Dental Schools in Virginia

Virginia Commonwealth University

• Virginia Commonwealth University operates a School of Dentistry in Richmond. The school offers a doctor of dental surgery (DDS) degree at the graduate level and the bachelor of science in dental hygiene at the undergraduate level. The DDS program takes four years to complete and emphasizes classes in three categories, including basic sciences, clinical sciences and social sciences. Graduate students can also specialize in fields such endodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. Each year, about 2,500 students apply to the program and about 100 are accepted.

  Virginia Commonwealth University
  School of Dentistry
  520 North 12th Street
  Box 980566
  Richmond, Virginia 23298-0566
  804-828-9196
  dentistry.vcu.edu

University of Virginia

• The University of Virginia offers a general-practice dental residency, a one- or two-year program that helps recent graduates gain professional experience. The program was established in 1974. Applicants need to graduate from an ADA-accredited school of dentistry. Application materials must include transcripts, letters of recommendation, National Board scores and a student essay. Students will learn how to function within a hospital environment, provide general anesthesia, provide care for economically underserved patients and develop other skills. The school takes great pride in hiring faculty from a wide variety of fields, including an orthodontist, periodontist, endodontist and oral surgeon.

  University of Virginia
  Department of Dentistry
  P.O. Box 800740,
  Charlottesville, VA 22908
  434-924-1774
  healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/dentistry

George Mason University

• George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, allows undergraduates the opportunity to earn a bachelor of science with a pre-dental concentration. The four-year program is intended to prepare students for applying to graduate-level dental programs after graduation. The program's curriculum emphasizes coursework in natural sciences, mathematics, ethics, and health-related issues. Students take courses in chemistry, biology, physiology, ethics and physics, among other pre-medicine topics.

  George Mason University
  402 Enterprise Hall
  MSN 5D3
  703-993-1436
  ncc.gmu.edu/index.html