none of the above even come close to safety schools. I know Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, and Washington are all public... so if you are a non-resident... they are VERY difficult to get into. I know Pittsburgh is private, but it is not easy to get into... and I'm not sure about UNLV.
dental school is a little different than medical school in that the "tiers" are harder to determine. you have harvard and the california schools at the top, maybe throw upenn in there as well... but then after that... it's a crapshoot, really. the state schools for the most part don't take out of staters and the private schools remaining are all about the same in terms of admission... with the exception of NYU and BU from what i can tell (those are the closet to thing to "safety school" and still a long way from it honestly).
then there is meharry and howard which are by far the easiest to get into, if and only if you are a minority (specifically, black). if you aren't a minority, it very well may be tougher to get into these schools than it is to get into the ivy leagues (i'm really not sure).
see, with medical school there are the top schools, the second tiers, the third tiers (where most of the schools fall), and then the carribbean schools and osteopathic schools which have lower admission standards. not nearly that clear cut with dentistry.
it's probably best to apply to your state school(s) and then to a handful of private schools you could see yourself attending (good weather, not out of your price range, likeable town, etc.)
