Who Rates Globally? Top 3 International Dentistry Programs

You’re looking to pursue a dentistry program but haven’t yet decided where you want to be. US? Europe? Asia? Today we’ll take a look beyond US programs and see who ranks globally—and why.

U.S. dentistry programs fared very well in 2021, according to Dentistry Today. Same went for several international programs. According to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and its World University Rankings by Subject: 2021, “The United States as well as Europe and Asia all were well represented in its list of the top 60 dental schools in the world.” Let’s examine the top three on the international list.

Sweden’s University of Gothenburg took the top slot. The university offers five-year, bachelor’s level training for dentists as well as three-year programs for dental hygienists and dental technicians. Said Peter Lingström, professor and head of the Institute of Odontology at the University of Gothenburg, “The Institute’s successes rest on several strong research groups that specialize in fundamental mechanisms and clinical issues in 13 subject areas, including major oral diseases, implant research, behavioral issues and dental anxiety.”

The Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) came in second on the international roster. The Centre serves approximately 950 students and 33,000 patients each year. Its research concentrates on oral infections and inflammation and on oral regenerative medicine with academically robust groups centered on clinical questions. It also investigates dental education itself, exploring new teaching methods and digital tools.

Students can earn a bachelor’s degree in dentistry full-time in three years. One of the admission requirements for the Bachelor at ACTA is that you speak Dutch proficiently. The master’s program includes multidisciplinary diagnostics, indication and treatment planning, working under the supervision of lecturers (qualified dentists) and staff from Cariology, Endodontics and Periodontics.

The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Dentistry is the only institution in Hong Kong that provides undergraduate and postgraduate dental degrees. It offers bachelor’s degrees as well as graduate and postgraduate dental education, with 10 MSc degrees, a Master of Dental Surgery degree and a professional Advanced Diploma. Its Institute of Advanced Dentistry Multi-Specialty Clinic serves patients with complex and severe oral conditions.

“We excel in research through innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration in the region and around the world,” said dean Thomas F. Flemmig, MBA, DrMedDent, DrMedDentHabil, dean of the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Dentistry, “with topics including clinical and translational biomedical sciences such as artificial intelligence, craniofacial regeneration, microbiome innovation, oral cancer, and population oral health.”

Other top schools on the list include King’s College London Faculty of Dentistry and Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, KU Leuven School of Dentistry, and the University of São Paulo School of Dentistry.

Already a Practicing Dentist and Want To Make Your Home in the U.S.?

Here’s your pathway to a dental career in the U.S., according to the University of Chicago College of Dentistry:

Though requirements vary from state to state, all applicants for dental licensure must meet three basic requirements: an education, written examination and clinical examination requirement.

One of the best options to meet these requirements and become eligible for licensure is to complete a CODA accredited program offered by a U.S. dental school. Graduates of DDS or DMD programs are able to take state or regional board examinations to be eligible for dental licensure and practice within the U.S.

Many U.S. dental schools offer a condensed version of their program for foreign trained dentists, called advanced training programs. You’ll earn an American dental degree (DDS/DMD) through a condensed time frame, usually two to three years.

The following schools offer advanced standing programs for international dentists/DDS/DMD:

• University of Michigan
• Boston University
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Southern California
• University of Pennsylvania
• Indiana University
• Howard University
• University of Colorado
• Tufts University

When you consider that there are 6,486 dental care health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) in the nation and its territories, there is great opportunity for dental students and international dentists.

Learn more about the complete list of international dentistry programs at Dentistry Today.