Dentist - Training

Training

All dentists in the U.S must graduate from high school and complete required courses such as general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and statistics/calculus. While most dental schools require at least a bachelors degree, a few schools may consider admitting exceptional students after only 3 years of college. To apply, students must take the DAT or Dental Admissions Test. Admission to dental school is competitive, and is generally determined based on factors such as GPA, DAT scores, recommendation letters, and extracurricular activities. To become a licensed dentist, one must then complete an accredited dental school curriculum and successfully master all clinical competencies and national board exams. Most dental school curriculums require four years of training, however, some states require dentists to complete a post graduate residency program as well. In the U.S., a newly graduated dentist is then awarded the DDS, Doctor of Dental Surgery, degree or the DMD, Doctor of Dental Medicine, degree depending on the dental school attended. Both degrees are the same. A newly graduated dentist can then pursue further specialty residency training ranging from 2 to 6 years. Additionally, dentists participate in continued education where they attend lectures to learn of recent developments, practice new methods, and earn CE hours. Although there is no requirement for a dentist to attend continued education hours, dentists who accumulate additional training are better prepared to handle a variety of cases and surprises during treatment. In the UK the training is similar except it is generally a five year undergraduate course leading to a BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery).