Doctor of Dental Surgery

The curriculum of the School of Dentistry is designed to be responsive to the needs of contemporary dental practitioners. This is exemplified in the School of Dentistry’s comprehensive patient care program. The clinical curriculum of the School of Dentistry is based on a general practice model. The philosophy of this model is to provide quality comprehensive dental care without fragmentation into separate specialties or disciplines. Students learn to focus on the patient’s total dental needs rather than a single clinical procedure. The program that applies this philosophy is the Comprehensive Patient Care Program. The Comprehensive Patient Care Program is patient centered and guided by general practice principles. This allows for easier integration of basic, behavioral and clinical science concepts in the delivery of patient care. One of the primary objectives of the Comprehensive Patient Care System is to build upon the principles the students have been exposed to during their training in the preclinical disciplines. Students are assigned to a Comprehensive Patient Management Group (CPMG), which is operated as a group practice. The group leader administers each CPMG and monitors the progress of each patient through hisher treatment plan. Students interact with support personnel modeled after a private practice setting. Dental assistants and additional faculty support complete the CPMG. Students collaborate with specialty disciplines, similar to a referral system used in private practice. Clinic treatment and instruction is designed to assure clinical competence in the various dental disciplines. Each D3 (third year) and D4 (fourth year) dental student is expected to demonstrate a satisfactory level of competency in the assigned CPMG and during block rotation assignments. Basic skills and mock board examinations allow the students the opportunity to demonstrate basic clinical knowledge and its application in the performance of patient treatment. Each CPMG holds regularly scheduled dental rounds sessions in which students present clinical cases and related issues of patient care.

Application for admission to the Marquette University School of Dentistry may be made through the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service. All AADSAS applicants must submit an online application, which should be completed the June before the year for which admission is being sought. The completed application should be submitted to AADSAS as soon as possible. For optimum consideration, your credential file (including the AADSAS application with grades and DAT scores, letters of recommendation and the application fee) should be complete in our office no later than September 1. After completing the AADSAS application, the student will be requested to pay a $45 application processing fee online by debit or credit card or e-check to the Marquette University School of Dentistry. A URL to pay the fee will be provided via email once the application has been received. Marquette School of Dentistry will no longer accept personal checks or money orders. Every applicant is required to take the Dental Admissions Test. The computerized DAT is offered, by appointment, through the Dental Admissions Testing Program and local Prometric Testing Centers across the country. Marquette University accepts the Canadian DAT. Applications and preparation materials for the DAT may be obtained online at the American Dental Association's website or American Dental Education Association's website. Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation. It is preferred that two of the letters be obtained from science professors. The third may be from someone of the applicant's choosing. The Admissions Committee will accept a committee letter in lieu of three individual letters. All students entering the Marquette University School of Dentistry must be immunized against hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and tetanus-diphtheria. Students who do not have proof of immunization will be required to show immunity through a blood titer. A negative or equivocal blood titer result on any of these vaccine-preventable diseases will require the student to be vaccinated. Students are also required to have an annual TB test and show immunity to varicella-zoster through a blood titer. Students should receive immunizations from their personal physician or contact MU Student Health Services for further information. Failure to comply with this requirement may cause a student’s offer of admission to be rescinded. Students will be required to provide proof of health insurance coverage. Failure to comply with this requirement may cause a student's offer of admission to be rescinded. The School of Dentistry’s Admissions Committee accepts applicants based on scholarship, Dental Admission Test scores, a personal interview and the applicant’s overall suitability for the study of dentistry. An applicant may be accepted provisionally, pending receipt of the grades earned in the balance of courses taken or the results of the Dental Admission Test. All official final transcripts from colleges and universities previously attended must be submitted before a student enrolls in classes. Accepted applicants must respond in writing within the deadlines stated in the letter of acceptance. A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve an applicant’s position in the class. Special deposit and insurance fees are required of international students. Accepted applicants must also consent to undergo a criminal background check as a condition of their admission. Applicants will receive information about the background check via email after their acceptance into the School of Dentistry. An IELTS total score of 6.5 or higher will be required for admission. TOEFL score of at least 213 on the computer-based version or 80 on the internet-based version (a minimum of 20 on each section). The minimum acceptable undergraduate (or graduate, where applicable) GPA is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.