# Dental Pathways

> Practical guides and mentorship for foreign-trained dentists applying to US Advanced Standing (IDP) DDS programs: profile building, CAAPID, interviews, bench tests and life in dental school.

Written by Dr. Apurva Dabak, BDS, MPH, DDS. General dentist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Foreign-trained (BDS, Mumbai, 2015), MPH from UC Berkeley (2020) and DDS from UCSF (2023). Mentors foreign-trained dentists through the CAAPID process. Content is general guidance from personal experience, not official admissions advice; requirements vary by school.

Posts are organized into five stages. Every post is available as raw Markdown at the `.md` links below.

## Stage 1: Explore the DDS pathway

If you trained as a dentist outside the US and want to practice here, the usual route is a two- to three-year Advanced Standing (International Dentist) program that ends in a DDS or DMD. Start by learning the vocabulary and the size of the commitment. Hub page: https://www.apurvadabak.com/pathway/explore/

- [A newbie to the DDS pond](https://www.apurvadabak.com/blog/a-newbie-to-the-dds-pond.md): New to the US DDS route? What DDS, DMD and Advanced Standing (IDP) programs are, and the first steps foreign-trained dentists should plan before applying.

## Stage 2: Build a competitive profile

Programs see thousands of applicants with similar degrees. What separates a profile is US exposure, research, public-health or volunteer work, and something uniquely yours. Start this early; most of it can’t be done in the month before you apply. Hub page: https://www.apurvadabak.com/pathway/profile/

- [Profile Building 101](https://www.apurvadabak.com/blog/profile-building-101.md): Recording of a profile-building session for foreign-trained dentists. The key parts of a CAAPID application and what makes a strong Advanced Standing profile.
- [Profile Building Guide](https://www.apurvadabak.com/blog/profile-building-guide.md): How foreign-trained dentists can build a competitive Advanced Standing profile through networking, research, dental assisting, hands-on courses and a strong CV.

## Stage 3: Apply through CAAPID

Most Advanced Standing programs take applications through CAAPID, the centralized application run by ADEA. Some schools add supplemental applications or questions. Speed matters: submit each school as soon as its section is complete. Hub page: https://www.apurvadabak.com/pathway/apply/

- [Submitting your CAAPID application?](https://www.apurvadabak.com/blog/submitting-caapid-application.md): A final checklist before you submit your CAAPID or supplemental applications. Personal details, SOP limits, letters, school questions, documents and scores.

## Stage 4: Prepare for interviews and bench tests

After you submit, invitations come in waves. The weeks of waiting are the best time to prepare for interviews and for the bench (practical) exams that many programs use to assess your hand skills. Hub page: https://www.apurvadabak.com/pathway/interview/

- [Practicing or pausing?](https://www.apurvadabak.com/blog/practicing-or-pausing.md): Submitted your dental school applications? How to use the wait for interview invites to prepare for IDP interviews, MMIs and bench (practical) exams.

## Stage 5: Start your DDS program

You made it. The first weeks are orientation, logistics and a lot of new systems, followed by two or three very busy months. A little organization up front goes a long way. Hub page: https://www.apurvadabak.com/pathway/dds-school/

- [Ready, set, go! What to expect in the first week of the DDS program](https://www.apurvadabak.com/blog/first-week-of-dds-program.md): Starting an Advanced Standing DDS program? What happens in the first week, from ID cards and portals to instruments, scrubs, laptops and health insurance.

## Pages

- [About Dr. Apurva Dabak](https://www.apurvadabak.com/about/): background, credentials and story
- [Mentorship](https://www.apurvadabak.com/mentorship/): free 30-minute profile-building call (https://calendly.com/apurvadabakdentalpathways/profile-building), CAAPID mentoring, mock interviews
- [Resources](https://www.apurvadabak.com/resources/): free planners and every external resource the posts recommend
- [Glossary](https://www.apurvadabak.com/glossary/): definitions of CAAPID, IDP, Advanced Standing, INBDE, ECE, TOEFL, MMI, bench test

## Optional

- [Full text of all posts](https://www.apurvadabak.com/llms-full.txt)
- [JSON Feed](https://www.apurvadabak.com/feed.json)