Do you need to do research? Probably, unless you can assure yourself that you will be number one in your class. It shows that you are interested in "going the extra mile" and open to learning outside the classroom. It allows you to form relationships in the ortho dept and get some great letters of recommendation.
Also, do something extracurricular. Get heavily involved from the beginning so you can rise to the top of the leadership, preferably president by your junior year.
Also, do something service if you can. Dental service like give kids a smile or mission of mercy or something more regular locally.
smartest thing you can do is get to know the ortho faculty. Do research with them and show them that you are a smart and hard worker. You best chance is at your home school. When it comes time to apply, sit down with the ortho director and ask him to help you decide on which schools to apply to. This will stroke his ego and you'll get some great info. Then apply to 20+ schools, including lots of backup ones.
Basically you need to go ballz out crazy and get excellent grades on every test and quiz. Don't slack, because someone else is always crazier than you and will work harder. Class rank will become more important as national boards go pass/fail.
Also, ortho is great, but it's not the"golden parachute" everyone claimed it was in dental school. It's hard to find a job, let alone one in a good geographic location. The reality is things are pretty rough out there right now.
