If you are struggling to decide between medical school vs dental school or if you simply want to learn about the differences and similarities between these two professions, you've come to the right place.
This blog will compare a variety of aspects between doctors and dentists including educational requirements, tuition costs, career outlook, and salary. By the time you've finished reading, you'll have a better understanding of the pros and cons of each profession and you'll be one step closer to deciding between medical school vs dental school.
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Medical school vs dental school: Educational requirements
The level of education and training between dentists and doctors is similar, as is the high academic standard at both types of institutions. Bachelor's degrees are required in order for prospective medical students to continue to medical school, and most dental programs require the completion of a Bachelor's degree for entry into dental school. While individual dental andmedical school requirementsvary, commonmedical school prerequisitesand dental school include the completion of biology, physics, math, English, inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry.
Both medical and dental applicants need to knowhow to ask to shadow a doctoror dentist as shadowing is beneficial, if not required, for admission to most schools. Knowinghow many hours of shadowing are required for medical school and dental school is essential in order to meet these requirements. In addition to shadowing experience, an excellent GPA, letters of recommendation,extracurriculars for medical schoolor dental school, and a strong personal statement will be necessary to be seen as a competitive applicant. Realistically, all areas of your application, including theAMCAS work and activitiessection, must stand out. Be sure to review our blogs formedical school personal statement examples, dental school personal statement examples, and medical school secondary essaysbefore you begin working on your applications.
In terms of standardized tests, medical school applicants must complete the seven-and-a-half-hour Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and dental applicants must complete the five hour, fifteen-minute Dental Admission Test (DAT). Medical school applicants will apply to most medical schools through the centralized application service known as AMCAS for allopathic medicine and AACOMAS for osteopathic medicine. Dental school applicants, on the other hand, will apply through their application service known as theADEA AADSAS. Some dental and medical schools have adopted the CASPer test, designed to test non-cognitive skills and capacities, to help them decide who should be invited to an in-person interview. For this reason, it's important to begin yourCASPer test prepearly by referring to our blog to learnhow to prepare for CASPer.For Canadian schools, medical and dental, most applications are school-specific (the exception is the centralized application for Ontario medical schools, OMSAS), so check the respective school websites for more information.
Both medical school and dental schools invite select applicants for in-person or video interviewsto help them decide which applicants to accept and reject. Check out ourmedical school interview questions and answersblog and our dental school interview questionsblog to help you prepare for your interviews in advance.
The difference in training duration comes after the completion of dental and medical school. Physicians are required to complete residency training before they can practice, which takes between 2-7 years depending on the chosen specialty. While many dentists also proceed to residency training, it's not required to practice. If dentists choose to attend residency, most programs are completed in 1-3 years, aside from oral and maxillofacial surgery, which can take 4-8 years.
Medical school vs dental school: Costs
Applications & Tests
For medical applicants, AMCAS charges $170 for a primary application, with each application thereafter costing $40. Secondary applications are common and can cost between $75-$150 on average. The MCAT will add on another $320. Most medical school applicants apply to 16 medical schools on average, which means the overall cost to apply can be over $2500.
The application fee for dental students is $251, plus $108 for each additional school applied to thereafter. Dental schools then require a supplemental fee that goes to the schools themselves, and this costs between $50 - $90 on average. The DAT costs $475. If a dental school applicant applies to only 10 schools, they will spend around $2500, roughly the same cost that medical school applicants spend, but medical applicants can apply to 16 schools at that price. Applying to dental school is, therefore, more expensive compared with applying to medical school.
Tuition & Debt
The average annual cost ofmedical school tuition, fees, and health insurance for residents at public medical schools is roughly $37,000 and $62,000 at private medical schools. Non-residents can expect to spend significantly more, around $60,000 at either type of school. Dental school is more expensive, with dental school tuition costing on average $53,000 for residents at public schools and $72,000 for residents at private schools. As with medical school non-residents, dental school non-residents pay much more than residents, approximately $69,000. Overall, dental school residents pay approximately $16,000 more each year compared with medical school residents.
In terms of debt, medical school students that borrowed money come out with an average debt of $200,000. For dental school students that borrowed, the average debt is higher, at $292,000. To summarize, on average, applying to dental school is more expensive, tuition fees at dental schools are more expensive, and dental school students come out with more debt than medical school students.
Medical school vs dental school: Career outlook and salary
Dentists and doctors are both highly skilled members of society focused on patient care, treatment, prevention, and well-being. Dentists are focused on oral health and their responsibilities include cleaning teeth, prescribing medicine, promoting oral health and disease prevention, interpreting x-rays and tests, diagnosing oral health issues, and performing surgery on teeth, bone, and soft tissues of the oral cavity. Many dentists work in private offices or in offices partnered with other dentists.
