General Career Information
A career in dentistry can provide many exciting and rewarding opportunities. Some of the advantages of a career in dentistry include:
- Independence of owning and operating your own business
- Challenge as a healthcare provider
- Opportunity to serve others
- Flexibility of living anywhere you’d like
- Options to teach and/or conduct research
- Satisfaction of knowing you play a vital role in your community
If these advantages are attractive to you, a career in dentistry may be right for you.
Career Opportunities
Most dentists are self-employed and establish a private practice alone or in partnership with other dentists. Other career options include employment in corporate dental practice or public health, academia, research, and the military. Some dentists complete advanced training after earning their dental degrees to specialize in areas such as orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontology or other areas.
After completing the DMD program, the new dentist is expected to:
Doctor of Dental Medicine with Distinction in Research
The university applauds individual dental students who, in addition to completing their didactic and clinical dental program, have acquired research skills and engaged in significant research activity. The goals of student research are to foster scholarship and critical thinking skills, to add to the body of scientific information and to facilitate recruitment of students into dental research careers. Dental student who distinguish themselves by research achievements during their dental training should receive formal recognition, indicated on their transcript and diploma, denoting the Doctor of Dental Medicine was awarded with Distinction in Research.
To de considered to receive the Doctor of Dental Medicine with Distinction in Research upon graduation, the dental student must:
- Be ranked in the top third of their class (~3.5 GPA), according to the Office of Academic Affairs.
- Submit a letter of intent and brief documentation, as listed below, to the Office of Research by the end of January of the third year of the Doctor of Dental Medicine program.
- Have been a member in good standing of the Student Research Group, of the American Association of Dental Research, as confirmed by the Student Research Group President.
- Have participated in the Summer Research Fellowship program (pre-D1 or D1) or other documentable research experience while in dental school.
- Have presented at an annual Table Clinic/Student Research Day.
- Be an author on an abstract accepted to a state, national, or international research meeting while in dental school.
- Provide a letter from the research mentor confirming continuity of research experience while in dental school.
- Special consideration and priority will be given to students who have participated in national meetings, research fellowships or awards, such as ADA/Dentsply, IADR Student Research Fellowship, NIH/Fogarty International Clinic Research Scholars Program, Hinman Student Research Symposium, NIH summer research fellowship, HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program or other forms of extramural recognition and/or funding (provide documentation).
Upon review and approval of the credentials by the associate dean for research, a letter shall be provided to the candidate in time for residency applications, documenting the award.
To allow time for proper documentation on the diploma and transcript, final paperwork will need to be submitted by the candidate to the Registrar’s Office by mid-term of the semester before they will be graduating.
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