Pre-Dentistry

ADVISING

The College of Science and Technology has academic advisors who maintain the official records of students and certify that students have fulfilled all requirements for graduation. The Department of Computing Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, and the Department of Life Sciences have academic advisors, whose offices are in the Faculty Center. Students should visit with their advisors at least twice during their undergraduate years: during their freshman year to obtain a degree plan and during their senior year for an exit interview at which time they will be certified for graduation. Olivia Bayarena is the degree coordinator for Computing Sciences, Ida Olivarez is the degree coordinator for Mathematics and Statistics, Martha Ashworth is the degree coordinator for Physical and Environmental Sciences, and Ronnie Emmanuel is the degree coordinator for Life Sciences.

Each student has been assigned a faculty mentor to guide him/her through the undergraduate years and help him/her prepare for professional school. Students are matched with faculty mentors who have expertise in advising for particular careers. It is important that students indicate which professional area (medical, dental, veterinary, physician assistant, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, graduate school, etc.) they plan to enter so that the appropriate mentor can be assigned.

Students should see their faculty mentor each semester, preferably as soon as the schedules for the next semester are published.It is to the student's advantage to establish a relationship with his/her faculty mentor who will help the student prepare for graduate or professional school application process. The faculty mentor is responsible for writing the important letter of evaluation for professional school.back to top

CURRICULUM

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi offers all courses necessary for preparation for professional schools.The requirements for all Texas dental schools are the same.The suggested degree plan for B.S Biomedical Science, Pre-Dental track,includes these pre-requisites.The faculty advisor will help students select the appropriate courses for his/her professional school goal.

The faculty mentor has information about Texas professional schools. Students who plan to apply to out of state professional schools are urged to obtain the requirements for admission to those schools directly from those schools.

Pre-Dental
B.S. Biomedical Science Suggested Degree Plan

TEXAS SCHOOLS

University of Texas Health Science Center - Dental Branch at Houston (80 seats)

University of Texas Health Science Center - San Antonio Dental School (90)

Texas A&M University System/Baylor College of Dentistry at Dallas (85)

REQUIREMENTS

All dental schools in Texas have the same requirements for admission. Students are not required to have a bachelor's degree, but must have at least 90 semester hours.A student with a Bachelor's degree is generally more comptetive.

Any courses for non-science majors or courses taught for health career majors (Nursing, Pharmacy or Allied Health Sciences) are not accepted.

These are considered the minimum science requirements for application and for which the student must have a "C" or better.

Biology: two years as required for science majors; one year must include formal lab experience

• Minimum of 14 semester credit hours,12 lecture hours and two lab hours.
• Includes all Biology courses applied toward Baccalaureate degree in traditional science field.
• Includes courses in General Biology, Zoology, Botany, Microbiology, Genetics, Ecology, Immunology, Parasitology, Ornithology, Anatomy and Physiology (Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates preferred), Entomology, Pathophysiology, Marine Biology and Herpetology.
• One semester of Biochemistry required by the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Chemistry:

• Minimum of 16 semester credit hours (8 hours of inorganic and 8 hours of organic chemistry).
• Must be a course that is applied toward Baccalaureate degree in any traditional science field. Should include familiarity with analytic and volumetric techniques.
• Inorganic courses include General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis.
• Organic courses must have "organic" in the course title
• One semester of Biochemestry (if taught in Chemistry Department) will be accepted toward fulfilling the organic chemistry requirement, but must have laboratory experience included.
• The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston requires one semester of Biochemistry

Physics:

• Minimum of 8 hours of General Physics with labs (must be science major courses)

Calculus: not required

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YOUR APPLICATION

The dental schools are looking for academically qualified individuals who have demonstrated through their educational and life experiences the characteristics and potential to become productive and contributing members of the profession and the community that they serve. Some points to consider are:

• Take at least 15 hours/semester to demonstrate that you are capable of handling the dental school curriculum. Science degrees require 120-125 semester credit hours for completion; you cannot take only 12 hours/semester and graduate in eight semesters, i.e., four years.
• For exceptional students: Baylor College of Dentistry admits students after two years undergraduate work; the UT schools require three years.
• Earn "As" or "Bs" in science courses.
• Avoid "Ws." Withdrawals are perceived by some members of the admission committee as "red flags," and must be addressed in the application essay.
• Consider re-taking courses with grades below "C."
• Maintain a high GPA. The average GPA of dental applicants accepted for Fall 2004 was 3.53.
• The average DAT of dental applicants accepted for Fall 2004 was 19.0 (academic average) and 17.0 (perceptual ability).
• Assume leadership roles in campus and/or community organizations. It is better to devote your time to one or two organizations in which you have an active, leadership role than to be a member of five or six organizations in which you simply attend the meetings.
• Demonstrate that you reach out to others and can communicate and interact with people.
• A high GPA + a high DAT + No extracurricular activities = Not Accepted
• Demonstrate knowledge of the dental profession either by working part time in a dental office or lab or by volunteering in a dental setting.
• Prepare for the Dental Admissions Test. The table below shows the average DAT scores of dental acceptances to texas schools over the last five years.

