Dental Schools in Puerto Rico
3 DDS/DMD dental programs in our catalogue for Puerto Rico. Compare DAT score requirements, GPA profiles, in-state preference and AADSAS application strategy.
About Puerto Rico: Pop. ~3.2M; the San Juan metro is the medical hub, with Ponce and Bayamón also hosting health-sciences campuses. Four LCME-accredited MD programmes and three dental schools serve the territory — more MD programmes than most US states.
In-state context: Puerto Rico is a US jurisdiction: its medical schools are LCME-accredited, students use AMCAS and graduates enter the US residency match on the same terms as any other US school. The public University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine strongly favours PR residents; the private programmes (Ponce, Universidad Central del Caribe, San Juan Bautista) admit more broadly but still draw heavily from the island. Clinical teaching and patient contact are largely in Spanish, so working Spanish is expected regardless of residency — confirm each programme's stated language requirement before you apply.
Major health systems
- Puerto Rico Medical Center (Centro Médico)
- Hospital Auxilio Mutuo
- HIMA San Pablo
- Metro Pavía Health System
- VA Caribbean Healthcare System
DDS vs DMD — what is the difference?
Both DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) and DMD (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry / Doctor of Dental Medicine) are equivalent degrees. The title used depends solely on the university, not on any difference in training, scope of practice, or licensure. All CODA-accredited programs lead to the same dental licence. Applications go through AADSAS (ADEA) for most schools. The DAT (Dental Admission Test) is required by virtually all programs.
3 Dental Programs in Puerto Rico
- University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine (DMD)
San Juan, PR
The University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine was founded in 1957. It is the primary dental school in Puerto Rico, and the training institution for the island's dental workforce. It sits at UPR's Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan. The school trains dentists for Puerto Rico's diverse communities through a comprehensive 4-year DMD curriculum. It is a public institution, and its core mission is to close Puerto Rico's dental access gaps, especially in rural municipalities and underserved communities.
DMD15.0% acceptanceStrong in-state pref. - Universidad Ana G. Méndez School of Dental Medicine (DMD)
Gurabo, PR
Universidad Ana G. Méndez School of Dental Medicine is a private dental school on the UAGM Gurabo Campus in Puerto Rico, part of the UAGM university system. It received CODA initial accreditation in 2024 and enrolled its inaugural DMD class in August 2024. The school trains dentists for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean with a focus on community-based dental care, underserved populations, and bilingual clinical practice. As a private institution, it has somewhat less restrictive residency requirements than UPR Dental but still strongly favors Puerto Rico and US-territory applicants with Spanish proficiency.
DMD14.0% acceptance - Ponce Health Sciences University School of Dental Medicine (DMD)
Ponce, PR
Ponce Health Sciences University School of Dental Medicine is a new private dental school in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It sits within Ponce HSU's growing health sciences university, alongside the medical school and doctoral programs. The school received CODA initial accreditation and enrolled its inaugural DMD class of about 50 students in August 2024. The school trains dentists for Puerto Rico through an interprofessional curriculum, early patient contact, and community-oriented training. It focuses on the south and interior of the island, where dental access gaps are significant. Ponce HSU's medical school affiliation provides dental students with distinctive interprofessional education opportunities.
DMD16.0% acceptance
Applying to dental school in Puerto Rico?
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