Resources for Dental Medicine
Click the heading below for more information about:
DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT DENTAL CAREERS
What do dentists do?
According to the American Dental Association, Dentistry Fact Sheet, dentists:
- Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries and malformations of the teeth and mouth
- Improve a patient’s appearance by using a variety of cosmetic dental procedures
- Perform surgical procedures such as implants, tissue grafts and extractions
- Educate patients on how to better care for their teeth and prevent oral disease
- Teach future dentists and dental hygienists
- Perform research directed to improving oral health and developing new treatment methods
What are the career options for dentists?
According to the American Dental Association, Dentistry Fact Sheet, career options include:
- Over 80% are general practitioners while about 20% are dental specialists who limit their practices to one of the nine recognized dental specialty areas
- Although most dentists work in private practice, they also work in academic medical centers, research institutions, public health agencies, hospitals, military installations, and other industry settings.
Finding shadowing opportunities
Interested students should familiarize themselves with the dental field before applying to dental school. This is a requirement for most dental schools. Available resources include:
- The student’s local dentist
- Crimson Compass [using Compass]: on-line database of Harvard alumni available for shadowing
- Harvard Dental School: Students may contact Dr. Anne Berg, Director of Admissions at anne_berg@hsdm.harvard.edu regarding names of current HDS students willing to meet with Harvard College students and alumni.
Applying to dental school
Important things to know about applying to dental school:
- Most dental schools require two semesters of coursework in general chemistry, organic chemistry, general biology, and general physics. All courses should include corresponding labs. Increasingly, schools are adding requirements for courses in biochemistry, math and English. Students should check with individual schools for the most current information.
- All applicants are required to take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). The DAT is a computerized test and can be scheduled on almost any day of the year. The test includes the following subjects: general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, reading comprehension, quantitative reasoning and perceptual ability. See the ADA site for details about the test, sample questions and scheduling
- Students apply to dental school through a centralized application service, the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). 52 out the 54 U.S. Dental Schools participate in AADSAS. (Medical College of Georgia and Louisiana State University are the exceptions) Visit the ADEA site to obtain information and begin the application
- A House Premedical Committee Letter is acceptable (and preferred) by most dental schools, and it should accompany individual letters of recommendation for dental school applicants. The Premedical Committee Letter is mailed directly to AADSAS and must be accompanied by AADSAS’ Letter of Recommendation Matching Form. Students can print this form after they have initiated their AADSAS application.
A list of dental-oriented web sites
See the following sites for further information:
Resources at Harvard
The OCS Library, Health and Medicine Section has the following publications:
- The ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools 2006-07
- Dental School Catalogues, organized by state
- The Dentistry Binder – includes relevant articles, DAT testing information, etc.
Other Harvard resources include:
