses for science majors:

Anatomy with Lab*

4 semester hours

Physiology *

3 semester hours

Microbiology

3 semester hours

*Note:  The Anatomy and Physiology requirements can be satisfied by either individual courses or the combined A&P 1 and A&P 2*** (with both labs) for science majors. ***HOWEVER, at UTA, A&P I & II BIOL 2457 & 2458 are NOT for science majors; BIOL 3442 and 3446 are for science majors***

UT HOUSTON 

Requires 3 semester hours (or 5 quarter hours) of Microbiology. This requirement will count toward fulfilling part of the 14 semester hour Biological Science requirement.

Courses for non-science majors or for health career majors (nursing, pharmacy, allied health sciences, etc.) will NOT satisfy the required coursework. All required coursework must be applicable towards a traditional science degree.

__________________________________________________________________________

APPLYING & APPLICATION SERVICES

Students may be ready to apply at the end of junior year but, your application cycle may be later depending on your preparedness and that's ok! This is a competitive, yearlong process; therefore, it is important to apply when you are a competitive candidate. Become familiar with the application service(s) used to apply to dental schools early. Taking a gap/growth year may be a great option for many students! HELPFUL VIDEO: Gap Year Before Medical School: How to Decide if its Right for You 

GPA Calculators: 

Application Services & Cycle Dates:

  • ADEA CAAPID- Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists 
    • For foreign-educated dentists interested in advanced standing US Program
    • CYCLE DATES: 03/07/2024 - 02/14/2025

__________________________________________________________________________ 

ADDITIONAL APPLICATION COMPONENTS

___________________________________________________________________________

DENTAL ADMISSIONS TEST: DAT

  • Scores: 0-30 in 2 categories, Academic Ability (AA) and Perceptual Ability (PA)
  • Areas: Biology, General and Organic Chemistry, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Reasoning, and Perceptual Ability.
  • Competitive score: 21; Additional statistics can be found at TMDSAS
  • COST: $525
  • WHEN to TAKE: May-July of application year when prepared 
    •  NOTE: You must apply to take the DAT. Submit application 60-90 days BEFORE you intend to take exam! 
  • APPLY early to TAKE DAT (see above NOTE): ADA DAT Website

DAT Guides/TEST Prep:

______________________________________________________________________________

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATIONS, PERSONAL STATEMENTS/ESSAYS, INTERVIEWING

For detail information & resources on these topics, visit the LOR & PS Page.