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First Professional
Degree
The first professional degree in dentistry, titled either
the doctor of dental surgery (D.D.S.) or the doctor of dental
medicine (D.M.D.) degree, requires four years of study — two
years emphasizing the basic medical sciences, and two years
providing a clinical orientation. To practice, graduates must
also meet requirements of the state in which they plan to
see patients, including satisfactory scores on the National
Board Dental Examination and a state clinical examination.
Admission to a U.S. dental school is highly competitive,
with about twice as many applicants as positions available.
Although anyone is eligible to apply, foreign nationals rarely
gain admission to a U.S. school of dentistry without having
completed at least two years of postsecondary study at a U.S.
institution. In one recent year, out of 4,268 first-year dental
students, 342 were foreign nationals. Chances of obtaining
admission to private dental schools are somewhat higher than
those of admission to state-supported dental schools, because
public institutions generally give admissions preference to
the state residents whose taxes support their programs. The
American Education Dental Association (Web site at http://www.adea.org)
publishes an annual guide to dental schools that includes
useful information and statistics on admission requirements.
Your U.S. educational information or advising center may have
this resource and other reference material to help you get
information on particular schools and evaluate your qualifications.
Application requirements for dental school include a strong
undergraduate academic record, proficiency in the English
language, and a score on the Dental Admission Test (DAT) judged
satisfactory by the individual dental school. The DAT examines
proficiency in mathematics, biology, chemistry, organic chemistry,
reading, and perceptual motor abilities. It is regularly offered
in the United States. Occasionally, it can be scheduled in
other countries — a U.S. admissions officer or predental adviser
must request such administration at least three months before
a scheduled test date. For further information, contact the
Dental Admission Testing Program, Department of Testing Services,
American Dental Association, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite
1846, Chicago, IL 60611-2678, USA; Telephone: 312-440-2689,
extension 2689; E-mail: education@ada.org.
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