According to anADA studythat surveyed approximately 2100 dentists, overall job satisfaction varies depending on the type of practice. For example, dentists working in small-group or solo practice have higher levels of job satisfaction compared to dentists in large practice settings. Many in small and solo practice feel pleased with their work-life balance which results in a higher satisfaction. In addition, approximately 65-74% of dentists in small-group practice are happy with their salaries, vacation, and benefits compared with 50% of dentists in large group practice. All three groups are satisfied with their flexibility in scheduling hours, weekends off each month, and delivery of care in their practice. In terms of emotional exhaustion between the groups, 19-23% reported feeling burned out while 25-33% reported feeling emotionally drained. Overall, 75-87% reported feeling satisfied with their career in dentistry.
MDs can work in or run their own clinics, while also doing rounds in hospitals, performing surgeries, and being on-call, so the work is quite varied and dynamic. Due to this, MDs frequently work 60+ hours per week and they usually work even more during residency. A recentMedScape reportsurveyed over 15,000 physicians in over 29 specialties to access burnout rates. While the overall physician burnout rate was reported at 42%, this varied considerably based on specialization. Urologists, neurologists, and nephrologists reported the highest percentage of burnout while ophthalmologists and public health and preventative medicine physicians reported the lowest burnout rates. In general, physicians are considerably more likely to experience both burnout and dissatisfaction with their work-life balance compared with the general population. For example, anAMA studyfound that approximately 58% of physicians were dissatisfied with their work-life balance. As MDs treat more complex cases, perform surgeries, and take on less-common illnesses and injuries, they are often required to be on call. With this said, MDs are still able to set their own schedules, especially in private practices, but they are more likely to take on the kinds of hospital positions that require on-call and shift work.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment growth for dentists is around 7.6%, creating an estimated 10,400 jobs between now and 2028. The median salary for dentists is $156,000 annually. Physician employment growth is also projected at 7%, and median salary is higher than dentists, at $208,000 annually. Please also note that many physicians and dentists are independent contractors, and sometimes have overhead costs to contribute from their earnings, which could be up to 40% of their gross earnings. Overhead costs typically go towards things like clinic equipment and administrative costs. The best way to find out these types of things are speaking to physicians or dentists you are volunteering or shadowing with.
Medical school vs dental school: How to decide which to pursue
So, should you pursue medicine and become a physician or pursue dentistry and become a dentist? This is one of the most frustrating questions to answer for students that are interested in both fields, yet it is also the most important question to answer convincingly. If you're thinking of applying before you can answer this question well, you will likely be rejected. Only apply when you're 100% sure of which area you'd like to pursue, can justify your reasons behind your decision, and prove that you've taken the necessary steps to solidify your decision.
Being a medical doctor is stimulating and interesting and knowing that you can help people solve problems every single day is rewarding. However, being a medical doctor is not easy. This is not a career for people who do not see themselves working more than 50 hours per week, on holidays and dedicating themselves to putting others first. Being a dentist is also a rewarding career but it can also be stressful. Do you have a genuine interest in oral care and helping others? Do you want to transform the lives of your patients and provide preventative care, eliminate pain, and deliver treatment relating to oral health? As a dentist, you have the power to improve oral health and will experience the satisfaction and joy of positively transforming a patient’s life.
Knowing if you want to be a doctor or a dentist is really about knowing your passions, strengths, and your best and highest use as a human being. It's important to take the time to reflect on your true motivations and passions. What are you interested in? When did your desire first begin? What steps have you taken to test drive your potential career? What career fits in best with your short and long- term goals? In what capacity do you see yourself working in? What kind of patient population do you want to work with? All of these questions need careful examination and in-depth consideration.
To help you answer these questions, your best bet is to gain hands-on experience shadowing doctors and dentists, especially if you're having a hard time deciding between the two career paths. How else will you put yourself in each profession's shoes? How else will you determine if this field is best suited for you? It's important to note that shadowing is different from clinical experiences. Clinical experience is valuable and can also help you decide as you’ll often get the opportunity to participate as part of a team, interact with patients, and gain valuable exposure to the world of medicine and dentistry. Shadowing is more passive – you will follow a doctor or dentist through an entire shift, from the time they walk in to the time they leave for the day. While there isn’t generally a lot of patient interaction, you walk away from these experiences with a more complete picture of what the average day looks like for a practicing physician or dentist. This knowledge of the day-to-day ins-and-outs is crucial, as you need to be fully prepared for the realities of these careers, which includes both excitement and challenges. As well, physicians and dentists with different specializations have very different routines and responsibilities, so shadowing multiple doctors and dentists in multiple specializations that interest you is key. In addition to shadowing, be sure to have conversations with doctors, residents, and dentists to find out what they love about their careers and what they find challenging. These conversations will allow you to gain an insider view on medicine and dentistry from actual practicing individuals and will give you the opportunity to ask questions to help you decide. If you're still having trouble, a dental ormedical school admissions consultingsession with a dental ormedical school advisorcan help you in your journey to determine which pathway is most suitable for you.
Do you want our admissions experts to help you with your dental or medical school applications?
Click here to schedule your free initial consultation!
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