Medical professionals, let’s face it, have it simple.
No matter how much they know or care about science, almost everyone in the U.S. can name Harvard and Johns Hopkins as the top medical schools in the nation.
However, it’s not that simple for aspiring dentists.
Dentists play a crucial role in society by educating us on how to take care of our teeth and how our diet affects our health. Yet, they rarely receive the recognition that their fellow healthcare professionals do.
Excellent dentistry colleges certainly exist, even if they are less well-known. Dentists, like their MD counterparts, must spend years in school honing their abilities, passing difficult training and testing before being allowed to practice.
We’re here to tell you that the American Midwest offers dental schools that can compete with any on the East or West Coast before you believe that attending a reputable dental school implies flying off to an expensive region of the country like New York or San Francisco.
The Dental Schools in the Midwest discussed here boast excellent instructors, first-rate facilities, and all the other requirements a prospective dentist needs to enter the profession.
10 Amazing Dental Schools in the Midwest
Table of Contents
University of Michigan School of Dentistry (Ann Arbor, MI)
What makes the U of M so lauded? The school’s most exceptional claim to fame, aside from its brilliant professors and illustrious alumni, is its aggressive research goal.
The University of Michigan is home to a number of research facilities, including the Bradley Lab. Researchers and students are working in the lab to comprehend how taste receptor cells are organized.
In other labs at the institution, students can learn about everything from the mechanisms influencing craniofacial skeletal development to image analysis for dental and craniofacial bionetworks. Students have the ability to work at the cutting edge of dentistry research because of all of these research possibilities that are open to them.
University of Iowa College of Dentistry (Iowa City, IA)
The University of Iowa College of Dentistry is one of just two dental schools in the nation to provide each and every specialty training program that has been accredited by the American Dental Association, in addition to being the only dental school in the state of Iowa.
Every facet of the College is driven by this dedication to quality, even the $65 million in recent facility upgrades.
With such resources available, the institution provides the 80 students enrolled in the program with exceptional prospects. One of such resources is a fully-stocked simulation clinic, which enables students to hone their abilities prior to dealing with actual patients.
Students receive practical instruction in one of the numerous clinics housed in the College’s Dental Science Building at the conclusion of their first year. These clinics treat about 165,000 patients each year, giving trainees experience in a variety of circumstances.
Each year, the students are given new tasks and responsibilities, allowing them to develop their talents as they advance in their education.
Indiana University School of Dentistry (Indianapolis, IN)
The School of Dentistry, which is a part of the Indiana University – Purdue University campus in Indianapolis, is the sole dental school in the region. The school was founded in 1879, and in those over 150 years, it has produced some of the greatest dentists in history.
Alumnus Orthodontist Dr. Robert M. Ricketts was a pioneer in the discipline. He also created a commonly used orthodontic bracket and the Ricketts’ Cephalometric Analysis. Additionally, Dr. Ricketts published over 30 books describing his ground-breaking findings.
Dr. Elaine C. Wagner became the first female pediatric dentist to hold a flag rank in the US Navy after graduating from the School in 1980, taking the position of Chief of the US Navy Dental Corps.
Dr. Wagner received honors during the course of her three-decade career, including the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal. The Indiana University School of Dentistry has a stellar reputation for producing outstanding dentists, as these amazing grads show.
The 10 Easiest Dental Schools to Get Into
University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry (Omaha, NE)
Students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry not only learn the foundations of the dentistry profession but also the value of caring for the community. Participating in one of the various outreach activities offered by the College helps them learn this lesson.
The school’s SHARING Clinic (Student Health Alliance Reaching Indigent Needy Groups) is one such initiative.
These clinics give students practical experience working with patients from various cultural backgrounds while enhancing the oral health of those who most need it. The Lincoln facility alone gave away dental services worth almost $25,000.
Additionally, students take part in the annual Children’s Dental Day at the school. Students diagnose problems and provide cleanings for underserved children around the state while collaborating with staff and teachers.
More than 6000 kids have received more than $3 million in free dental care from the School since the program’s founding in 2001.
Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine (Downers Grove, IL)
A dentistry program’s quality can be assessed in a variety of ways, including the caliber of its graduates and the scope of its research. However, the main concern for the typical dentistry student is this: will this program help me find a job?
That institution, the College of Dental Medicine at Midwestern University, emphatically responds “yes,” with a graduation rate of 100% and a national board pass rate of 99%. The college places an emphasis on helping students build practical skills they may use in their future employment.
In order to achieve this, the school has introduced initiatives like the BRIDGES program. The recently introduced program aids students in enrolling in the institution to start a career in dental medicine. In order to give them the support they need to practice dentistry, the program actively recruits members of underrepresented minorities and underprivileged groups.
A.T. Still University Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health (Kirksville, MO)
Every school on this list has initiatives in place to better the neighborhoods around it. However, servicing the community is an urgent need at the Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health at A.T. Still University.
MSDOH works to locate its graduates across Missouri because there is a serious dental shortage at the moment. Students enter these fields with the education they can be proud of, placing them among the best dental healthcare professionals in the country.
However, MSDOH is more than just a set of practical issues. The institution instead places a focus on student research and provides students with many opportunity to expand their knowledge through experimentation. Projects involve using 3D printing technology, comprehending artery calcifications, and other things.
This focus shows that MSDOH offers the state some of the most creative experts in the nation in addition to the state’s dire need for dentists.
Marquette University School of Dentistry (Milwaukee, WI)
The citizens of Wisconsin have access to just one dental clinic and school. What a clinic, though! The 120,000-square-foot facility houses cutting-edge tools, including medical mannequins and high-tech equipment.
With the use of these tools, students can hone their abilities before to treating actual patients.
The building exemplifies Marquette’s commitment to creative labor. Since its inception in 1894, Marquette University’s School of Dentistry has been dedicated to giving students access to the most up-to-date equipment and technology, ensuring that they graduate with practical knowledge of the skills they’ll need to succeed.
These elements all support the school’s emphasis on evidence-based research. Students use Marquette’s resources to promote their personal interests while innovating in the field and learning while working with their academic mentors.
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry (Chicago, IL)
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Dentistry was established in 1891 and has a distinguished history of achievement in the dentistry industry.
Due to the efforts of the Vienna Group of researchers and faculty members, the College was at the forefront of notable breakthroughs in the field during the 1930s and 1940s, when this history began.
With today’s most cutting-edge dental advancements, UICCD carries on that illustrious legacy.
The university is home to the Center for Wound Healing & Tissue Regeneration, which brings together researchers and medical professionals to investigate topics pertaining to wound healing. The Center promotes interdisciplinary research with the aim of creating novel treatments that will immediately improve dental health.
Similar to this, the Multidisciplinary Oral scientific Training (MOST) Program aids students from several disciplines as they investigate novel dental scientific avenues. The program makes use of all of the resources provided by the University of Illinois at Chicago and provides students with access to a variety of patients and the newest research methods.
Creighton University School of Dentistry (Omaha, NE)
Students acquire advanced experience serving as residents in speciality programs at the majority of the institutions on this list. The Creighton University School of Dentistry, however, takes a different tack by pairing up students with faculty observers to carry out complex procedures on campus.
Its research program reflects this commitment to keeping things inside the school. Creighton receives about $1.5 million in research funding from organizations including the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.
The new dental building at Creighton, however, is the big lure for the forthcoming academic year. The $84 million project gives the school everything it needs, including a 7,250-square-foot pediatric clinic and numerous preclinical labs, to train the best dental specialists.
Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine (Cleveland, OH)
The Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine has an extraordinarily low acceptance rate of 2.9%.
Case Western can afford to only accept the finest of the best applicants with such a high exclusivity rate. Those who are accepted will be continuing the work of some great graduates, such as pioneers in dentistry Holly Broadbent Sr. and Jr.
The institution offers its students the chance to work in renowned departments including oral and maxillofacial surgery. Since it was established more than 30 years ago, the curriculum can be finished in five years rather than six at other universities.
Case Western University offers students the chance to take part in cutting-edge research projects. The school has recently obtained millions of dollars in funding to develop instruments for the early detection of oral cancer and to research serious oral disorders like cancer and HIV.
