Which are the best dental schools in Florida? Despite being underrated by many, dental science is one of the best and most important aspects of personal hygiene. In the general sense, people who are cautious of their dental health tend to lead a generally healthy life.
However, for one to be good in the field, then the person should target dental schools. These educational establishments are responsible for educating one on teeth and their problems as well as diagnosis.
Florida is one of the cities in the United States and is home to three well-regarded dental schools. If you ask people randomly which region to attend a dental school, then you are more likely to hear a handful of Florida’s names.
But what makes it such a good pick? Dental schools in Florida are home to a strong and repute faulty, intensive, and comprehensive curriculum, practically oriented learning methods as well as traditional classroom learning.
However, before getting too excited, it is imperative to know that the three medical schools featured on the list have a very low acceptance rate. In short, the highest among the three is 5.8%, meaning that it accepts just 6 out of 100 applicants per admission section.
So, if you’re to attend any of the dental schools in Florida, endeavor to prepare well and meet all its demanded admission criteria.
Nonetheless, listed below are the best dental schools in Florida…
List of the 15 Best Dental Schools in Florida:
- LECOM School of Dental Medicine
- Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine
- University of Florida College of Dentistry
- Gulf Coast State College
- Sante Fe College
- Eastern Florida State College
- Broward College
- Hillsborough Community College
- South Florida State College
- Indian River State College
- Daytona State College
- Palm Beach State College
- Florida SouthWestern State College
- Florida National University
- Valencia College.
5 Best Dental Schools In Florida
5. Sante Fe College
Sante Fe College is a public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It is important for the Florida College System.
Wellbeing Sciences at Santa Fe College comprises of Allied Health, Nursing, and Dental projects.
Sante Fe College offers the following dental programs:
- Dental Hygiene, A.S.
- Dental Hygiene Bridge, A.S.
- Dental Assisting, C.T.C.
4. Gulf Coast State University (GCSC)
Gulf Coast State University is a public college located in Panama City, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System.
GCSC offers 3 dental programs, which include:
- Dental Assisting, V.C.
- Dental Hygiene, A.S.
- Dental Medicine Option, Liberal Arts, A.A.
The Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene programs offered by GCSC were initiated in 1970 and 1996, respectively.
3. University of Florida College of Dentistry
Location: Gainesville, Florida
Kicking off the list of the best dental schools in Florida is the University of Florida College of Dentistry. The prestigious American higher educational establishment is one of the competitive dental schools in the country and this speaks volumes as it has an acceptance rate of 5.8%.
This high competitiveness is due to the school’s excellent dental programs. For the record, a whopping 97% of graduates passed their debut NBDE – National Board Dental Examination. Some of them furthered their knowledge in dentistry while others had jobs with prominent dental establishments spread across the country.
Even so, the University of Florida College of Dentistry has an intensive and rigorous curriculum that packs almost everything dental practitioners should know. Students also stand a chance to learn via external clinical rotations. By this, they are assigned/attached to the school’s affiliated center in Naples (Italy), St. Petersburg (Russia), Hialeah, and Gainesville (Florida).
Here, they stand hand-in-hand and learn from prominent dental practitioners with years of experience. To add to it, many patients at these centers are not very well to do when it comes to finances. Dental scholars utilize this opportunity to provide a kind of communal service to the less privileged.
More so, there are many opportunities to study outside the country and this is courtesy of the school’s partnership with a handful of leading institutions which are:-
- Swami Vivekananda University Subharti Dental College (Meerut, India)
- Universidad Catolica Nordestana – UCNE (San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic)
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito -USFQ (Quito)
With these affiliations and partnerships, dental scholars afford the opportunity to be rooted in a dental education that spans across the nation as well as the international community.
In addition to unique opportunities for experience, UFCD offers a specialization in oral biology. In collaboration with the College of Medicine, the Department of Oral Biology provides a Ph.D. in medical sciences with a specialization in oral biology.
In 2018, the Comprehensive Training in Oral Biology program received a William J. Gies Award for Vision, Innovation, and Achievement. Additionally, it has been a recipient of the highly coveted NIH grant, being among the top 5 programs for NIH funding. The College of Dentistry also offers an M.D. degree and a certificate of completion in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, along with more traditional offerings, such as a doctorate in general dentistry.
