Pre-Dentistry @ UNA
Overview of pre-dentistry study
Pre-dentistry is not a specific curriculum or academic major that you can declare, rather it is a way of life that you must intentionally live for many years before you can successfully apply to dentistry school. At UNA, you can absolutely live that way of life by selecting an academic major in a subject area that you are naturally interested in, will hopefully leave you with some other “plan B” career options if you ultimately aren’t able to get admitted to dentistry school, and (ideally) will allow you to complete your admissions prerequisite courses (see below for more on that). You will also have a large number of extracurricular considerations, not directly part of your undergraduate degree requirements, that you must pursue. In addition, you will have the chance to receive up-to-date academic advising, for your pre-dentistry journey from a Pre-Health Professions Advisor.
Note that the pre-dentistry route would also encompass those students interested in becoming an orthodontist - orthodontics is a specific dentistry speciality that is pursued by further advanced residency training after completing dentistry school.
Dentistry schools will almost always require the completion of a Bachelor’s degree prior to admission; as part of that undergraduate study, pre-dentistry students must take a particular set of dentistry school admissions prerequisite courses. Dentistry schools do not require any specific undergraduate major, only the successful completion of those admissions prerequisite courses; note, though, that some majors will already include most or all of those courses while other majors will not (i.e., the admissions prerequisites will have to be taken as general elective hours).
Pre-dentistry students must also take the Dental Admission Test (DAT), and will need dentistry shadowing hours (these should mostly be done in a general dentistry setting) as well as a record of volunteer and community outreach work. Work experience in clinical settings is also highly valued as part of a competitive dentistry school application. Consultation with the Pre-Health Professions Advisor is essential to ensure that pre-dentistry students have the required admissions prerequisite coursework for application and have attained the high GPA, DAT score, and other extracurricular activities necessary to be a competitive applicant for admission. Pre-dentistry students also must demonstrate strong perceptual ability, spatial reasoning, and manual dexterity; these can be developed through additional elective coursework or hobbies (such as playing a musical instrument).
The state of Alabama is home to one school of dentistry, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, however UNA students are also encourage to apply to additional programs in the southeastern United States such as the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry.
Typical minimum required admissions prerequisite & DAT preparation courses:
Important disclaimer: the list below is a general guide, but specific admissions prerequisites can vary from school to school, so it is essential for students to consult the admissions websites for any schools they may be interested in applying to for exact details!
- Introductory Biology for Biology majors with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 111 + BI 112)
- General (Inorganic) Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 111/111L + CH 112/112L)
- Organic Chemistry with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are CH 311/311L + CH 312/312L)
- Biochemistry (1 or 2 semesters; UNA courses are BI 441 or CH 331 + CH 431)
- General Physics with lab (2 semesters; UNA courses are PH 241 + PH 242)
- At least a semester of general or introductory psychology or sociology
- Mathematics (variable but usually precalculus math and upper-level statistics or biostatistics will be necessary)
- Additional coursework (e.g., English Composition) which will be covered by UNA’s General Education requirements
Other important dentistry school admissions considerations - click on each to learn more!
These are some of the most important minimum things that a competitive dentistry school applicant will typically have:
- Outstanding undergraduate GPA (≥3.5 overall and also specifically in biology/chemistry/physics/math or BCPM courses)
- DAT score at least at the 50th percentile level (approximately 400)
- Extensive general dentistry job shadowing experience (shoot for 100 hours minimum, although more is always better); additional shadowing experience in specialty areas such as orthodontics or oral surgery can also be completed but won't substitute for a healthy amount of general dentistry experience
- Long-term record of regular involvement in volunteer and community outreach activities (these don’t necessarily have to be medically-related, though!)
- Paid work experience in a clinical setting is also highly valued, especially in a dental practice if possible
HOWEVER: it is important to consult with your Pre-Health Professions Advisor regularly throughout your undergraduate career for feedback on your progress toward becoming a competitive applicant!
The traditional route to dentistry school would be as follows:
- Undergraduate years 1-3 (i.e., freshman/sophomore/junior years) – complete all admissions prerequisite and DAT preparation coursework while also making overall progress toward Bachelor’s degree requirements
- Undergraduate year 3 – being studying for DAT (this is a process that should take several months if you are doing it properly)
- Early summer between undergraduate years 3 and 4 (i.e., junior and senior years) – take DAT (note that the the DAT is offered regularly throughout the year but you should be looking to reserve your desired test date at least 3-6 months in advance)
- Late summer between undergraduate years 3 and 4/early fall semester of undergraduate year 4 – complete and submit centralized primary application using either AASDAS (the centralized application for U.S.-based dentistry schools), then complete school-specific secondary applications as requested to do so
- If successful through initial application stage, interview with dentistry schools in fall semester or early spring semester of undergraduate year 4
- Admissions offers are generally made during the later months of the fall academic semester (e.g., October through December) and/or during the early months of the spring academic semester (e.g., January through March)
- If admitted during the application cycle that overlaps with undergraduate year 4, you will start dentistry school in the immediate next academic year, without having any gap years in between undergraduate and medical school
- Dental Admission Test (DAT) information including content guides & test scheduling
- General application resources from the American Dental Education Assocation including the AASDAS centralized application system
- Admissions requirements for UAB School of Dentistry
Still have questions?
If you are a prospective or current UNA student, consider taking the Pre-Health Professions Orientation course (BI 100), offered each fall semester!
You may also get in touch with a Pre-Health Professions Advisor by contacting prehealth@una.edu!