Train for a dental career at an accredited dental college.
Whether you're going in for a routine cleaning, to have a cavity filled or to seek help for painful gums, you'll be visiting one of the more than 140,000 dentist's offices in the United States, according to the First Research profiling organization. The combined annual revenue of dental practices across the country is about $100 billion per year, being earned by dental hygienists, researchers, licensed dental surgeons and dental technicians.
To become a dental professional takes specialized training and education. Before enrolling in a dental school, check that your intended college has received accreditation from the American Dental Association. This designation shows the school's commitment to the providing education, resources and faculty.
University of the Pacific
The university's Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry offers a variety of programs including a three-year DDS (doctor of dental surgery) degree (which usually requires four years) and a three-year bachelor's degree in dental hygiene (which also usually requires four years). The school also offers master's degrees in orthodontics and oral and maxillofacial surgery and a two-year international dental studies program for foreign students to earn a doctor of dental surgery degree.
Students at the University of the Pacific get real-world experience on almost 2,000 patients a year through its discounted and free programs in the community, such as Central Valley Outreach and Project Homeless Connect. The university also offers chapters of the American Student Dental Association, the California Dental Association and two dental honor societies, Alpha Omega and Delta Sigma Delta. The University of the Pacific is accredited by the American Dental Association.
University of the Pacific
Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
2155 Webster Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
415-929-6400
pacific.edu
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina School of Dentistry is accredited by the American Dental Association. Students may seek bachelor's degrees (dental hygiene), master's degrees (endodontics, operative dentistry, prosthodontics, oral radiology, maxillofacial pathology, orthodontics) PhDs (biology and epidemiology) and a doctor of dental surgery (DDS). Short-term certificates are also available in dental assisting, dental hygiene and advanced education in general dentistry.
While on campus, students may join organizations such as the American Student Dental Association, the American Dental Hygienists Association, the American Association of Women Dentists and Delta Sigma Delta, the national dental honor society. The university offers students the opportunity to get hands-on experience with dental procedures through its clinics, which offer services such as fillings, scalings, gum treatments and extractions to members of the local community at discounted rates.
University of North Carolina
School of Dentistry
Manning Dr. & Columbia St.
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7450
919-966-1161
unc.edu
New York University
Accredited by the American Dental Association, the New York University College of Dentistry offers students the opportunity to seek masters degrees in global public health, oral biology and biomaterials; earn a doctor of dental science degree; undertake a fellowship in implant dentistry; seek a PhD in epidemiology; or start a career in dental hygiene with an associate's degree in the field.
New York University offers chapters of Sigma Phi Alpha (the national dental hygiene honor society), Xi Psi (a national dental fraternity), Alpha Omega, the Persian Dental Society, the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry, the Implant Study Group, the Oral Maxillofacial Student Club, Women in Dentistry, the Hispanic Dental Association and the Student National Dental Association.
Students learn both in the classroom and in the community with NYU's Smiling Faces, Going Places program, which is a mobile dental van that travels to a public school or program to provide dental services and education. The college also offers study abroad programs to perform dental procedures in Jamaica, South Africa and the Dominican Republic. Upon enrollment, each student is matched with a peer mentor and may also seek a faculty mentor in the dental program.
New York University
College of Dentistry
345 East 24th Street
New York, NY 10010
212-998-9898
nyu.edu
Tags: Dental Association, American Dental, dental hygiene, American Dental Association, doctor dental, School Dentistry