Information for Dental School Applicants

Please refer to the current SIUE catalog or the Biology Department Web Page for detailed specialization requirements.

PreDental Association

The PreDental Association is a student organization for students interested in dentistry, which now has its own web page at http://www.siue.edu/STACTV/PREDENT/.

The new officers for '07-'08 are President- Joel Kruse, Vice President- Navi Mudahar, Secretary- Phillip Barras, and Treasurer- Amanda Dowdy. They can supply information about meeting dates and programs. Use the association email address ( siuepredental@hotmail.com) to obtain more information about the PDA. Send email to this address or to one of the officers to be added to the email mailing list for the PDA.

The club sponsors speakers from the dental school, dentistry-related service projects, and field trips to the dental school and implant clinic, as well as friendship and support based on shared courses, instructors and interests. In fall, 2002, the club members created a prize-winning window on the front of the MUC and substantially improved the club's finances!

The club has some review materials for the DAT available--see Dr. Wilson for details.

Links to Sites of Interest to Predental Students

Applying to Dental School

Students should apply to dental school in the summer or early fall of the year before they plan to begin dental school. If you plan to apply only to SIU School of Dental Medicine , you may apply directly. If you plan to apply to several dental schools, you should apply through the AADSAS application service.

Advice for Dental School Applicants by Dr. James DeClue, Assistant Dean for Admissions, SIUSDM, sent to predental students after his presentation at the PreDental Association Meeting, November 17. 1999

Preparing for and Taking the DAT (Dental Admission Test)

Plan to take the DAT no later than October of your final year of college. To take it, you need to apply to the Dental Admission Testing Program. The DAT covers the following topics: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, reading comprehension, and quantitative reasoning (more detail is available from the topics link). An acceptable (average) academic score on the DAT is about 18; a score of 18 or 19 on the perceptual ability part of the DAT is desirable.

Scholarware has information about various DAT prep. software, including TopScore Pro. Another web site that might prove useful is WWW.ACETHEDAT.COM . This is a site developed by dental students at the Univ. of Kentucky, who "designed a web based program that accurately represents, not only the material covered on the DAT, but the actual appearance of the DAT itself. In addition, we provide explainations to question answers, because you need to understand the process of arriving at each answer to be successful."

Observing a Dental Practice

Dental schools are increasingly interested in students who have demonstrated their interest in dentistry and knowledge of the routines of a dental practice by observing a practice. This allows students to observe not only dental techniques, but also the dentist's interaction with patients and dental assistants, and the everyday requirements of dental practice. I strongly recommend that you spend time observing a practice. It might be in the summer or during a regular semester, in your hometown or near SIUE, in the practice of your family dentist or a specialist such as an orthodontist. Spend enough time in a single practice to observe a variety of activities over time, more than just a few hours--more like a few hours a week for a summer or semester or longer. The following local dentists have agreed in the past to have students observe their practices--be very polite and dependable--you are requesting that they spend their valuable time with you. If all goes well, they may be willing to write a letter of evaluation for you when you need one.

  • Walter B. Osika, 535 St. Louis St., Edwardsville, IL, (618)656-9123
  • Robert Wheatley, 1516B Troy Rd., Edwardsville, IL, (618)656-3311
  • Janet C. Doerr, 1075 Harrison, Wood River, IL, (618)259-5200
  • Roberson-Stapleton DDS, Ltd., 1075 Harrison, Wood River, IL, (618)259-5200
  • Joe F. Emons, 2201 State St., Alton, IL, (618)462-8123
  • David W. Hyten, 2110A Troy Rd., Edwardsville, IL, (618)656-1914
  • Ron Dillow, 2010 Mall St., Ste. F, Collinsville, IL, (618)345-8333
  • Brent D. Wohlford, #5 Sunset Hills Prof. Ctr., Edwardsville, IL, (618)692-4545
  • Kent & Kathy Splaingard, 1923 Johnson Rd., Granite City, IL, (618)877-6303
  • Associated Pediatric Dentistry, Ltd., Six-157 Center, Ste. A, Edwardsville, IL, (618)659-6736
  • Dathu Doan, 103 N. Taylor, Kirkwood, MO (314)821-4100 (also Dr. Doan's husband has a practice in south St. Louis and would probably be willing for students to observe it)

Various Routes to Dental School

There are several routes that you might take to go to dental school, each of which is described below. Most students use the regular admission route, completing a B.A./B.S. degree before beginning dental school. Your chances of being a competitive applicant depend on the quality of your credentials; having a degree is essential if your grades or DAT scores are weak. You might also choose to apply in your third undergraduate year, hoping for admission without a degree. You need to have both excellent grades and excellent DAT scores to have a chance of acceptance without a degree. If you meet the criteria below, you might be able to complete your B.A./B.S. degree after your first year of dental school.

Regular admission to dental school

Students should plan to apply to dental school in the summer before their senior year. They should plan to take the DAT no later than October of their senior year, but preferably as soon as they have completed sufficient coursework. Students who apply for regular admission should plan to complete a four-year BS degree. The biology/medical science specialization provides sufficient background in biology, biochemistry, and chemistry to prepare the student for both the DAT and for success during the first year of dental school.

