Overview of the program

Our internationally renowned professional undergraduate program prepares Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) students for a future in dental practice. 

As one of our undergraduate dental students, you will learn how to apply the fundamentals of basic science to comprehensive clinical care to our Faculty's 15,000+ new patients each year. 

• In years 1 and 2, you will gain in-depth expertise on the fundamentals of dentistry, basic science and diagnostics.
• In years 3 and 4, you are given unique opportunities to treat patients in one of our 14 dental clinics, or through one of our community service learning opportunities.

Completing the DDS will allow you to take the national licensing exam to become a practicing dentist (through the National Dental Examining Board). You cannot practice dentistry until then.

• If you are an internationally trained dentist and would like to become qualified in Canada, find out more in Internationally trained dentists.

Courses taught

You will be taught by leading experts in a wide range of dentistry and other professional skills.

The courses of the curriculum are divided into two categories - didactic and clinical. 

• Didactic includes all lectures and some laboratories and pre-clinical courses.
• Clinical comprises the pre-clinical laboratory courses of first and second years, and all clinical work in third and fourth years. This involves working with patients.

Year one

• Dental Public Health I (DEN103Y1)
• Gross Anatomy (DEN106Y1)
• Histology (DEN109H1)
• Preventive Dentistry (DEN113Y1)
• Dental Anatomy and Occlusion (DEN118H1)
• Biological Basis of Oral Health and Disease (DEN121Y1)
• Microbiology (DEN124Y1)
• Restorative Dentistry (pre-clinical and didactic) (DEN130H1/DEN180H1)
• Biomaterials Science (DEN150Y1)
• Prosthodontics (DEN177H1)
• Comprehensive Care 1 – Pre-clinical Skills (DEN199Y)

Year two

• Anaesthesia (DEN200H1)
• Communication Skills (DEN202H1)
• Basic Disease Mechanisms (DEN203H1)
• Dental Public Health II (DEN207H1)
• Endodontics (DEN208H1)
• Periodontics (DEN211Y1)
• Pharmacology (DEN212Y1)
• Preventive Dentistry and Clinical Nutrition (DEN215H1)
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (DEN217H1)
• Restorative Dentistry: didactic and clinical (DEN218Y1/DEN280Y1)
• Medicine and Pathology (DEN219H1)
• Orthodontics (DEN222H1)
• Pediatric Dentistry (DEN223H1)
• Ethics, Professionalism, Law I (online course) (DEN249H1)
• Prosthodontics (DEN277Y1)
• Comprehensive Care Program (CCP) II – Preventive and Periodontal Services (DEN299Y1)
• Oral Diagnosis and Oral Medicine (DEN356Y1)

Year three

• Anaesthesia (DEN301Y1)
• Endodontics (DEN303H1/DEN453Y1)
• Dental Public Health III (DEN308Y1)
• Oral Medicine and Pathology (DEN315Y1)
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (DEN317Y1)
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (DEN318Y1)
• Orthodontics (didactic and clinical) (DEN322Y1/ DEN365Y1)
• Paediatric Dentistry (didactic and clinical) (DEN323Y1/ DEN368Y1)
• Periodontics (didactic and clinical) (DEN324Y1/ DEN371Y1)
• Pharmacology (DEN327H1)
• Prosthodontics (didactic and clinical) (DEN333Y1/ DEN377Y1)
• Restorative Dentistry (didactic and clinical) (DEN336Y1/ DEN380Y1)
• Ethics, Professionalism, Law II (DEN349H1)
• Comprehensive Care Program (CCP) III - Introduction to Treatment Planning and Total Patient Care (DEN350Y1)
• Oral Diagnosis and Oral Medicine (DEN356Y1)
• Preventive Dentistry (DEN374Y)
• Case-Based Learning (DEN403H1)
• Practice Administration (DEN409Y1)
• Comprehensive Care Program (CCP) IV - Comprehensive Care (clinical and didactic) (DEN450Y1/ DEN451Y1)
• Community Based Service Learning: Psychiatry and Dentistry lectures (DEN490Y1)

