Do dentals school like a lot of research?

[youraverageasia]

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I'll have around 800 hours of research by the time I apply, and I was wondering if dental schools like to see a student with a lot of research?

 

[derbear]

Some dental schools do and some don't care too much...all depends on the school. Research is good and will be a plus at some schools but don't rely on it to get you into a school or carry your application. Side note: I had zero research and that didn't seem to negatively impact me while others had a lot of research and didn't hear back from a lot of schools.

 

[Hannah Banana]

Depends on who is eating. It's kinda like another topping on top of your pizza. Make sure other ingredients are fresh and delicious, too. Your pizza will be fine.

 

[DentalDoge]

This is one of those things where having them would never be out of your favor. But it is also unlikely to be in your favor for most schools.

 

[Tebros]

one of the peeps from the admissions committee for Temple told me, they get "morning wood" when they see people with research hours. he was pretty serious. 🤣

 

[pinkster]

I was similar to you. I had a ton of research for my application. I think it was definitely a deciding factor when schools considered me and I believe it was the reason I was so successful (especially since I had an average/below average DAT).

I would add that, when it comes time to interview, know your audience. I always prepared myself to talk about my research but I quickly found out that most schools focus on the clinical aspects of dentistry and while they asked about my research, they were more interest in my desire to be a clinician. What I'm saying is, don't give off the impression that you have a strong passion for research to a school that lacks it.

 

[TourdeTeeth]

I also have a ton of research and really want to do research as part of my career. I said this in my supplemental applications to schools that didn't have research programs and I got a quick rejection letter from all of those schools. I met all the criteria for those schools, but I think they knew I wouldn't be truly happy unless I was able to do clinical dentistry and basic science research. If you don't want to conduct research as part of your career, then your past research will probably help you a little for getting accepted into schools.

I personally think I wouldn't have been accepted without my research experiences. Though I know I probably gave off the vibe to some schools that I'm more passionate about research than about clinical dentistry. When in reality I'm passionate about both.

 

[doc toothache]

Research is for those who truly have an interest and not as a trophy to show adcoms. The mission of dental schools is to train practitioners; research is way at the bottom of the list.

 

[nguyenkimphat]

Research is for those who truly have an interest and not a trophy to show adcoms. The mission of dental schools is to train practitioners; research is way at the bottom of the list.

I can understand your point of view, but I think that there should be a more balanced approach. The medicine underlying dentistry is evidence-based, and so much of dentistry relies upon the evidence of both clinical and academic research. I believe that a strong research background can prepare the dental student to become a very good clinician. Being a good clinician and being a good researcher are not two separate things. There is an intersection between research and clinical work because medicine itself relies upon good authentic research in order to provide the best evidence-based care to patients.

For example, in terms of composite fillings, how will dentists know which type of etch-and-bond generation is the best? Is the traditional 3rd generation of the three step etch-and-bond technique the best of patients? Or is the more modern 6th and 7th generation of single step etch-and-bond technique better? In order to answer this question there needs to be both perspectives from clinical experience and evidence-based research in dentistry.

Having a good research background will empower the dentist to know which choice of etch-and-bond technique will serve his/her patients best. Research is not useless. It empowers the clinician to base his/her decisions upon evidence-based medicine and evidence-based dentistry, rather than personal bias. Both research experience and clinical experience can help the dentist to make the best decision for his patients' oral health care.

When you say something like "research is way at the bottom of the list", I think that you are undermining the importance of research in shaping the future of modern dentistry.

When you do apply into dental school, I think that it would be a good thing to have BOTH research and clinical experience on your application.

 

[doc toothache]

Perhaps you can list some dss that suggest research to boost an applicant's competitiveness.

 

[TourdeTeeth]

Schools with big research programs prefer if you have research experience. Examples: Harvard, Louisville, Minnesota, etc.