Early admission to dental school

  1. Admission without a B.S. degree, no degree planned: The student must have completed 60 credit hours of acceptable college credit and must have met the other requirements of the dental school. Few students are admitted with as few as 60 credit hours.
  2. Admission without a B.S. degree, B.S. degree anticipated after the first year of dental school--the student must have completed all degree requirements (excluding biology electives and the senior assessment, but including biochemistry) for the biology/medical science degree and for the university (92 hours minimum) by the end of the junior year. The student should plan to take the DAT and apply to dental school by the fall of the junior year, but preferably sooner. The student may have some transfer credit from other schools including community colleges, but should have taken most science coursework and upper level biology courses at SIUE.
  3. Joint B.S./D.M.D. Combined Program: This program is especially for excellent students who matriculate as freshmen at SIUE, with little or no coursework transferred from other institutions, and who attended high school in Illinois. They must major in biology/medical science and sign an application/release form no later than the second semester of their freshman year at SIUE. If they remain in the program and are accepted into dental school, they are awarded a B.A./B.S. degree at the end of their first year of dental school. At the end of their freshman year at SIUE, outstanding students should request that at least two (preferably more) science and math instructors provide the chief health professions advisor with informal evaluations of their performance in their classes after which the advisor will send a nominating letter to the dean of the dental school. If accepted, the student will receive a letter from the dean with further instructions. Students are reevaluated at the end of their sophomore year, based on that year's grades and recommendations.

    Students will be asked to sign an application and release form (MS Word document) for the program no later than the spring semester of their freshman year.

    Students should expect to meet the following minimum criteria:

    • Science GPA: 3.6 on a 4.0 scale
    • Overall GPA: 3.6 on a 4.0 scale

    Applicants to dental school should meet the following criteria:

    • Science and cumulative GPA: 3.6 on a 4.0 scale
    • Acceptable DAT scores (should equal or exceed the previous year's entering class avaerages) (must take DAT by October of third year)
    • Completed SIU-SDM application (not AADSAS)
    • Composite evaluation letter from chief health professions advisor

    The student who meets these criteria will be admitted to dental school at end of the third undergraduate year. The student will be awarded a B.S. degree after successful completion of the first year of dental school.

    To be eligible for this program, the student must matriculate at SIUE as a freshman and should have only a few hours of credit in non-science courses transferred from another institution, if any. The student must have attended high school in Illinois.

    The recommended curriculum for this program is given below. Students whose score on the chemistry readiness test does not permit them to begin Chem. 121a/125a (general chemistry 1) in the fall semester of the freshman year should take Chem. 113 and supporting math courses in the fall, Chem. 121a/125a in the spring semester, and Chem. 121b/125b in the summer after their freshman year.

    Undergraduate Curriculum Guide for SIUSDM Joint B.S./D.M.D. Program (Recommended1)
    Fall 1 Hrs. Spring 1 Hrs.
    Chem 121a. General Chemistry 1 4 Chem 121b. General Chemistry 2 4
    Chem 125a. General Chemistry Lab 1 1 Chem 125b. General Chemistry Lab 2 1
    Eng 101. English Composition 12 3 Biol 120. Animal Systems 4
    Gen Ed3,4 (or Math 125) 3 Eng 102. English Composition 2 3
    Spc 103. Interpersonal Communication 3 Gen Ed (or Math 150. Calculus) 3-5
    Total Hrs. 14 Total Hrs. 15-17
    Summer 1 (optional): Math 150. Calculus 15
    Fall 2 Hrs. Spring 2 Hrs.
    Chem 241a. Organic Chemistry 1 3 Chem 241b. Organic Chemistry 2 3
    Biol 121. Plant Systems 4 Chem 245. Organic Chemistry Lab 2
    Phys 206a. College Physics 1 5 Biol 220. Genetics 4
    Gen Ed 3 Phys 206b. College Physics 2 5
    Gen Ed 3 Gen Ed 3
    Total Hrs. 18 Total Hrs. 17
    Summer 2--Take the DAT; take Gen Ed if necessary.
    Fall 3 Hrs. Spring 3 Hrs.
    Biol 319. Cell and Molecular Biology 4 Biol 340. Physiology 4
    Biol 430a/Chem451a. Biochemistry 1 3 Biol 430b/Chem451b. Biochemistry 2 3
    Gen Ed 3 IS 3xx 3
    Gen Ed 3 Gen Ed 3
    Gen Ed 3 Gen Ed 3
    Total Hrs. 16 Total Hrs. 16
    Summer 3 (optional)--If necessary, retake the DAT.

    Notes:

    1. A student may choose from a wide variety of courses to meet the University's General Education requirements. See (4) below for additional information about Gen Ed choices. With the exception of Calculus and Physics, there is almost no flexibility in scheduling science courses due to firm prerequisites and standard offering times and terms. Students in the Dean's Honors College develop individual undergraduate plans in consultation with their mentors.
    2. SIUSDM reuqires six hours of English. Students in the Dean's Honors College who take Eng 201 (Advanced Composition) instead of Eng 101 and 102 may take a literature course in English to complete the six hours.
    3. Most students entering this program begin their math at at least the precalculus level (Math 125); however, this curriculum guide has been written to accommodate those who must begin with college algebra (Math 120).
    4. A minimum of 12 Gen Ed courses outside of science and math are required to meet the University's requirements for graduation for students who are not in the Dean's Honors College. Completion of all requirements can be accomplished with 12 courses only when the Intergroup Relations and Intercultural/International Issues requirements are met by courses which also fill Skills, Humanities/Fine Arts, and/or Social Sciences requirements. Consult your catalog and your advisor for such double-count courses.
    5. Calculus may be moved to Summer 2 or to any other academic year semester in exchange for two Gen Ed courses.

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