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DMD / DDS

Dentistry

DAT → four years → practice or specialty match

Your DMD / DDS pathway

Dentistry

Oral health, dental surgery and the specialties: orthodontics, periodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pediatric dentistry. Students with strong manual dexterity and spatial reasoning who want a procedural, often independent practice.

Doctors and a student discussing clinical training
Entry point
Undergraduate preparation
Training length
4 years; residency optional
When to apply
The summer after junior year, when AADSAS opens; earlier submissions see more interview dates.

Your route at a glance

  1. 01

    Bachelor's + prerequisites

  2. 02

    DAT

  3. 03

    Apply through ADEA AADSAS

  4. 04

    4 years of dental school

  5. 05

    Boards, then practice; 1 year general practice, or 2 to 6 years for a specialty; optional unless you specialise residency optional

Your preparation

  • Audit each program's prerequisites. Commonly: 8 hours biology with lab, 8 hours general chemistry with lab, 8 hours organic chemistry with lab, 8 hours physics with lab, biochemistry. Programs differ, so build a school-by-school checklist.
  • Prepare for the DAT. Natural sciences, perceptual ability, reading and quantitative reasoning.
  • Dental shadowing across general and specialty practices; many schools ask for 50 hours or more. Check each school's figure.
  • Line up 3 to 4 letters: 2 science professors, practising dentist. Ask two to three months before you apply and waive your right to read them.

Your application

  • Apply through ADEA AADSAS.
  • Expect a dexterity or bench component at some interviews, and keep a shadowing log the dentist letter can confirm.
  • Letters upload through AADSAS or Interfolio Dossier; the application sits as incomplete until all 3 show as uploaded.
  • Work backward from the current cycle's official dates; verification, letters and testing take time.

Your training & progression

  • Two biomedical years, then two years treating patients in the school clinics.
  • Boards along the way: INBDE during dental school; Regional or state clinical licensure exam; Specialty boards after a specialty program.
  • Residency is optional: Postdoctoral dental program (GPR, AEGD or a specialty), 1 year general practice, or 2 to 6 years for a specialty; optional unless you specialise, through ADEA PASS. Most graduates practise after boards and licensure.
  • Fellowship, if you want to subspecialise: 1 to 2 years in areas such as craniofacial surgery, head and neck oncology, facial cosmetic surgery.

What to weigh before you commit

  • DMD and DDS are the same degree with different names. General practice needs no residency; the specialties take two to six more years through the dental match.
  • Total time after your bachelor's: about 4 to 10 years, school.
  • Interview season runs september to february: in-person campus visit with clinical or bench evaluation and faculty panel. Individual trips for site visits and dexterity tests.
  • Figures here describe what programs commonly ask for, never a cutoff. Confirm each program's current requirements through the official sources.

Which one, and why

DMD and DDS are the same degree with different names. General practice needs no residency; the specialties take two to six more years through the dental match.

Who signs your letters

3 to 4 letters, uploaded by the writers through AADSAS or Interfolio Dossier.

  • 2 science professors required

  • Practising dentist required

    Confirms your shadowing and what they saw of your hands and judgement.

If you choose a residency

Postdoctoral dental program (GPR, AEGD or a specialty), 1 year general practice, or 2 to 6 years for a specialty; optional unless you specialise. Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program run by National Matching Services, Phase I and Phase II.

  1. May to September

    PASS applications; programs set their own deadlines

  2. September to February

    Interviews, often with a bench test

  3. November

    Phase I rank lists and results

  4. January

    Phase II results for remaining positions

Boards: INBDE during dental school; Regional or state clinical licensure exam; Specialty boards after a specialty program.

Interviews and travel

September to February: In-person campus visit with clinical or bench evaluation and faculty panel, scheduled through ADEA PASS, Program portals. Individual trips for site visits and dexterity tests.

Across every profession: residency and the match, letters, interviews and travel, fellowships.

Your DAT score

What your score means as a percentile, planning targets, the official attempt limits and when a retake is worth it.

MCAT and DAT scores and retakes

From the knowledge base

Your next three steps

  1. 1.Shadow a general dentist and one specialist.
  2. 2.Book a DAT date and plan perceptual-ability practice.
  3. 3.Ask a dentist and two science professors about letters early.
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