Dentistry is the branch of the healing arts and sciences devoted to maintaining oral health.  Dentists enjoy excellent compensation and the high demand for dental care is likely to continue in the future.  Dentists are trained to treat all patients, adults and children, in many different treatment facilities and settings. In doing so, a general dentist may:

• Restore and replace teeth damaged by decay, lost from trauma or disease with newly developed dental materials, implants, and crown and bridge techniques.
• Perform corrective surgery on gums and supporting bones to treat gum disease.
• Eliminate pain arising from oral diseases, conditions and trauma, making use of prescriptive medicines to reduce pain and discomfort.
• Correct mal-positioned teeth to improve chewing, speech, digestion of food and appearance.
• Provide instruction and advice on oral health care and preventive measures.

Approximately 80% of all dentists are general dentists.  Additional experience, training or education beyond a DMD or DDS allows general dentists to further specialize in the following fields:  endodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, dental public health, and oral and maxillofacial pathology, radiology, and surgery.

Pre-Dental is an academic designation at Texas Tech University; it is not a degree-granting major. As Pre-Dental students prepare to apply to dental school, they have the option to major in any area they choose as long as they take the prerequisite courses required to enter dental school along with the courses necessary to complete a degree at Texas Tech University.

Regardless of which degree-granting major a Pre-Dental student chooses at Texas Tech, they will always have a PPHC Advisor on their team. If you have any questions whatsoever about being Pre-Dental, contact your assigned PPHC Advisor today!

Most dental schools require the following courses:

Recommended Advanced Biology Courses:

• Texas A&M University College of Dentistry requires majors-level Anatomy and Physiology (This does NOT include ZOOL 2403 AND/OR 2404 at Texas Tech. ZOOL 3405/4409 can fulfill the requirement.) and Microbiology (MBIO 3401 only).
• Neuroscience, Histology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Immunology, Embryology and Biochemistry II are recommended Biology elective courses. A total of 18 hours BIOL is required.
• University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston requires 3 semester hours of Microbiology for Majors (MBIO 3401 at Texas Tech)
• University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio recommends the following for the upper level biology elective coursework: Microbiology for Majors (MBIO 3401 only), Molecular Biology, Genetics, Ecology, Immunology, Parasitology, and advanced Anatomy and Physiology (This does NOT include ZOOL 2403 AND/OR 2404 at Texas Tech. ZOOL 3405/4409 can fulfill the requirement.)

Frequently check with the programs to which you plan to apply, as prerequisites and/or application procedures can change.

A minimum of 90 undergraduate semester hours completed at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university before the anticipated date of enrollment.

All candidates are required to take the Dental Admission Test (DAT)

TMDSAS requires that applicants have at least one letter of evaluation from a dentist. It is strongly recommended to still include a letter of evaluation from a dentist, even if your intended program does not explicitly state it as a requirement. 

For application and/or prerequisite information, please contact each professional school and check their websites frequently.

To learn more about dental schools both in Texas and elsewhere, please visit the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) directory here. 

PPHC Advisors have created a year-by-year PDF guide to being Pre-Dental.

• Dental School Application Info.
• Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS)
• Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS)
• American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
• American Dental Association (ADA)
• Letters of Evaluation Process
• Exam Prep (for DAT)

• Summer Enrichment Program