Interested in a career in the dental profession? DAP students have access to on campus student facilities, student housing, and financial aid. For questions, contact
Did You Know?
The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment within the dental assisting profession will expand
19% from 2016 to 2026,
compared to an average growth rate of 7% for all occupations, with U.S. median pay averaging $18.59 per hour.
Housed within Alabama’s dental school, the UAB’s Dental Assisting Program helps position graduates for careers in oral healthcare.
The yearlong program includes lectures, demonstrations, and rotations within the school and private dental offices where students engage in broad-based clinical experiences, from pediatric dentistry and orthodontics to comprehensive care, hospital dentistry and more. Students assist with a variety of patient procedures and gain valuable knowledge and experience through robust interactions with dental faculty, staff, residents and students.
Upon fulfilling program requirements, graduates receive a certificate of completion issued by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry.
Why Dental Assisting?
Are you a people person? Are you interested in a career in healthcare? Do you want to help people smile? If your answer is yes, a career in dental assisting might be right for you.
The dental assistant is an important member of an oral health team. An assistant’s duties vary from office to office, but most work chairside with dentists. They provide valuable support to the practitioner while making patients feel relaxed and comfortable during dental procedures.
With increasing demand for dental services, the profession is positioned for growth.
Dental Assisting Program Prepares Students to Be Helping Hands for Dentists
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The International Dental Program (IDP) offers non-US trained dentists the opportunity to earn a D.M.D. degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry. Following an intensive 6-month preparatory term, qualified students merge with traditional students to complete the final two years of the D.M.D. curriculum.
In the first term, students are introduced to the UAB patient care philosophy and dental techniques. Students who participate in this program will represent a great diversity of training, background, and experience levels. For this reason, some standardization is necessary. Students will spend time in preclinical training, classroom sessions, and small group seminars.
Qualified students are then integrated with traditional D3 students to complete the final two years of the D.M.D. curriculum which is spent primarily in clinical activities.
The major focus of the D3 year is on patient care. Students work in treatment teams providing comprehensive dental care. Rotations in community clinics, emergency care, endodontics, geriatrics, hospital dentistry, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontology, prosthodontics, & treatment planning ensure exposure to all aspects of dental care including advanced procedures and special patient populations. The evidence-based didactic curriculum is designed to offer companion courses to the clinical experiences.
The major focus of the final, D4, year is to prepare the student for the independent practice of dentistry. Comprehensive patient care and supplemental rotations continue. Additional optional experiences in community clinics with a focus on at-risk populations are offered. Didactic courses concentrate on advanced techniques and are predominantly given in seminar format.
Each candidate who successfully completes the program will receive the D.M.D. degree. This will qualify the student for licensure application in most regions of the United States.
Candidates may be invited to travel to UAB for an interview. This interview includes a preclinical exercise to evaluate hand skills in addition to a dental case to evaluate critical thinking skills. All items necessary for the exercise are provided for the candidate. The fee for this evaluation is $350. Additional materials will need to be provided directly to UAB if selected for an interview.
Learn more about our IDP program
Jamaica-born Blake among the IDP students coming to UAB because of a love for dentistry
For the second time in her life, Michelle Blake has left her home country of Jamaica in order to pursue – as she puts it – her “love for dentistry.”
The first occasion occurred approximately 15 years ago, when there were no dental schools in Jamaica. So, Blake moved to Brazil, spent a year learning to speak Portuguese, and then earned both her dental degree and a master’s.
By the time Blake returned to her home country, the University of the West Indies in Kingston had recently established the Mona School of Dentistry. Blake obtained a position there as a lecturer and researcher focused on oral-health issues, and helped contribute to the growth and development of the new school.
Now Blake is seeking the opportunity to expand her dental horizons even further. In January, she will be one of the 24 students starting at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry as part of the International Dental Program, which offers non-U.S. trained dentists the opportunity to earn a D.M.D. degree.
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