Becoming a dental practitioner requires a significant investment in your education. The majority of dental schools require a bachelor’s degree to apply, with only a couple of schools offering accelerated admissions after just two or three years of undergraduate studies.
That is to say for you to be a dentist, a dental hygienist, or a dental assistant, you need to attend a dental school.
Dental schools in Alabama
Here are dental schools in Alabama
1. UAB School of Dentistry
UAB serves students, patients, the community, and the global need for discovery, knowledge dissemination, education, creativity, and the application of groundbreaking solutions. They are a leader among comprehensive public urban research universities with academic medical centers.
The dental school is Located within a vibrant and expansive urban campus in the heart of a leading academic medical center. It blends the rich tradition of a school founded in 1948 with cutting-edge technology and contemporary programs and facilities.
Their mission is to optimize oral health in Alabama and beyond through teaching, service, scholarly activities, and patient care. Their goal is to educate a progressive oral health workforce and advance science to optimize oral health throughout their state, the nation, and the world.
The school has the following academic departments
- Clinical & Community Sciences
- Endodontics
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
- Orthodontics
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Periodontology
- Restorative Sciences
They offer the following programs
- Predoctoral
- Pathway
- Residency
- Graduate
- International
- Dental Assisting
UAB School of Dentistry consistently ranks among the top U.S. dental schools with research funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Their preeminent faculty teach and mentor students, preparing them to make new discoveries while advancing science to benefit oral health locally and globally.
Contact: +1 205-934-3000
Address: 1919 7th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, United States
2. Wallace State Community College – Hanceville
Wallace State’s programs boast a top-notch reputation with an outstanding 90 percent licensure rate and excellent job placement rates, small class sizes, and an award-winning faculty.
The school offers dental hygiene and dental assisting programs. Hygienists are in demand in general dental practices, as well as in specialty practices such as periodontics or pediatric dentistry.
Graduates of Wallace State’s Dental Hygiene program will be prepared to provide dental hygiene services for patients in dental practices, hospitals, nursing homes, and public health clinics.
They have Dental Assisting (AAS, Certificate) and Dental Hygiene (AAS) as dental courses they offer under their health division program.
For admission procedures for dental assisting click here
Click here for admission procedures for dental hygiene
Contact: 256.352.8000
Address: 801 Main Street N.W, Hanceville, AL 35077-2000, United States
3. Fortis Institute
The dental assisting and dental training programs at Fortis Colleges and Institutes help students acquire the skills and knowledge they need to demonstrate the competency required for relevant licensing and getting started on a new career.
Dental assistants and dental hygienists are critical members of the healthcare team and Fortis’s dental training programs can help prepare you for a new career.
The Dental Hygiene training program at Fortis prepares students to enter this exciting and rewarding field. If you’re searching for dental hygiene schools in Alabama, Georgia, and other convenient locations then Fortis is the right place for you to go to.
Contact: (205) 940-7800
Address 100 London Parkway, Suite 150 Birmingham, AL 35211
4. Coastal Alabama Community College
Coastal Alabama Community College offers Dental Assisting (with Certificate Option) (AAS-DAT) (AAS) program for prospective dental assistants.
The dental assisting program prepares individuals to assist with the care of dental patients under the direct supervision of a dentist. Dental assistants help with the provision of patient care, business office administration, and laboratory procedures.
The program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and currently holds the status of “approval without reporting requirements.” Students are required to take the Dental Assisting National Board Infection Control Exam, the Radiation Health and Safety Exam, and General Chairside Exam.
For information on the admission requirements for the dental assisting program at the school click here
Contact: (251) 580-2100
Location: Bay Minette Campus – 1900 Highway 31 South Bay Minette, AL 36507
5. H. Councill Trenholm State Community College
H. Councill Trenholm State Community College is a public, historically black community college in Montgomery, Alabama. The college was founded as a merger between John M. Patterson Technical College and H. Councill Trenholm State Technical College in Montgomery.
Their dental assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association and is approved by the Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama.
The Certifying Board of the American Dental Association gives special recognition to those who have achieved a high degree of competence and ability in the dental assisting field.
Their Dental Assisting Program is designed to prepare the student for a career in the dental assisting field of dentistry.
For information on the program, requirements click here
Contact: +1 334-420-4200
Address: 1225 Air Base Blvd, Montgomery, AL 36108, United States
Conclusion
Becoming a dental practitioner is challenging in so many ways, including the years of schooling required, the financial cost of education, and the competitive dental school application process but a career in dentistry is an excellent and rewarding choice.
Dental schools do not require a specific major. However, you will need to complete dental school requirements, which include certain courses, a Dental Admissions Test (DAT) score, letters of recommendation, a dental school personal statement, relevant extracurriculars, and some other requirements that are specific to the different schools.
In spite of all these that pose as a challenge, if you scale through, you’ll definitely enjoy studying dentistry.
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