Georgia has a good number of standard dental schools in the world with good facilities and programs scheduled for the students to acquire dental knowledge in its best form.
Medical Universities in Georgia of which the dental colleges are a part are recognized globally for quality teaching facilities and training. They have been highly accredited by reputable organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Medical Council (NMC).
It’s easy. If you had like to become a dentist, and you happen to be in Georgia, United States, the easy thing to do is to get yourself into one of the dental schools in Georgia. Becoming a dentist is made easily possible for students, especially for residents of Georgia. Although, international students are also admitted, with a very less margin as compared to residents of Georgia. An individual can become a resident of Georgia after staying there for a year.
Dentistry in Georgia is one of the highest paying jobs with about 14-18 thousand dollars in earnings per annum. There is practically no fear about this field of medicine getting saturated with practitioners any time soon; there is an estimate of an 8% increase, that is, 11,000 dentists that will be newly coming on board between 2020 to 2030.
Dentists are even needed in Georgia as the 54 counties in Georgia aren’t totally covered in terms of dentistry professionals; over 18 counties still need the backup of dentists to come on board. This goes to show that there is nothing to be scared about if you are thinking of becoming a dentist in Georgia; the need for dentistry service needs to be met, plus, the school to learn to become a professional is there.
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Getting into Dental Schools in Georgia
Just like any institution, there are procedures to becoming a Bona fide student of the dental schools in Georgia. The Associated American Dental Schools Application Service makes it easy for students from the US to apply generally, this includes intending students from Georgia as well.
The Associated American Dental Schools Application Service(AADSAS) offers the service of the centralized applications for all US dental schools. The service of the AADSAS facilitates the application process by enabling applicants to complete their application according to standards.
For instance, a dental college in Georgia; Dental College of Georgia will get their applicants through the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS) for the admission of the students into the program. If in Georgia or outside, and you have made a decision to become a dentistry practitioner, then, you could apply through the AADSAS to get started.
The least prerequisite is to have completed high school or possess a GED certificate to be admitted into dental schools in Georgia. The dental admission test has to be written; here, basic knowledge on dentistry and science is tested. While it is not compulsory to have acquired dental experience prior to admission, it’s necessary that courses offered in high school are well passed, especially the science courses.
Opting for dentistry as a profession has to be made from a point of information; that is, the decision has to be made from a point of knowledge. For this reason, some schools require dental experience to be acquired by intending students before admission.
Even though there is no specific amount of time speculated for experience, 300 hours is the average number of hours of experience expected to acquire in a dental facility. Garnering dental experience as a pre-student may include watching closely the activities in a dental clinic, volunteering for dental missions or projects, or working in a clinical dental clinic. Also, some dental schools in Georgia accept up to 25 hours of virtual learning on approved sites.
Simply find what works better for you and make your dream of becoming a reality. This is to ensure that the student has not just a surface but a deeper insight into the operations of dentistry and is still determined to learn into becoming a professional.
In addition, the TOEFL test has to be written by foreign students whose native language is not English. Even though most dental schools in Georgia admit very few international students, a little percentage have to prove their ability to understand the English language in which they will be taught within the dental institutions upon admission.
Beyond the knowledge and credentials that serves as a prerequisite for admission, the test of character is also, needed. Dentistry is an ethical practice and will demand good scholarly strength, physical competence, courage, compassion, and personal responsibility.
Hence, these requirements are checked and must be satisfactory enough to the admission board or committees of the dental schools to ensure that there are no loose ends in character at the end of the schooling and while meeting numerous patients. It is expected that students learn better the skill of properly communicating with patients, colleagues, faculty, lecturers, staff, and other members of the health care community. It is essential that students have these basic characteristics so that they can be better built on after admission to dental colleges.
In addition to demonstrating personal characteristics appropriate for a career in a health care profession, and qualification for admission, it is expected that science and clinical courses be aced by the intending student of any dental college in Georgia. All these bring the balance of learning intellectually about the field of dentistry and the right character to dispense duties eventually.
Part of the requirement for admission into the dental colleges in Georgia is the recommendation letter. This is to ensure that the student has a good word from a reputable person to attest that the student will be well-mannered and can handle the demands that come with being a dental student.
Some schools mandate the submission of the recommendation letter through the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS), while some accept submission directly to the institution. Letters can be signed by a dentist you have worked with before, an individual of good repute, academia, or from a committee of professionals. The person writing and signing the recommendation letter put in good words on behalf of the student. The contact details of the recommender have to be there in case there is a need to reach out.
Getting these requirements satisfactorily determines the invitation for an interview. It is during this interview that a two-man committee from the admission board asks you questions about your experience, prior education, character, and other prerequisites, it’s not that difficult, just that the questions to be asked can not be predicted. Hence, it is advised that one be adequately prepared. It is during this interview that the submission of some credentials is made.