 

[DentalDoge]

I can understand your point of view, but I think that there should be a more balanced approach. The medicine underlying dentistry is evidence-based, and so much of dentistry relies upon the evidence of both clinical and academic research. I believe that a strong research background can prepare the dental student to become a very good clinician. Being a good clinician and being a good researcher are not two separate things. There is an intersection between research and clinical work because medicine itself relies upon good authentic research in order to provide the best evidence-based care to patients.

For example, in terms of composite fillings, how will dentists know which type of etch-and-bond generation is the best? Is the traditional 3rd generation of the three step etch-and-bond technique the best of patients? Or is the more modern 6th and 7th generation of single step etch-and-bond technique better? In order to answer this question there needs to be both perspectives from clinical experience and evidence-based research in dentistry.

Having a good research background will empower the dentist to know which choice of etch-and-bond technique will serve his/her patients best. Research is not useless. It empowers the clinician to base his/her decisions upon evidence-based medicine and evidence-based dentistry, rather than personal bias. Both research experience and clinical experience can help the dentist to make the best decision for his patients' oral health care.

When you say something like "research is way at the bottom of the list", I think that you are undermining the importance of research in shaping the future of modern dentistry.

When you do apply into dental school, I think that it would be a good thing to have BOTH research and clinical experience on your application.

Listen to the doc fellas.

What you are saying is true and frankly that's what dentistry is built on. The question is not 'is research important to dentistry?'. In terms of dental school admission, research will not matter unless you are applying to research heavy schools.

Personally, my interviewers didnt ask about my research much, if at all at some schools.

 

[xerxes106]

Listen to the doc fellas.

What you are saying is true and frankly that's what dentistry is built on. The question is not 'is research important to dentistry?'. In terms of dental school admission, research will not matter unless you are applying to research heavy schools.

Personally, my interviewers didnt ask about my research much, if at all at some schools.

I don't think you can say "research will not matter." It was the major topic at both of my interviews. Neither school being particularly research heavy. One interviewer made a point of saying they were always excited for applicants that actually have an appreciation and skill in research as opposed to the ones who clearly use it as a stepping stone or resume booster. Some people prefer a clinician that can produce science too, or has promise as a future faculty or dental researcher.

 

[RamsFan1991]

one of the peeps from the admissions committee for Temple told me, they get "morning wood" when they see people with research hours. he was pretty serious. 🤣

2000+ hours of research + 3 publications and Temple has been silent. Too bad my application never made it to this guy's hands but I guess I know now where they've been this entire time.

On a side note, I put most of my time into research and maybe 50 hours tops into community service. I think this was a huge reason my application was overlooked by most of the schools I applied to.

 

[DentalDoge]

I don't think you can say "research will not matter." It was the major topic at both of my interviews. Neither school being particularly research heavy. One interviewer made a point of saying they were always excited for applicants that actually have an appreciation and skill in research as opposed to the ones who clearly use it as a stepping stone or resume booster. Some people prefer a clinician that can produce science too, or has promise as a future faculty or dental researcher.

You are right, I worded it poorly.

What I meant to say is that I think research is usually not valued in an applicant if the school is not equipped for research. Research can be interesting to talk about during interviews. But should not be something a main focus of your application unless you're gunning for DMD/PhD.

 

[midman19]

I had 1600 hrs of research and I was second author on a publication. I definitely don't think this hurt my application at any one school, but most schools didn't seem too interested in the fact that I had done research either. I worked hard and was proud of what I accomplished in my research so it was unfortunate that most schools didn't appear to care about what I had done with regards to research. I did have a lot of service and leadership experience though so it is possible that my research was overlooked because of some of my other strong points on my application. My top choice, The University of Utah, where I will be attending this fall is supposedly one of the schools that looks for research. I'm glad I had the research because it's possible that this was a factor in securing me a spot in a difficult program to be accepted to.

The bottom line: Research is hard and tiring work. If you think it is something you would enjoy, then go for it, it can't hurt your application. If you don't have the time to commit to it though and you are going to hate it along the way, then don't waste your time, cause I don't think dental schools will hold it against you that you didn't have research.