• Prepare, dress and act professionally for the dental school interview.
• There were 668 applicants for 243 seats in Texas dental school for the fall 2004 class. If you fulfill the criteria listed above, you have a very good chance of being accepted to dental school in Texas.

Dental school applications are due one year before matriculation. All Texas dental schools have one application form/process, the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS, 512-499-4785). The common application will be available on May 1.  The application is available only on the website; you will fill out and submit the application on-line and when ready to submit, click the "submit" button.

Some important tips:

• Print out a copy of the application and assemble all required materials before starting to input your data on the web.
• Have complete transcripts of all your college coursework from every college attended. You will enter undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate courses and grades. You will not enter developmental, remedial, pre-college or audit courses.
• Ensure that your computer is capable of on-line application:
  • PC: Windows 3.1, 95, 98 or NT with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher or Netscape Navigator (or Communicator) version 4.01 or higher.
  • Macintosh PowerPC: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.01 or higher or Netscape Navigator (or Communicator) version 4.01 or higher.
• Apply early. Getting your application in early does count. Dental schools select their first round of interviewees on August 1 and begin interviewing in September. A completed application includes the application form submitted on the web, all official transcripts sent by the colleges/universities, official DAT scores and letters of evaluation.
• Print out and submit via snail mail the signature page, as well as the filing fee (Texas residents, $75 for all three schools; non-residents, $120; these were 2007 fees).
• Print out secondary applications for those schools that have such requirements.
• Apply to all dental schools. Not applying to all schools is perceived as a lack of judgment and a lack of commitment.
• Application deadline: October 10 in the year prior to admission.

By Texas statute, 90% of dental acceptances must go to Texas residents. In practice, it is actually 95-96%

Dental Admission Test (DAT)
The DAT is administered by the American Dental Association.DAT (fee of $175 for upto five schools) is administered on computer and offered at the Prometric Testing Center (361-993-7181). The DAT is not administered in Canada or foreign countries.One may register for the DAT here. 

The Sylvan Registration Center requires notification at least two business days before the scheduled DAT to cancel or reschedule an appointment for testing. For example, an appointment for Thursday cannot be rescheduled after 12 noon on Tuesday. No-shows or candidates who cancel less than two days before the scheduled testing date, will not be re-assigned to another date unless another application and fee are submitted.

Scope of Examinations: The examinations are comprised exclusively of multiple-choice test items presented in the English language. Each edition of an examination is developed according to the examination outline. There are four examinations included in the four and one-half hour DAT. The examinations included are:

I. Survey of the Natural Sciences: 90 minutes
100 multiple-choice questions: 40 questions on basic first year biology; 30 questions on general chemistry; and 30 questions on organic chemistry

Biology - origin of life, cell metabolism (including photosynthesis); enzymology; thermodynamics; organelle structure and function; biological organization and relationship of major taxa (Monera, angiosperms, arthropods, chordates, etc.) using the five-kingdom system; structure and function of vertebrate systems (integumentary, skeletal, muscular, circulatory, immunological, digestive, respiratory, urinary, nervous, endocrine, and reproductive); fertilization, descriptive embryology, and developmental mechanics; Mendelian inheritance, chromosomal genetics, meiosis, molecular and human genetics; natural selection, population genetics, speciation, population and community ecology, animal behavior (including social behavior).

 

General Chemistry - stoichiometry, (percent of composition, empirical formulas from percent of composition, balancing equations, weight/weight, weight/volume, density problems); gases (kinetic molecular theory of gases, Graham's, Dalton's, Boyle's, Charles, and ideal gas laws); liquids and solids; solutions (colligative properties, concentration calculations); acids and bases; chemical equilibrium (molecular, acid/base, precipitation and equilibria calculations); thermodynamics and thermochemistry (laws of thermodynamics, Hess' law, spontaneity prediction); chemical kinetics (rate laws, activation energy, half life); oxidation-reduction reactions (balancing equations, determination of oxidation numbers, electro-chemical concepts and calculations); atomic and molecular structure (electron configuration, orbital types, Lewis-Dot diagrams, atomic theories, molecular geometry, bond types, quantum mechanics); periodic properties (including categories of non-metals, transition metals, and non-transition metals); Nuclear Reactions.

 

Organic Chemistry - bonding (atomic orbitals, molecular orbitals, hybridization, Lewis structures, bond angles, bond lengths); mechanisms (energetics, structure and stability of intermediates: SN1, SN2, elimination, addition, free radical and substitution mechanisms); chemical and physical properties of molecules (stability, solubility, polarity, inter- and intra-molecular forces: separation techniques); organic analysis (introductory infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopy, simply chemical tests); stereochemistry (conformational analysis, optical activity, chirality, chiral centers, places of symmetry, enantiomers, diasteriomers, meso compounds); nomenclature (IUPAC rules identification of functional groups in molecules); reaction of the major functional groups (prediction of reaction prod ucts and important mechanistic generalities); acid-base chemistry (resonance effects, inductive effects, prediction of products and equilibria); aromatic (concept of aromaticity, electrophilic aromatic substitution); synthesis (identification of the product of, or the reagents used in, a simple sequence of reactions).

