Dentistry is a rapidly changing field, concerned not only with
the repair of teeth but also the restorative and preventive
treatment and maintenance of the gums and all the oral tissues.
Most dentists engage in general family practice, while about one
in ten goes into one of the eight recognized dental specialties:
public health, endodontics, oral pathology, oral surgery,
orthodontics, pedodontrics, periodontics, or prosthodontics. A
few enter dental education or research.
The opportunities are highly diverse and provide the practitioner
an appealing combination of health care professionalism and
personal freedom. Many students are attracted to careers in
dentistry because of the continual need for dentists, the
scientific interest and challenge of the profession, and the
respected position of dentists in the community.
The most decisive factors in acceptance of a student by a dental
school are undergraduate grade point average and performance on
the Dental Admission Test (DAT). The DAT includes subject areas
of biology, general chemistry, and organic chemistry. Tests of
reading comprehension, quantitative ability, and two- and
three-dimensional perceptual ability are also included. Therefore,
the biology and chemistry sequences must be completed in the
first three years of work. Physics, though required for admission,
is not included in the DAT and can be deferred until the senior
year if necessary.
Letters of recommendation are the next determining factor when
letters must be provided. At least one or two recommendations are
to be written by college professors who have taught or worked
with the applicant. At least one letter should be written by a
dentist that that the student has shadowed with before applying
to dental school. At least 200 hours of volunteer shadowing are
recommended. The fourth factor in admission is the interview,
granted only to the most promising applicants and held on the
dental college campuses. GCSU graduates are successful at getting
into dental school and well prepared to succeed when they get there.
In order to apply to dental school, education following high school
will normally consist of four years of college. Generally,
undergraduate students on-track to graduate in four years may
apply to dental school after completing three years (90 semester
hours) of undergraduate coursework that includes the prescribed
predental curriculum. Many predental students major in biology
or chemistry, but any major is acceptable as long as the student
meets the minimum requirements for dental school admission.
The preprofessional requirements for the Dental School at the
Medical College of Georgia (MCG) are listed below.
- One academic year of general biology or
zoology with lab
- One academic year of general chemistry
- One academic year of advanced
chemistry, one semester of which must be
organic chemistry with lab followed by a
second advanced chemistry (biochemistry is preferred over
organic chemistry, but completing the organic sequence and
taking biochemistry would be even better).
- One semester of physics with lab
- Must be a Georgia resident
Applicants must earn a grade of C or better in all required
courses. Even so, excelling in all your coursework as an
undergraduate is expected. To underscore this point those dental
students entering MCG in the fall of 2008 had an average GPA of
3.60 and only a little more than 20% of the applicants were
enrolled. Other suggested courses (not required) include
comparative anatomy, microbiology, marketing, personnel
management, psychology, or art classes requiring painting or
sculpture.
Admission requirements at another dental schools may vary, so
you should always investigate this yourself on its website or
even contact the school's admission office.
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