The time is right to enroll in dental school right now. After all, as the public continues to gain a better understanding of the connections between oral health and overall wellness, the discipline of dentistry is expanding. People are putting more attention on their oral health habits since, for instance, periodontal illnesses can also be linked to other chronic health issues like rheumatoid arthritis.
As the population ages and Baby Boomers require more medical care, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a 3% increase in demand for dentists over the next ten years. Students should select the top dental school to support them in achieving their individual professional goals in light of this possible demand.
But it’s difficult to get into dentistry school, and the best institutions are extremely competitive. To make sure their academic background meets the school’s requirements, students should examine a school’s admissions policies before applying.
It may surprise you to learn that, there is only one dental school in Maryland. We look at this specific school, how to get in, and more today.
The majority of dentistry programs typically require applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree or higher and have taken courses in anatomy, biology, microbiology, chemistry, and occasionally physics.
The Dental School in Maryland
University of Maryland School of Dentistry (Baltimore, MD)
The first dental college in the world was the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, or UMSOD for short. As the first institution to offer a science-based dentistry education, it was founded as the Baltimore College of dentistry Surgery in 1840. Because of its great staff, curriculum, and research initiatives, UMSOD has grown to become one of the top dental schools in the country since it was founded.
Higher Learning Today, one newspaper, lists UMSOD as one of the top dental schools for 2021. In a similar vein, Dental-Colleges.com ranks the institution’s dental program as the 18th-best in the nation. Additionally, UMSOD tied with the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and other esteemed dental programs for fourth place on the Student Doctor Network’s list of top dental schools.
Maryland’s largest supplier of oral health services is UMSOD. As a result, students are given numerous chances to engage with the community through collaborations with neighborhood medical facilities and dentistry offices. Additionally, the school expands community access to dental care by providing treatments to organizations like the Maryland Special Olympics and neighborhood missions.
Additionally, the majority of UMSOD dentistry students give an average of 7,500 hours of service to the school’s community partners in addition to the 5,000 hours of necessary practical training.
Depending on their overall career goals, UMSOD students have a variety of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree options. Currently offered programs cover everything from endodontics, oral pathology and surgery, orthodontics, periodontics, and more.
In 2020, the school also launched a new program. This dual-degree program, also known as the Clinical Dental Hygiene Leader track, enables students to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in just two years. The cutting-edge program is created for candidates who already hold a college degree and have a foundation in the sciences and wish to shift especially into the field of dentistry.
The National Institutes of Health listed the School of Dentistry as the third greatest receiver of funding in 2020. Both academics and students pursue active research agendas that are leading to significant advancements in the field of dentistry. The study of pain and neuroscience, infectious diseases, biomaterials, and bone biology are all current research topics.
An experimental staph vaccination developed by Dr. Janette Harro, a faculty member at UMSOD, is currently gaining attention on a national level due to the potentially serious repercussions of staph infections acquired during surgical procedures. Additionally, a number of academics worked together to contribute to a new textbook on peri-implant illnesses that is expected to become a premier source for the most recent information on these conditions.
Students can also choose to take part in summer research training programs, which allow them the chance to collaborate with professors and acquire first-hand knowledge of biomedical research. Alternatively, students might join the UMSOD Student Research Group, which not only supports graduate student research but also offers professional development activities.
Students at UMSOD benefit from learning in some of the nation’s most cutting-edge facilities. The school moved into a new 12-story structure in downtown Baltimore in 2006 and opened it. The building was the most expensive construction ever built in the University of Maryland system at the time, costing $140 million.
The National Museum of Dentistry is located on the UMSOD campus, together with other modern high-tech facilities. It is thought that this particular resource, which has more than 40,000 archived items, is the nation’s leading collection for studying dental history. These items trace the history and growth of the dental profession.
As demonstrated by the dedicated group of UMSOD graduates who continue to support the institution’s educational purpose, the greatest schools frequently graduate the most engaged alumni. For instance, the Dean’s Faculty program features a group of former students and retired professionals who provide their wisdom and expertise to UMSOD students.
How to Get Accepted into the University of Maryland School of Dentistry
It might be challenging to get accepted into a dental school, especially the University of Maryland. However, candidates have a chance to enroll in the upcoming cohort at UMSOD if they have the necessary training and academic credentials. Although the particular requirements for applications differ depending on the degree program, there are a number of general recommendations and suggestions from the UMSOD Office of Admissions that students should heed.
First and foremost, UMSOD applicants need to have high GPAs; the successful applicants from the previous year had an average GPA of 3.6 on a 4.0 scale. Some applicants with GPAs under 3.6 may be admitted, but they must make up for their lesser academic achievement with other personal and professional accomplishments.
In addition, doctorate students should prepare to take the DAT, which assesses their potential for success in dentistry school. The average DAT score for UMSOD students is roughly 21. Additionally, candidates with a score of 18 or lower will not be taken into consideration for admission. Additionally, the majority of candidates for the master’s and doctorate programs—though by no means all—majored in biology or another science during their undergraduate studies.
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Additionally, candidates should be able to show that they are committed to finishing a difficult dentistry program. Additionally, through prior courses, they must have a thorough comprehension of the social sciences; UMSOD seeks students who are well-rounded. Although not necessary, prior research experience is also preferred. However, before enrolling to UMSOD, students are also urged to work shadow or visit an existing dental office to get a better understanding of the nature of the dental profession.
Of course, dental students need to be able to hone their fine motor abilities so they can carry out challenging treatments over conceivably lengthy periods of time. Students’ applications to UMSOD will therefore be stronger if they have experience with fine manual dexterity-enhancing activities like model-building or needlecraft like knitting or embroidery.
UMSOD accepts applications from all over the world as well as the United States. However, financial aid and scholarships from UMSOD are only available to citizens of the United States.
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