Find out everything you can about dentistry to discover if dentistry is a good fit for you and to demonstrate your interest in the profession. Contact a local practicing dentist to answer your questions. Find out if there are any dental camps or other programs for high school students at nearby dental schools. 20 years old programs to explore careers. Mentors can help you understand dentistry from the other side of the chair and provide guidance about pursuing dentistry as a career as well as dental team careers. Learn more about mentoring or find out how to contact the mentor coordinator for your area in the mentoring section of this site. ASDA helps you prepare for dental school by sharing current issues important to dental students and dentistry. 8099 to become a member. High school chapters explore a variety of health related careers including dentistry. The program invites students to see firsthand how the skills learned in school relate to the workplace. 20 years old from a diversity of backgrounds. National network of Learning for Life offices available online.

National organization for dental education with the mission to address current issues influencing dental education. Canadian dental schools, other dental education programs, corporations, faculty, and students. Hispanic community and providing advocacy for Hispanic oral health professionals across the united states. Organization dedicated to serving as advocates in the public arena and private sector to increase access to care for underserved.

Involved in recruiting underrepresented minorities into the profession and improving the educational opportunities of minorities underrepresented in the oral health field. American, Hispanic, and American Indian backgrounds with the goal of improving the minority health manpower distribution among the minority populations. Promotes efforts to improve oral, dental and craniofacial health through research, research training, and the dissemination of health information. American Indian heritage and traditional values and promotes and supports the unique concerns of American Indian dentists. Indian Dentist promotes the recruitment and retention of American Indian students into dental school and encourages the students to return to their American Indian communities to practice their dental profession.

Provides specific resources for American Indian students including mentoring opportunities. Still Circle, Mesa, AZ 85206. Launched in 2003, it is designed to help increase access to dental care for underserved populations. Dental hygienists rank among the fastest growing occupations.

Job prospects are expected to remain excellent. More than half work part time, and flexible scheduling is a distinctive feature of this job. Education: In 2004, the Commission on Dental Accreditation accredited 266 programs in dental hygiene.

Licensing: Dental hygienists must be licensed by the State in which they practice. To qualify for licensure in nearly all States, a candidate must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene school and pass both a written and clinical examination.

Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations administers the written examination, which is accepted by all States and the District of Columbia. State or regional testing agencies administer the clinical examination. In addition, most States require an examination on the legal aspects of dental hygiene practice. To get into a college program: A high school diploma and college entrance t scores are usually required for admission to a dental hygiene program.