Year four

• Anaesthesia (DEN400H1)
• Practice Administration (DEN409Y1)
• Orofacial Pain:  Mechanisms, Diagnosis, Management (DEN410H1)
• Clinical Application of Practice Administration (DEN411Y1)
• Ethics, Professionalism, Law III (DEN449H1)
• CCP4 - Comprehensive Care (didactic and clinical) (DEN451Y1/DEN450Y1)
• Endodontics (DEN453Y1)
• Oral Diagnosis and Oral Medicine (DEN456Y1)
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (DEN459Y1)
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (DEN462Y1)
• Orthodontics (DEN465Y1)
• Pediatric Dentistry (DEN468Y1)
• Periodontics (DEN471Y1)
• Preventive Dentistry (DEN474Y1)
• Prosthodontics (DEN477Y1)
• Restorative Dentistry (DEN480Y1)
• Community Based Service Learning (DEN490Y1)
• Dental Outreach Community Services (DEN491Y1)
• Dental Outreach Global Services (DEN492Y1)

Admission Facts 

In 2025, of our successful applicants:

• 21 had 3 years university education
• 53 had 4+ years university education
• 22 had a Masters
• 0 had a PhD

We receive over 900 applications a year for the 96 places available.

We interview approximately 180 prospective students each year. 

Admitted students had an average cumulative GPA of 3.96 in 2025 and average DAT scores of 24 on the Academic Average (AA) section and 23 on the Perceptual Ability section (PAT). 

Those offered a place in 2025 were:

• Male: 41
• Female: 55

Requirements

To apply for one of the 96 places in the Doctor of Dental Surgery program, you will need to:

• Complete three years of university. The earliest time you can apply is while completing your third year of university.
• Obtain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale. We use the OMSAS scale to calculate your cumulative GPA.
• Take all required prerequisites listed below at a university by end of May 2026.  

We don’t accept college level courses and we don't have a list of acceptable courses for meeting our prerequisites from different universities. You can use any combination of courses which cover the topics listed below. 

We don’t review course syllabuses and leave it up to applicants to make sure they have covered all the topics. 

If you are currently completing a graduate program, you must complete all the graduate program requirements, including thesis defense, by June 30 in the year you apply for the DDS.

• Complete the Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) administered by the Canadian Dental Association or the American Dental Association by the November 1 application deadline. Official DAT scores must be sent to us directly by the CDA or ADA. You must have taken the DAT with the last 24 months of the November 1 application deadline. We only look at the Academic Average (AA) and Perceptual Ability (PAT) sections of the DAT and if you have completed the DAT more than once, we will use your highest set of scores.
• Complete the Canadian version of the Casper 2 test (CPS-10211) through Acuity Insights. Casper is an online test which assesses non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program. This test complements other tools we use for applicant screening. Casper test results are valid for one admissions cycle only. If you have taken it in previous years, you will have to retake it for the current admission cycle.
• If you attended university in a country where English is not the first language, you must provide results of an English language proficiency examination by November 1. Official test scores must be sent by the testing agency directly to the University of Toronto. Our institution code is 0982. You must have taken an English test in the last 24 months of the November 1 application deadline. We recognize the following tests:

How To Apply 

Complete the DDS online application. The application opens on July 2 and closes on November 1.

There are two ways to apply online. 

• UTDAS (University of Toronto Dental Application Service)
• ADEA AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application Service)

Application Steps for UTDAS

1. Fill in and submit the UTDAS online application.
2. Pay the $350 non-refundable application fee with a credit card via the online application.
3. Upload your proof of Canadian citizenship/permanent residency status in Canada directly to the online application. Only the following documents are accepted: Canadian birth certificate, Canadian passport, Canadian citizenship certificate/card, Canadian permanent resident card, IMM 1000 Record of Landing document, or IMM 5292 / IMM 5688 Confirmation of Permanent Residence document.
4. Upload a personal statement explaining why you want to pursue a dental career directly to the online application (maximum two pages).
5. Upload an essay outlining what you consider to be your greatest accomplishment and the reasons you have chosen to highlight it directly to the online application (maximum one page).   
6. Have all your official university transcripts submitted directly to the Faculty of Dentistry in electronic format or through the mail in a sealed envelope. If you are a University of Toronto student already, you do not need to send in your official University of Toronto transcript, we will download it from ACORN.          
7. Write and have your official Casper 2 score sent to us directly by Acuity Insights. You can write the Casper 2 on any of the test dates listed for the University of Toronto on their website.
8. Write the DAT by the November 1 application deadline and have your official DAT scores sent to us directly by the Canadian Dental Association or American Dental Association. 

