Do I need to be a dental assistant to apply dental school?

[Eve3245]

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[DiscoverWeakly]

Many, many people, including myself, have been accepted to D school without being a Dental Assistant. Just make sure all the requirements are completed and work to go above and beyond in other aspects!

 

[artist2022]

Applying to and being accepted to dental school definitely does not require that you worked as a dental assistant. A good GPA and DAT, enough shadowing and enough volunteering hours, and (hopefully unique) extracurriculars are pretty much all that you need, with work experience and research being bonuses.

 

[joeexotic]

You do not need to be a dental assistant to apply and enter dental school. The grand majority of students are fresh out of undergrad with practically zero actual hands on dental experience. Plus so many students lie about the number of hours of shadowing they completed, so that section is more just something to tick off on a box.

It would be better if dental schools rewarded people who have worked in the field, be it dental assistants, hygienists, dental lab technicians, foreign dental graduates, but it's really a numbers game. Do you have the specific GPA and DAT score that school is looking for. If you don't meet these basic requirements, your application is not even looked at and goes no further. After that it's really what personal statements, and LORs stand out the most to whoever is reading your app, because most students have the same dental resume e.g did service work in x country, were president of cub y, shadowed so and so, and admissions officers know students are full of ****, and exaggerate their resume. GPA, DAT, LORs are things that are not tampered with by students, although some professors ask their students to write their own LOR and they will sign it, but that's a different story.

 

[predent2024]

I agree with what was stated above. I worked as a dental assistant for 3 years before being accepted this cycle. However, this had nothing to do with me being accepted. The majority of students accepted just have shadowing hours without actually ever working in a dental setting. My biggest advice would be to make sure you knock the DAT out of the park, keep your GPA competitive (honestly anything above a 3.5 for most schools) and get the required shadowing hours for the schools you want to apply to. I wish I would have had someone tell me that 3 years ago when I was first getting ready to apply. I always thought a high GPA and work experience would outway a low DAT. Boy was I wrong.

 

[Molar Whisperer]

You don't have to have any dental experience. However, I recommend you go above and beyond by having dental assisting experience if possible and even shadow or work at dental labs where they fabricate dentures, crown & bridges, and dental appliances. These experiences may help you stand out, show your level of commitment for the dental field and be way ahead of your future classmates struggling to see patients and complete lab projects. Since many applicants may not get accepted their first try, use the time to gain that experience or training.

 

[soon2bdr2u]

Unfortunately, most weight is put on your DAT so put all of your focus on that. However, for personal reasons, I would suggest doing a lot of shadowing and becoming a DA1 if possible because it does give you the time and experience to make SURE you are doing what you love. I have been a dental assistant applied and did not get in and my GPA was 3.5 , but DAT was low. So adding all of the factors...

 

[Molar Whisperer]

Unfortunately, most weight is put on your DAT so put all of your focus on that. However, for personal reasons, I would suggest doing a lot of shadowing and becoming a DA1 if possible because it does give you the time and experience to make SURE you are doing what you love. I have been a dental assistant applied and did not get in and my GPA was 3.5 , but DAT was low. So adding all of the factors...

Mine were the opposite. My DAT was 98% while while my GPA was 2.95 during acceptance. I wished I would have shadowed more.

 

[MGA100]

You do not need to be a dental assistant to get into school. That said, and being a dental assistant myself, if you have the time to do so I would definitely try and pursue work as a DA. My work as a dental assistant was a very important aspect in many of my dental school interviews. It will only benefit you to have relevant hands on experience. Not required, but highly recommend it. Cheers 🙂

 

[laundry]

Of roughly a thousand dental students I had the privilege of being around, I can’t think of less than 50 who were previously RDA/DAs.