International Student Needs Information about Practicing Dentistry in California

[cool_rajesh]

Hello fellow dentists,

I am a practicing dentist in India. I hold a Bachelor's degree in General Dentistry from University of Bombay, India and currently run my own dental clinic in Bombay, India. I am thinking of migrating to California, USA and wanted some information about licensure requirements in California. I was told by a friend that California state is one of the only states in USA which does NOT mandate you to attend 2-3 year of dental school in a US University. I was told by this friend that I will have to pass in all 4 examinations {1 written test, 1 computerized test, 2 practical hands-on tests} to finally get my California State license for practicing dentistry ONLY in California. I want to validate this friend's claim that going to a local University is NOT really necessary as this will impact my decision of migration to a great deal because of the financial implications. Your help will be really appreciated.

thanks in advance!
Rajes

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[angelalee]

hi, all you wrote were right except that they will not permit foreign trained dentist to practice without going to the dental schools from the year 2004 on. Good luck if you can pass all the tests within one year and two months. angelalee.

 

[cool_rajesh]

Hi Angela - Thanks a ton for responding to my post. I would REALLY appreciate if you share your experiences with these exams. How often and when is each examination held? Also, do I get the whole year of 2004? This new rule will be enforced with effect from what date?

I had heard rumours that the California board is considering this legislation. But from your reply it sounds like they have approved it and it will be enforced.

Again thanks for your help!

regards,
Rajesh

 

[angelalee]

hi, I have no experience about the CA board, I just thought about it. what I am positive is that it will end by the end of 2003. Good luck!

 

[cool_rajesh]

Yes, you are right, Angela! I just checked out the CA board web site and they have mentioned that the RT {Restorative Technique Examination} will no longer be administered by the CA board after 31st December 2003. Though they did NOT mention specifically anything about the Dental Licensure Examination which follows the RT. So if I understand correctly, here is the correct sequence of examinations which a foreign national need to pass :

NBDE - Part 1 and Part 2 {administered Nationally}
RT - Administered Thrice a year by CA board
Dental Licensure Examination - Administered 5 times a year by CA Board.

Anybody knows how many times a year the NBDE is administered? Also, can you appear for both Part 1 and Part 2 in a single attempt?

It sounds like if I pass NBDE and RT before 31st December 2003, I will be alright and won't have to attend a Dental School. Because no where it is mentioned that as a foreign national, I have to pass the Dental Licensure Examination before 31st December 2003. Is that a correct assumption? Please correct me if I am wrong.

thanks,
Rajesh

 

[Esthetics]

Hello Rajesh,

I think you are right about the fact that you could give the licensure exam even after the 31st of Dec 2003.

You can check the ADA website for information about the NDBE exams.

Hope this helps...

 

[pri]

Hi

You have to attempt first ndb1 , twice a year dec and july.if you succeed ,you can take ndb2 computerized 90 days after the ndb 1 .And thirstly , the bench which are very competitive.
It's a hard way .Do your own calcul to be not disappointed.

Hope it's help you

good luck

Patrick

 

[cool_rajesh]

Thanks a ton for all your responses.

I did my calculation and it's going to be extremely difficult to even appear for these examinations given the timeframe I have. So it seems like I will have to attend a US dental school -- even after finishing 5 years of dental school in India and having more than 4 years of experience as a professional practising dentist :-(

So just had a few questions about dental schools in US.

1. Do the US dental schools would give me some exemptions for the work/schooling I did in India?

2. Approximately how many credit hours of dental schooling I need to complete in order to appear for the NDB, bench exams?

3. This translates to roughly how many years of schooling?

4. How expensive is it to attend dental school?

5. How much does it cost per year or per credit hour?

Any help will be HIGHLY appreciated!!

thanks again,
Rajes

 

[saravs]

Originally posted by cool_rajesh
[So just had a few questions about dental schools in US.

1. Do the US dental schools would give me some exemptions for the work/schooling I did in India?

2. Approximately how many credit hours of dental schooling I need to complete in order to appear for the NDB, bench exams?

3. This translates to roughly how many years of schooling?

4. How expensive is it to attend dental school?

5. How much does it cost per year or per credit hour?

Answers,
1. No. The only exemption you get is that you get to finish the D.M.D/D.D.S course in 2 years as opposed to 4 years. In some schools you will have to do it in 3 years! So, no such luck in that regard.

2. You will have to have a degree from some foriegn school in order to appear for the NBDE. Your transcripts and degree will have to be evaluated by some educational evaluation agency and only after you have their blessings can you take the NBD exams. I m not sure about the CA board exam though.

4. Its VERY expensive to study here. Approx $100,000. Per semester around 25-30,000$ so you can calculate the yearly rate.
Thanks,
Saravs

 

[cool_rajesh]

OK. So here is the sequence of events :

1. Join a California Dental Board accredited dental school.

2. Finish the course in 2 or 3 years {whatever may be the requirement of the board}

3. After finishing school and getting the degree, appear for NBDE Part 1 and Part 2

4. After clearing NBDE 1 & 2, appear for the California bench examination {I presume no need to take the RT as now I will have a US degree; in fact the RT won't be administered at all}

5. Finally, I am ready to practise. Right?

Can I appear for NBD PArt 1 & 2 while I am attending dental school? OR I have to wait till I finish school?

thanks,
Rajesh

 

[groundhog]

I think you need to pass NDBE I with a certain minimum score to get into a USA advanced standing program for foreign trained dentists. You will then need to pass NDBE II as a condition for getting your USA DDS/DMD degree. Finally, after you graduate, will need to pass the prescribed practical board that is required for getting a state license to practice. One exception is that the state New York may be eliminating the practical board requirement for those who complete a GPR/AEGD post graduate program.

