{"id":420,"date":"2014-06-05T11:21:39","date_gmt":"2014-06-05T15:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swtemp.org\/science_math_dept\/?page_id=420"},"modified":"2026-03-08T15:36:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T15:36:43","slug":"pre-dentistry","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sw.edu\/science-pre-med\/pre-dentistry\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-Dentistry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Educational Pathway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><i>After completing an Associate of Arts and Science Degree with a major in Science Specialization: Pre-Medical, you will continue your pre-dental study by transferring to a four-year school.<\/i> Most dental schools prefer candidates to have a bachelor&#8217;s degree before entering dental school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can declare a major in any subject at a four-year school to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree, which will require an additional two years. <em>Your chosen major does not determine your success in being accepted to a dental school.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After being accepted to dental school, it typically takes four years to earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.D.M.). Early in your academic career, you will need to research some of the dental schools you are interested in attending in order to ensure you will meet all their criteria for admission. Some basic factors are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Good undergraduate grades (overall GPA of 3.0 minimum)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Test scores (DAT\u00ae)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>True interest in the profession, as demonstrated by shadowing or volunteering in the field, is very important<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exceptional communication skills<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strong reference letters from professionals who know your character, as well as your work ethic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the DAT\u00ae?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It is the <\/strong>Dental School Admission Test. It is a standardized test taken by students who are applying to dental schools. It will be similar to the ACT\u00ae or SAT\u00ae. It is a broad assessment of your critical thinking, analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning skills \u2014 all skills developed over many years, including your two years at SWCC. It consists of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ada.org\/en\/home-ada\/education-careers\/dental-admission-test\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four tests<\/a>: Survey of the Natural Sciences, Perceptual Ability, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ada.org\/en\/home-ada\/education-careers\/dental-admission-test\">.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Important qualities for dentists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>As in other health-related occupations, empathy, understanding,<\/strong> and a desire to help others are good qualities for effectively dealing <strong>with patients.<\/strong> Decision-making skills, desire to learn, empathy, and interpersonal skills are also needed. Dentists must have fine motor dexterity and an eye for detail work. Patience is another quality needed to deal with patients anxious about dental care. The student must like learning math and science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is dentistry for you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The student should shadow dentists and ask questions about the profession.<\/strong> Dentists diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of the teeth and mouth. Dentists educate patients on how to care for their teeth and prevent oral diseases. Over 80% of dental graduates are general practitioners, with 20% specializing in one of the nine recognized dental specialties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Dental Schools <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ada.org\/en\/education-careers\/dental-schools-and-programs\">65 dental schools<\/a> in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"383\" height=\"572\" src=\"https:\/\/sw.edu\/science-pre-med\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2014\/07\/Dr.-Erik-Roberts.jpg\" alt=\"roberts\" class=\"wp-image-542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sw.edu\/science-pre-med\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2014\/07\/Dr.-Erik-Roberts.jpg 383w, https:\/\/sw.edu\/science-pre-med\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2014\/07\/Dr.-Erik-Roberts-201x300.jpg 201w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 383px) 100vw, 383px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Local Dentist and Adjunct Faculty Member began education with Southwest<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Erik Roberts received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the VCU School of Dentistry. Dr. Roberts received his A.A.&amp;S. in Science from Southwest. He then transferred to Virginia Tech, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. After establishing his dental practice locally, he joined the SWCC faculty and currently teaches online laboratory courses in human anatomy &amp; physiology and microbiology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dr. Roberts is with Richlands Family Dentistry. <em>\u201cServing the dental needs of my home community has always been my goal, and I\u2019m thankful for the opportunity to finally do so. <\/em><em>I look forward to remaining a part of the SWCC family and continuing to foster the development of online learning.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learn More<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"formWrapper\">\r\n<iframe class=\"salesforceRFI\" aria-label=\"Request for information form\" id=\"myiFrame\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" style=\"border: 0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\ndocument.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {\r\n    \/\/ Start with base URL\r\n    var url = \"https:\/\/cloud.info.sw.edu\/EZ1qCEnk2NaD\";\r\n   \r\n    \/\/ Get current URL\r\n    var currentUrl = window.parent.location.href;\r\n   \r\n    \/\/ Add UTM parameters to the current URL\r\n    if (currentUrl.includes('?')) {\r\n        currentUrl += '&';\r\n    } else {\r\n        currentUrl += '?';\r\n    }\r\n    currentUrl += 'utm_campaign=&utm_medium=webform&utm_source=website';\r\n   \r\n    \/\/ Create the formFrame parameter with the UTM-enhanced URL\r\n    var myParams = \"\/?formFrame=\" + encodeURIComponent(currentUrl);\r\n   \r\n    \/\/ Build final iframe URL\r\n    var iframe_url = url + myParams;\r\n    document.getElementById(\"myiFrame\").src = iframe_url;\r\n});\r\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Educational Pathway After completing an Associate of Arts and Science Degree with a major in Science Specialization: Pre-Medical, you will continue your pre-dental study by transferring to a four-year school.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"on","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"dentistry","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-420","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.11 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - 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Erik Roberts, an adjunct professor at SWCC, recently received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the VCU School of Dentistry located in Richmond, Virginia. Originally from Pounding Mill, Roberts, the son of Denny and Angela Roberts of Claypool Hill, is a 2001 graduate of Richlands High School. Prior to attending the School of Dentistry, Dr. Roberts attended SWCC, from which he received an Associates of Science degree in 2003. He then transferred to Virginia Tech, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor\u2019s of Science degree in Biology in 2005. He joined the SWCC faculty in the Spring of 2006, and he currently teaches online laboratory courses in human anatomy &amp; physiology and microbiology. 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Erik Roberts, an adjunct professor at SWCC, recently received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the VCU School of Dentistry located in Richmond, Virginia. Originally from Pounding Mill, Roberts, the son of Denny and Angela Roberts of Claypool Hill, is a 2001 graduate of Richlands High School. Prior to attending the School of Dentistry, Dr. Roberts attended SWCC, from which he received an Associates of Science degree in 2003. He then transferred to Virginia Tech, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor\u2019s of Science degree in Biology in 2005. He joined the SWCC faculty in the Spring of 2006, and he currently teaches online laboratory courses in human anatomy &amp; physiology and microbiology. 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