Application Steps for AADSAS

1. Create an ADEA AADSAS account and fill out the online application.
2. Pay a supplemental application fee of $150 directly to the University of Toronto via our Student Services Payment page.
3. Upload your proof of Canadian citizenship/permanent residency status in Canada directly to the program materials section of the online application (quadrant 4). Only the following documents are accepted: Canadian birth certificate, Canadian passport, Canadian citizenship certificate/card, Canadian permanent resident card, IMM 1000 Record of Landing document, or IMM 5292 / IMM 5688 Confirmation of Permanent Residence document.
4. Complete a personal statement explaining why you want to pursue a dental career directly to the online application.
5. Upload an essay outlining what you consider to be your greatest accomplishment and the reasons you have chosen to highlight it directly to the program materials section of the online application (maximum one page).   
6. Official transcripts must be submitted directly to AADSAS.
7. Write and have your official Casper 2 score sent to us directly by Acuity Insights. You can write the Casper 2 on any of the test dates listed for the University of Toronto on their website.
8. Write the DAT by the November 1 application deadline and have your official DAT scores sent to AADSAS directly by the American Dental Association. Have your official Canadian DAT scores sent to us directly by the Canadian Dental Association.

International students

We welcome applications from anywhere in the world, but you must obtain a Student Authorization (visa) after you have been offered a place, but before registration in August. Getting the visa is your responsibility but we will provide any supporting documents necessary.

Getting documents to us

By email

admissions@dentistry.utoronto.ca

By mail

Admissions Office
Faculty of Dentistry
124 Edward Street, Room 104
Toronto, ON M5G 1G6

By fax

+1 416 979 4944

Interview process

If you have been shortlisted, we will invite you (via email in January) to the Faculty for an interview and a tour in February.

These timings may vary slightly year-to-year. Interviews are typically held on the weekend (Saturday & Sunday). 

If you are unsuccessful, we will let you know at this time.

We will send you an agenda and travel information in advance, but what you can expect is:

• A 20 minute interview with two faculty members.
• A short talk with our Faculty Registrar outlining the admission committee decision process.
• A tour of the dental Faculty facilities by current dental students.

How we select students

The Undergraduate Admission Committee, which reports directly to the Council of the Faculty of Dentistry, decides which students are admitted.

The criteria for selection are established by the Undergraduate Admission Committee and approved by Faculty Council. 

When deciding who to make final offers to, the Committee will take all of the above-mentioned aspects into consideration (interviews, academic achievement, DAT scores, Casper test scores, and essays).

How and when we will let you know if you have a place on the DDS Program

We will email you in March to let you know if you have been successful. 

You will then need to pay a $2,000 (CAD) non-refundable deposit which will be taken off your fees, providing you register for the program in August.

The decision of the Faculty of Dentistry concerning admission into the Doctor of Dental Surgery is final. No appeal mechanism exists.

How much it costs

As a guideline, below is the approximate annual fees for students starting the DDS in 2024 (all in $CAD). The fees vary slightly year to year. 

For information on funding and financial assistance, see Fees and financial assistance for the Doctor of Dental Surgery.

• Domestic students: $50,552 per year            

Full, up to date fee information is available on the University of Toronto budgeting website (domestic).

• International students: $132,327

Full, up to date fee information is available on the University of Toronto budgeting website (international). 

Indigenous Peoples

We welcome applications from indigenous peoples (Métis, Status Aboriginal, Non-Status Aboriginal, and Inuit) in recognition of their under-representation in the profession and of the unique contribution that trained members of this group can make. 

Applications from qualified persons of aboriginal ancestry will receive special consideration for admission.

The Wilson G. Harron Award for Aboriginal Students is available to assist a limited number of students with the financial expenses associated with their dental education. See Fees and financial assistance for the Doctor of Dental Surgery for further information.

Applicants with special circumstances

Transferring from another Canadian or American dental program

If you are a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident currently enrolled in an accredited Canadian or U.S. Dental School, you could transfer into our program.

You will be considered for transfer into the second year of the program only, and only if there is space.

To apply, you must meet all the above requirements and we will assess whether your first year of study matches the requirements of the University of Toronto DDS. To do this, you must also send us course descriptions for all dental courses you will have completed by the end of the current academic year.

Send us your request for transfer by the end of June for potential admission to the following academic year starting in September. 

• Transfer application form 2025 (pdf)

If you have a communicable disease such as hepatitis

You need to be in a good enough state of health to be able to participate in all parts of the program, including patient care, without posing a risk to yourself or others. 

If you have a communicable disease, you may pursue your studies only if you can take part in all clinical work, which is essential to complete the DDS.

If you carry the hepatitis B virus (HBV), your offer of registration will be conditional until the Expert Panel on Infectious Diseases reviews your case.

Your health status, and that of all our students, will remain confidential. 

Essential Skills and Abilities for Dentistry

Have questions? Contact us

admissions@dentistry.utoronto.ca

+1 416 864 8113