Even so, the prominent American dental education service provider parades a curriculum that hits the nail on the head. It is among just three dental schools in the country to offer a dental curriculum that has all areas of specialization acknowledged by the regulating body – the American Dental Association (ADA).
With this rare privilege, upcoming dental scholars have the license to scrutinize these areas of specialization and then venture into one that best suits their academic interests.
Even so, the school is well equipped with state-of-the-art facilities which in turn helps students to stay updated with the latest trends. Prominent industry professionals are also the ones responsible for tutoring upcoming dental scholars irrespective of their levels.
More so, scholars are taught how to work on and handle live patients; thanks to the school’s high-tech simulation laboratory which is loaded with the necessary and needed equipment.
Additionally, the dental school does not take a backseat when it comes to research. It has a highly advanced state-of-the-art research facility that has enabled the school to make progress in Artificial Intelligence research initiatives. The prominent dental education service provider also has an interdisciplinary program with several health care professions as well as engineering and this is done via virtual patient simulation.
2. Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Coming in next on the list, Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine is the second-best dental school in Florida. The prestigious dental education service provider is located in the robust suburb of Fort Lauderdale, which is an epic destination for education and finance.
The school is privately managed and is the first of its kind to be formed as a result of a merger with a College of Osteopathic Medicine in the United States. The school is among the best in the country and particularly excels when it comes to social mobility rankings.
Aside from that, the prestigious institution also ranks on its doctoral degree and parades coursework that is both rigorous and research-intensive. Even so, potential dental scholars are exposed to knowledge in a wide array of areas including electronic health record training, comprehensive treatment planning, dental biomaterials, oral histology, public health, and anatomy among a host of others.
More so, the school offers scholars a handful of opportunities to get involved in field practice and this also expands to extramural clinical rotations.
Furthermore, the best performing dental school in Florida does well when it comes to patient care. This is where the very essence of the course is laid on and practicing dental scholars are taught about what they should know when offering services to patients.
To facilitate practical knowledge, scholars are assigned to dental industry professionals; who with their levels of experience, groom them to become a force in the field. As a result of this, students also undergo clinical rotations and by so doing, render helpful dental services to the less privileged communities.
Since most of its clinical rotations are done in community health centers and special needs clinics, scholars have an opportunity to penetrate and extract the knowledge of the various factors affecting the overall dental quality in an individual.
Even so, Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine also does lots of dental outreach programs that aim at creating public enlightenment and they are widely tagged as “awareness programs.” The common ones include international missions, Florida Mission of Mercy, Oral Health Education, and Give Kids a Smile Today.
However, the prominent dental school also parades a very low acceptance rate – with just 3.7% acceptance rate, the school is highly selective and competitive. This means that they accept 4 out of 100 applicants and this is where a battle of the best brains come to play.
Hence, before applying for admission to the school, ensure that you meet its admission criteria and have a good academic CV as well.
1. LECOM School of Dental Medicine
Location: Bradenton, Florida
Beating the two others on the list, the Crown for the best dental school in Florida goes to LECOM School of Dental Medicine.
Located in the booming city of Bradenton, Florida the school is the most competitive in the State. With an acceptance rate of 3%, getting admitted to study dental science in the school is not a child’s play.
The dental school has a coursework that is both rigorous, intensive, and comprehensive. This makes it a good fit for upcoming dental practitioners that wants to create a name for themselves in the field.
The school prides in innovation and this is where its bragging rights lays on. The dental school has a faculty that constitutes of members blessed with intensive knowledge and experience in the industry. Through them, students draw motivation to conduct comprehensive research as well as contributing to medical journals.
Moreover, the American dental education service provider deals on practical-oriented dental practices. Students are assigned to well qualified, licensed dentists and through this, they can afford the opportunity to learn through clinical experience.
The dental school also houses some diagnostic tools including full mouth and individual tooth digital X-rays.
Requirements needed for Dental Schools in Florida
Each dental school or dental program has its own admission requirements.
Most dental schools in the US, including Florida, requires the following:
- A Bachelor’s degree in Health Science program (preferably medicine program).
- High grades in prerequisite science courses: biology, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and physics
- Dental Admission Test (DAT) Scores.
Conclusion
The post deals on best dental schools in Florida.
From the previously mentioned up until this point, we have recorded the main 15 best Dentistry schools in Florida for you to begin your expert vocation as a dental specialist.
We have now reached the finish of this article, we trust this article was useful to you. In the event that, you have any inquiries, let us in on in the Comment Section.
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