After completing the undergraduate level, which involves a series of lectures and clinical practices, and research projects supervised by both the basic science and clinical faculty; the student can proceed to write the licensing board examination.
The success of this examination determines if the individual will be licensed to practice as a professional dentist. This examination is organized by the U.S. dental licensing boards. Passing the examination, also give access to becoming a member of the American Association of Dental Boards. In other words, to get your license of practice as a dentist in Georgia, students must finish an American Dental Association (ADA) accredited program in an accredited institution, pass the ADA National Board Examination, and submit an application and sealed transcript to the Georgia Licensing Board. These offer the freedom to practice as a professional dentist in Georgia. These processes are basically to prevent quackery in practice.
Impacts of the Dental College in Georgia as a state
Over 50,000 patients are being taken care of in dental hospitals. This impact is a result of collaboration between professional dentists, students, and the faculty of dentistry.
The students learning process not only give an edge to them becoming professionals but also aid the healing and treatment process of patients who go to the medical outfit they are affiliated to practice. While it can be said that a sense of purpose can even be achieved while receiving training.
Dental Schools in Georgia
There are there institutions in Georgia that offer dentistry education; while one is a full-fledged dental school that offers advanced degrees in the field of dentistry, the other two offer a pre-dentistry level of education to the students.
The full-fledged university is the Dental College of Georgia, Augusta, where not only first degree is offered; a master’s in dentistry with business administration and a PhD in dentistry is also offered to students. While the other two are Valdosta State College which grants a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a Pre-Dentistry focus and Andrew College which offers an Associate of Science in Pre-Dentistry. The last two schools will help kick-start you for your career in dentistry; it takes about 2-4 years to achieve that.
See below for the top-rated Dental Schools in Georgia.
Dental College of Georgia(DCG)
The Dental College of Georgia is, located in Augusta, it also administers a doctorate degree in Dental Medicine and other oral biology degrees which include a Master of Science or a Ph.D. The university offers programs in oral biology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral rehabilitation, diagnostic sciences, general dentistry, endodontics, orthodontics, patient services, pediatric dentistry, and periodontics. It requires 11 semesters which equates to 4years to complete the process of acquiring a dental medical degree(DMD).
Also, the admission process is peculiar and still with high competition of about 75%. For new entrants who might have earned a degree prior to admission into the dental college, it is expected that the student must have a minimum of a 2.8 GPA and meet the cut-off mark when taking the Dental Admissions Test.
If otherwise, the above processes of admission discussed above also apply to the dental college of Georgia where The Associated American Dental Schools Application Service(AADSAS) offers the service of the centralized application for all US dental schools. This is also inclusive of getting dental practice, a recommendation letter, and passing the test as well. Students who graduate from the Dental College of Georgia have an automatic opportunity to write the licensure examination.
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University, Valdosta Georgia, offers a Bachelor of Science in Biology that has a number of available pre-professional programs attached to it of which Pre-Dentistry is a part of. A student enrolled in this institution with an interest in dental operation has to focus on the pre-dentistry classes.
The coursework focuses primarily on the study of biology, as a first degree in biology is being offered. Then is the addition of courses in the Pre-Dentistry field that is schemed in such a way that the curriculum prepares the student into qualifying for the application of other advanced dental degree acquisition.
Students in this category liaise with an academic advisor to ensure that the curriculum is specially programmed to enable acquiring the needed knowledge that will be towards meeting the admission requirements into dental schools in Georgia.
The first stage is to meet their admission requirement, get enrolled in the school, and make an informed decision about acquiring a degree in biology and getting knowledge on dentistry as the level can offer.
Andrew College
Andrew College located in Cuthbert offers an Associate of Science(AS) degree in Pre-Dentistry. The AS program offers courses ranging from sciences, physical education, social sciences, technology, humanities, fine art, mathematics, chemistry, and other dental-related courses.
These courses are all-encompassing requirements for the completion of the pre-dentistry courses. This offers a wide range of background knowledge for gaining admission into an advanced medical college and for practice eventually. These courses are drafted in the curriculum to add up to 64 credit units that serve as a general requirement for completing a higher-level dentistry program.
Conclusion on the Dental Schools in Georgia
Dental schools in Georgia are structured in a way to offer quality education to aspiring dentists. This has also been affirmed by reputable organizations such as the World Health Organization.
Whether in it out of Georgia, if you have decided from a point of the right information to become a dentist, the dental schools in Georgia are capable to take you through the process of actualizing your dreams.
It is necessary to also make adequate research on the choice of dental school in Georgia you had like to attend and follow due procedures.
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Chibueze Uchegbu is a certified medical physiologist with a great passion for healthy living.
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