Medical Professions Advisement

College of Arts and Sciences

Pre-Dentistry

The Pre-Dentistry program of study at ETSU prepares students for application to a four-year Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree program (depending on the degree awarded by institution of choice). Students may apply to most dental schools with the completion of at least 90 hours of undergraduate coursework, but completion of a bachelor’s degree is expected.

  • Careers in Dentistry 

    Dentists diagnose and treat problems with a patient’s teeth, gums, and other parts of the mouth. They provide advice and instruction on taking care of teeth and gums, in addition to diet choices that affect oral health.

    There are nine specialty areas in the field of dentistry:

    • Dental public health
    • Endodontics
    • Oral and maxillofacial pathology
    • Oral and maxillofacial radiology
    • Oral and maxillofacial surgery
    • Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics
    • Pediatric dentistry
    • Periodontics
    • Prosthodontics

    The number of hours worked varies greatly among dentists. Most dentists work full time, and some also work evenings and weekends to meet their patients’ needs. It is common for dentists to continue in part-time practice well beyond the usual retirement age.

    Some dentists own their own businesses and work alone or with a small staff. Other dentists have partners in their practices and a few work for more established dentists as associate dentists.

  • What does it take to get into dental school?

    GPA - 3.55

    Average GPA among admitted students in 2016 as reported by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA)

    Science GPA - 3.46
    Average science / math GPA as reported by the ADEA for 2016

    DAT Score 20.3
    Average score on the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) for 2016

  • Suggested 2-year schedule for Pre-Dentistry students

    Freshman  Sophomore
    FALL
    CHEM 1110/11, BIOL 1110/11, MATH 1720/1910, ENGL 1010, PREH 1350     		FALL
    CHEM 2010/11, PHYS 2010/11, SPCH ELECTIVE, ELECTIVE, ELECTIVE
    SPRING
    CHEM 1120/21, BIOL 1120/21, ENGL 1020, ELECTIVE, ELECTIVE     		SPRING
    CHEM 2020/21, PHYS 2020/21, ELECTIVE, ELECTIVE, ELECTIVE

  • Core preparation courses

    Biology (8 hours): BIOL 1110/1111, BIOL 1120/1121

    General Chemistry (8 hours): CHEM 1110/1111, CHEM 1120/1121

    Organic Chemistry (10 hours): CHEM 2010/2011, CHEM 2020/2021

    Physics (8 hours): PHYS 2010/11, PHYS 2020/21*

    Biochemistry (Hours vary): Consult with your counselor

    English (6 hours): ENGL 1010, 1020

    General Microbiology (4 hours): HSCI 3320/3321
    Additional recommended courses

    Human Anatomy** (4 hours): HSCI 3000

    Human Physiology** (4 hours): HSCI 3020

    Principles of Nutrition** (3 hours): NTFD 2420

    Calculus** (8 hours): MATH 1910, 1920

    General Genetics (5 hours): BIOL 3100/41

    Molecular Biology (3 hours): BIOL 4647

    Comparative Anatomy (4 hours) BIOL 3220

    Immunology (3 hours): HSCI 3540

    Probability and Statistics (3 hours): MATH 1530

    Psychology (3 hours): PSYC 1310

    Economics (3 hours): ECON 2210/20

    *Calculus-based physics (PHYS 2110 and 2120) may be substituted for general physics.

 

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