A dental school (school of dental medicine, school of dentistry, dental college) is a

tertiary education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

institution An institution is a humanly devised structure of rules and norms that shape and constrain social behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and ...

—or part of such an institution—that teaches dental medicine to prospective

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

s and potentially other dental auxiliaries. Dental school graduates receive a degree in Dentistry, Dental Surgery, or Dental Medicine, which, depending upon the jurisdiction, might be a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

, a

professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...

, or a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

. Schools can also offer postgraduate training in general dentistry, and/or training in

endodontics Endodontics () is the Specialty (dentistry), dental specialty concerned with the study and treatment of the dental pulp. Overview Endodontics encompasses the study (practice) of the basic and clinical sciences of normal dental pulp, the etiolo ...

oral and maxillofacial surgery Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) is a surgical specialty focusing on reconstructive surgery of the face, facial trauma surgery, the Human mouth, mouth, Human head, head and neck, and jaws, as well as facial plastic surgery including clef ...

, oral pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology,

orthodontics Orthodontics (also referred to as orthodontia) is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, as well as misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modificati ...

, pedodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, dental public health, restorative dentistry, as well as postgraduate training for dental hygienists and

dental technician A dental technician is a member of the dental team who, upon prescription from a dental clinician, constructs custom-made restorative and dental appliances. There are four major disciplines within dental technology. These are ''fixed prosthesis ...

s. Other oral health professionals including dental hygienists,

s and denturists, dental therapists and oral health therapists, Dental assistants or dental nurses, and other members of the dental auxiliary including orthodontic auxiliaries may be trained at dental schools, or at universities of applied science or polytechnics. Sometimes dental education is done within

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

s, as in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

; the separation between medical and dental educations is also blurred within certain sub-specialties, such as

. High enrollment in dental schools occurred during the 1980–81 academic year, when there were approximately 23,000 students enrolled in U.S. dental schools. In the mid-1980s, enrollment began to decline. Several dental schools have closed and the number of new dentists has dwindled for some time. As of March 2010, there were more than 19,000 students per year enrolled in dental schools training dentists.

Conditions of enrollment

Before applying to dental school, you must have completed an undergraduate degree in science disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics. This knowledge is necessary to understand the complex nature of dental procedures and treatments. In addition, some dental schools may have prerequisite courses required. The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is a standardized exam that assesses the academic ability and scientific knowledge of applicants to dental schools. You must score high enough on the DAT exam to get into dental school. The exam consists of multiple-choice questions on a variety of subjects including biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, reading comprehension, and quantitative reasoning.

List of dental schools

* List of dental colleges in India * List of dental schools in Australia * List of dental schools in Bangladesh * List of dental schools in Israel * List of dental schools in Pakistan * List of dental schools in the United Kingdom * List of dental schools in the United States * List of dental colleges in South Korea

References

Types of university or college {{dentistry-stub

Conditions of enrollment

List of dental schools

See also

References