11 Best Dentistry Doctoral Degree Programs for 2024

The goal of the general dentistry program is to educate students to provide high–quality dental care that is preventive in purpose, comprehensive in scope, based on sound biological principles and focused on service.

The Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree is a two-year (6-semester) advanced standing program for dentists who graduated from non-U.S. accredited dental schools. It enables dentists who were trained in non-U.S. accredited institutions to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to practice in the United States.

Accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), our progressive four-year curriculum is designed to prepare students to practice the science and art of dentistry while introducing the various aspects of specialty care. The early curriculum focuses on preparing the student for the supervised delivery of dental care through our holistic approach of integrating the behavioral, biomedical, and clinical sciences. We believe that early clinical activities are essential for student development. As such, our students participate in clinical activities beginning with their first term. In addition, our biomedical science education is among the top in the nation. It is organized by organ system to better help students make the vital connection between biomedical science knowledge and clinical practice. Major time is devoted to the biomedical sciences with an emphasis on integrating this knowledge into clinical care as well as the preclinical dentistry laboratory where students master the hands-on component of dental care.

UTHealth School of Dentistry (UTSD) is located in the Texas Medical Center (TMC), the world's largest medical complex with 48 member institutions dedicated to the highest quality in patient care, research, and education. The most advanced equipment and educational technology are available in UTSD.

The Oral Biology and Maxillofacial Pathology program focus on biological processes that contribute to the normal development of the orofacial complex and diseases in this area. Based in the Dental College of Georgia, this interdisciplinary program encompasses various biomedical science specialities, including Anatomy, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Microbiology, Immunology, Pharmacology, and Pathology.

WesternU’s College of Dental Medicine is committed to establishing a quality, innovative program that prepares you for success, whether in private practice, community service, research or academics. Our four-year program will allow you to learn with an integrated team of health professionals in a part of the country with a wealth of clinical opportunities.

The International Dental Program (IDP) offers non-US trained dentists the opportunity to earn a D.M.D. degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. Following an intensive 6-month preparatory term, qualified students merge with traditional students to complete the final two years of the D.M.D. curriculum. In the first term, students are introduced to the UAB patient care philosophy and dental techniques. Students who participate in this program will represent a great diversity of training, background, and experience levels. For this reason, some standardization is necessary. Students will spend time in preclinical training, classroom sessions, and small group seminars. Qualified students are then integrated with traditional D3 students to complete the final two years of the D.M.D. a curriculum which is spent primarily in clinical activities. The major focus of the D3 year is on patient care. Students work in treatment teams providing comprehensive dental care. Rotations in community clinics, emergency care, endodontics, geriatrics, hospital dentistry, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontology, prosthodontics, & treatment planning ensure exposure to all aspects of dental care including advanced procedures and special patient populations. The evidence-based didactic curriculum is designed to offer companion courses to clinical experiences.

The DScD will prepare students to successfully enter the field of academic dentistry for careers as clinical or basic science researchers. The program combines the research and clinical strengths of the School, drawing faculty mentors from throughout the clinical and basic science departments. With the goal of providing the opportunity to pursue research across disciplines, students have the option to not only work with researchers from Penn Dental Medicine, but also with faculty from Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and School of Veterinary Medicine.

The four-year predoctoral program prepares students to provide basic health promotion and disease prevention, diagnose and develop treatment plans, analyze complex medical and dental cases, and achieve competency in all areas defined for general practitioners.

The Office of Admissions at LLUSD is moving toward a paperless process. Please do not send any documents other than those listed below. The International Dentist Program is designed to allow qualified dentists educated in countries outside the United States, to earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in the United States.

Educational Objectives: To cultivate high-level medical professionals equipped with basic theories of preclinical medicine, clinical medicine, and stomatology, as well as basic clinical skills, and capable of working in such fields as diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the oral diseases which are commonly or frequently observed in medical institutions. Main Subjects: Preclinical Medicine, Clinical Medicine, and Stomatology