II. Quantitative Reasoning: 45 minutes
40 questions: 30 questions on mathematical problems and 10 questons on applied mathematics

Algebraic equations, fractions, conversions (ounces, pounds, inches, feet), percentages, exponential notation, probability and statistics, geometry, trigonometry, and applied mathematics problems.

III. Reading Comprehension: 60 minutes
3 reading passages each having 16-17 questions

Ability to read, organize, analyze, and remember new information in dental and basic sciences. Ability to comprehend thoroughly when studying scientific information. Reading materials are typical of materials encountered in the first year of dental school and require no prior knowledge of the topic other than a basic undergraduate preparation in science.  The Reading Comprehension text contains three reading passages.

IV. Perceptual Ability: 60 minutes
90 two-dimensional and three-dimensional problems

Angle discrimination, form development, cubes, orthographic projections, apertures, and paper-folding. back to top

DAT Essential Information

Testing

Schedule of Sections

On the Test Day…

Scoring

DAT Examinee Guide

A tutorial is available that will familiarize the DAT candidate with the mechanics of taking the DAT on computer. The tutorial does NOT include sample DAT content, but it does provide the opportunity to become familiar with the basic steps involved in proceeding through the test. The tutorial requires Microsoft Windows. Tutorials can be obtained by ordering on diskette. The candidate should write a letter, include a money order for $10, and address the letter to:

DAT Tutorial

Department of Testing Services

211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 1846

Chicago, Illinois 60611

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TEST SESSION FACTS

When the candidate arrives at the Sylvan Testing Center to take the Computerized DAT, two forms of identification will be requested. One form must include a photograph, and at least one must include a signature. At the Sylvan Testing Center, candidates will be photographed and fingerprinted before proceeding with the test.  The candidate will be able to become familiar with the workings of the computer by taking a brief tutorial before beginning the actual test. The DAT is presented in the multiple-choice format. Candidates may request scratch paper to be used during the test.

Test Results

The candidate will receive official DAT scores immediately after completing the four tests in the DAT battery. Dental schools and pre-dental advisors, indicated on the candidate's application to receive DAT scores, will receive them approximately two weeks after the testing date.

Retaking Test

A candidate can apply and retake the test as many times as the candidate wishes. Candidates are required to submit a new application and fee for each re-examination. A candidate must wait 90 days before retaking the DAT.  The results of the four most recent attempts are released on the official transcript of scores and forwarded to dental schools. Also, the total number of attempts is listed on the official transcripts.

Fees

The examination fee is $175. This fee includes the submission of official transcripts of scores to five dental schools, a personal copy, and a copy for the pre-dental advisor. The five official transcripts are included only if they are indicated on the original application form. All requests for official transcripts of scores received after the time of application require a $10 charge per transcript.

Interesting Dental Facts:

• In 1996, the average net income of all general practitioners was $133,000.

• Dentist work an average of 37.3 hours/ week, of which 33.6 hours/week are spent treating patients.

• More females are applying to and getting into dental schools. Texas applicants in 2004 were 47.0% female; 48.0% of acceptances went to female students.

• According to a November 2000 Gallup Poll, dentistry is the most trusted profession in America

• Currently, approximately 100 million people are covered under dental benefit plans. According to a Gallup Poll, 57% of American adults are covered by a dental plan that pays for all or part of their dental expenses. In 1998, private dental insurance payments accounted for 48.9% of the nations expenditures for dental care.

• In 1998, independent dentists spent an average of 36.8 hours per week in their practice with 33.5 hours going to direct patient care. The average dentist spent 48.10 weeks in the practice of dentistry.

• The average income of a dentist is in the highest percent of U.S. family income.

• Average net income for all independent dentists in 1998 was $158,819. General practitioners average $147,850 per year while specialists generated $221,510 in net income.

• The average general practice dentist in 1998 received only about 5.5% of fee revenue from managed care sources; 48.9% came from private insurance, while a sizable 40% came from direct patient payment.

• In 1998, 43.9% of private practice dentists were 50 years of age or older, 17.7% were in their thirties; 36% were in their forties.

• Texas state population grew almost 4 million in the ten years 1990 to 2000. That constitutes a 22.8% increase in population; and Indicates potential oral health care growth.

• After significant increases in applicants to dental schools in the years 1900-1996 the applicant pool decreased from 1997 to 2001 increasing opportunities for entry.

• By the year 2010 researchers, using projection models, estimate 4,816 dentists will be retiring each year. This is a glimpse of potential for practice positions and purchases.

Numbers of dental school graduates rose slightly from 1998 to 1999 to a total of 4,041. This included 1,553 females representing 38.4% of the total.back to top

TEXAS SCHOOL ACCEPTANCE STATS