Pre-Dental
 Dentists
are responsible for the health and maintenance of teeth
and gums. Dentists repair caries, provide cleanings,
add crowns, and replace teeth. Advanced specialties
of dentistry include orthodontics, the straightening
of teeth, and peridontics, the repair of gum lines.
There is an ever increasing demand for dentists as the
population ages.
To become a dentist, a student
must graduate from an accredited School of Dentistry.
The only accredited dental school in Missouri is at
the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Admission
into dental school requires the applicant to meet several
criteria. The student must have a B.A. or a B.S. degree.
The student must have taken several specific pre-requisite
courses. Applicants must take the Dental Aptitude Test
(DAT). And lastly, the student must have observed or
gained detail information about the profession from
a dentist.
Missouri Southern State College
can prepare students to meet the above requirements.
The pre-dental student can actually major in any discipline;
however, because of the many required classes necessary
to apply to dental school, most students elect to become
Biology Majors.
The University of Missouri at
Kansas City School of Dentistry (www.umkc.edu/dentistry)
has admissions requirements that mirror most other dental
schools. The required courses for admission into dental
school are: four semesters of biology, two semesters
of inorganic chemistry, two semesters of organic chemistry,
two semesters of physics, two semesters of English,
and one semester of studio art. Most schools also strongly
suggest that applicants have a minimum of 80 hours of
observation of a dental office.
The American Dental Education
Association (www.adea.org)
has links to all of the accredited dental schools in
the United States. Their site also has information about
the Dental Aptitude Test (DAT). Prospective students
are encouraged to research these sites to obtain additional
information.
For more information about the
pre-dental program at Missouri Southern, contact the
Biology Department’s pre-dental advisor: Dr.
Gerald T. Schlink.
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