Pre-Dental

About the Profession

Dentists diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of the teeth and mouth.  They can perform surgical procedures such as implants, tissue grafts, extractions, and can improve the patient's appearance by using a variety of cosmetic dental procedures.  Dentists educate patients on how to better care for their teeth and prevent oral disease.  Some dentists also teach dental students and dental hygienists or perform research directed to improving oral health.  While approximately 80% of dentists are general dentists, with additional education, experience, and/or training beyond the DDS or DMD, general dentists can specialize in:

• Endodontics
• Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Periodontics
• Prosthodontics

Preparation Starts Now

From the time you begin college, you are assembling a complete dossier with which to apply to dental schools.  Applicants are expected to have:

• Completed a bachelor's degree in any major, though many of SUNY Geneseo dental school applicants complete a major in Biology, Chemistry, Sociomedical Science, Neuroscience, or Psychology
• Completed dental school course requirements
• Involve yourself in sincere, sustained dental shadowing and volunteer experience.  It is suggested that you have a wide variety of experience (i.e. General Dentistry, Pediatric, Ortho, etc.). Minimum of 75-100 hours in a healthcare setting
• Demonstrate leadership and community involvement
• Participate in research and extracurricular activities
• Achieve excellent grades; overall and science GPAs should, at a minimum, be at a 3.5 for both DDS and DMD programs
• When ready to select programs get the Dental School Explorer 
• Earn a good score on the DAT; ideally scores should be in the 19-20 range
• Determine if your programs of interest require a situation judgment test
• PreMed Committee Letter; Letters of Recommendation in Interfolio are required for the PreMed Committee Letter (two science faculty, one non-science faculty, and one clinical)

Course Requirements

Start planning as a first year student to meet the following course requirements for dental schools.  Below are the courses at SUNY Geneseo that are recommended you complete to prepare for the DAT and meet dental school requirements (please note, there may be some variation in course requirements for dental schools, so be sure to check the requirements of the schools you plan on applying to):

*Courses generally not required, but highly recommended.

It is recommended that course requirements are completed at SUNY Geneseo, but there are instances where a student would need to complete one or two courses elsewhere.  If that is the case, it is suggested that coursework be completed at a four-year higher education institution.  All course requirements must be taken for a grade and demonstrate mastery, no lower than a C, for most professional schools.

It is suggested that PreDental students work on fine-more skills.  Consider areas of interest that would enhance these skills (i.e. arts and crafts, etc.)

Some dental schools may have additional or required courses.  Review the Admission Requirements of US and Canadian Dental Schools: American Dental Education Association (ADEA).