 

[smilemaker]

Here is some info that you might find useful....

Here is a summary of what you need to do in order to go to a school in the US for DDS (2-3yr courses)


1. Take National Dental Board (NDB) exam Part I - This is based on first 2 years of BDS / Dental Anatomy, 4 subjects 6 Hrs. Details on www.ada.org.
Try to get as good a score as you can (above 90 is preferred) as many schools consider students with high score...

2. Take TOEFL

3. Based on the score in NDB-1 exam, apply to dental schools. The following are some of the schools that offer a 2-3 yr course

2yr programs:
Boston University
Tufts University (require Part 2 also and a high score in part 1 above 89)
University of Loma Linda, CA
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pacific
University of Southern California
University of Florida
Case Western Reserve

2.5yrs
Columbia University

2-3yrs
NYU

Contact the universities for more information on dead lines, admission procedures, exam requirements etc..
Many schools have interviews which are important. The interviews are non-technical. They like to see you do something useful (not necessarily dental work) rather than sit at home and study for the exams. Do Voluntary work as a dental assistant or something...

4. You can write NDB Part II before you take admission to schools. Although not necessary, it sometimes improves chances of getting admission.
5. Need to study for 2-3 years. Expenses for each year are any where from $70 K-100k with no/little financial assistance.
6. You can take student loan with an interest rate.
7. For practicing in California only, you can take some exams instead of going to school, that is only till the end of 2003!!


This information is by no means complete and it is meant to be a start for those who have no clue.
All of us who are here trying to give the national boards have all done our 5 years of dental school in various countriesand have also worked for more than a couple of years . So you are not alone.Many of us here., who have also done our masters from other countries , facing these extensive exams.!!

good luck
smilemaker

 

[cool_rajesh]

wow! This is good information. So apparently 2-3 yrs of "expensive" schooling is inevitable )

1. Where can I get a concise list of all dental schools offering this 2 yr course in California {especially San Francisco bay area}?

2. What do typically dentists do after getting a state license? Do they work for hospitals or they start their own clinic? Hoe lucrative is each option?

3. How is the Return-On-Investment? I have no clue about the income you can make as a practising dentist after this gruelling 2 year course?

thanks again!
Rajesh

 

[johndds]

There are two other options that nobody else has mentioned.

First, the state of Minnesota is one of the only states that will evaluate foreign degrees, and if they find that your education has been equivelant, than you can sit for licensure in that state. They evaluate each case individually...

The second option is in the state of Texas. If you get accepted into a specialty program anywhere in the country, then by the end of that time period, you are eligible to get licensed in texas. There are two benefits here. Some specialty programs that have a relatively low tuition AND some that pay you a stipend in addition to a low tuition. So, this is actually a MUCH cheaper route. You can do any specialty...Public health may be the easiest to get into....and once your done, you can become a licensed dentist. Also, if you did really well when you did your education, then you will be a competive applicant for other specialties like perio or prostho or ortho, but you must have done well.

Another advantage to the specialty route is that you don't have to have taken boards if you apply as a foreign graduate who does not intend to stay in the states. Once you are there, you can say that you changed your mind. This would give you an extra three years to take both these exams.

Either way, these two options are much more appealing and a lot cheaper.

 

[dr_hannibal]

Originally posted by johndds
Another advantage to the specialty route is that you don't have to have taken boards if you apply as a foreign graduate who does not intend to stay in the states. Once you are there, you can say that you changed your mind. This would give you an extra three years to take both these exams.

can an advanced standing dental student apply to such a program after finishing all the formalities and getting a DDS degree in this country. If so, is the specialty degree recognised in the US?

 

[horizon]

I just joined this site.i saw that u are from bombay .actually i also did BDS from bombay from d.y.patil in 1997. which college did u go to,
bye

 

[sorina]

Hi!!!
you want an advice? choose any state but California!!!
I passed RT California!!!!There are too many dentists in California!!!
You can't make it in one year!!!
I'm so dissapointed about the whole thing with California!!
Go for two years of dental school!You save a lot of time and skip the stress!!!!

 

[Arathi]

john pls clarify this for me...
"The second option is in the state of Texas. If you get accepted into a specialty program anywhere in the country, then by the end of that time period, you are eligible to get licensed in texas. There are two benefits here. Some specialty programs that have a relatively low tuition AND some that pay you a stipend in addition to a low tuition. So, this is actually a MUCH cheaper route. You can do any specialty...Public health may be the easiest to get into....and once your done, you can become a licensed dentist. Also, if you did really well when you did your education, then you will be a competive applicant for other specialties like perio or prostho or ortho, but you must have done well.

Another advantage to the specialty route is that you don't have to have taken boards if you apply as a foreign graduate who does not intend to stay in the states. Once you are there, you can say that you changed your mind. This would give you an extra three years to take both these exams."

how do u get licensed in TX? that point is not v clear....

u need to take the exams anyway right? wots different about texas??

tk care...