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Special Section for New Dentists: Is Academic Dentistry Right for You? by Dr. William Jacobson with Drs. Stephanie Dennison and Lisa D’Affronte

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Is Academic Dentistry Right for You? 

What to know about the rewards, challenges, and pathways to becoming a dental educator

by Dr. William Jacobson with Drs. Stephanie Dennison and Lisa D’Affronte

After the stress of dental school, the last thing I wanted to do was return! Upon completing a general practice residency (GPR), I worked at a rural community health center in California. The newly hired dental assistants had zero dental experience. Observing these knowledge gaps, I began providing bi-weekly sessions to train the team (e.g., how to assist, pour models, dental terminology, etc.)

The office manager said, “I could see you becoming a dental school professor.” Despite having many teachers in my family, teaching dentistry had never crossed my mind. Maybe I could try it out one day when I had more experience?

Two years later, a job opening appeared at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry for a one-day-a-week teaching position. Although the admission committee had some doubts, my supervisor took a chance on me because she saw my “passion,” and I was hired.

Though I was thrilled that I was hired, the doubts set in. I had only a GPR and two years of practice under my belt. Did I know enough to teach? I share these doubts because over the years, I’ve met several seasoned dentists who have experienced these same doubts right before teaching.

Fairly soon after I got into teaching, I had two profound realizations that eliminated my doubts. First, I knew a lot more than these students. Second, I saw my younger self in their eyes—terrified, stressed, confused—with similar types of unanswered questions I had in dental school.

I wanted to help them with the knowledge, experience, and skills I had acquired. I wanted to simplify complicated dental concepts the way I wished someone had done for me. I also wanted to provide mentorship to my students with respect, empathy, and kindness. My approach became: “Ask me anything, and if I don’t know, let’s find out together!” As for the other new-to-academia faculty with self-doubts before teaching, I witnessed all their uncertainty dissipate as they started teaching, too.

The students responded favorably, as I could relate to them, provide practical advice, and answer questions on numerous topics, such as the current job market, job interviews, how to extract teeth, and how to pass the clinical dental board exams. I also made it a point to explain the “why” behind all my instructions.

I enjoyed teaching so much that I commuted two hours each way for several years.

During my time at UCSF, I enrolled in a faculty certification program called “Teach for UCSF.” In these monthly interactive courses specifically designed for health care educators, I learned how to perform assessments, provide feedback, and write letters of recommendation. This certification was exactly what I needed at that time.

If you are a practicing dentist, you’re fully aware that improving your skill set is a lifelong endeavor. The same goes for teaching, which requires a different skill set. Opportunities for professional growth are available in various forms (e.g., faculty in-service meetings, CEs, certifications, master’s degrees, PhDs).

Teaching at UCSF opened many doors for me. Since then, I’ve been hired as a curriculum consultant for two new dental schools, published a dental textbook (Clinical Dentistry Daily Reference Guide), been named one of the top 40 under 40 dentists, and joined the Dentaltown Editorial Advisory Board. I currently teach full-time at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

Along the way, I’ve met many passionate clinicians-turned-educators-turned-friends, and I’ve had the privilege of connecting with and mentoring numerous wonderful, eager learners.

If my story inspires you to consider a career in academia, I will provide you with some basic information to know before you apply.


Tracks and ranking in academia
Typically, there are two tracks one can take as a dental educator: the tenured research track or the non-tenured clinical track.

The research track is designed for individuals passionate about research, innovation, publishing, and securing grants. Tenured means a permanent position.

The clinical track is for those interested in working with students in the lecture hall, sim-lab, and clinic.

Within each track, institutions have various departments, such as comprehensive dentistry, operative dentistry, and oral surgery.

The ranking system progresses from instructor to assistant to associate to professor. Every dental institution has different, highly specific criteria for promotion to the next ranking. Climbing the academic ladder can take an entire career.


A typical week as an academic dentist
In general, academic dentists balance a combination of clinical oversight, direct patient care, didactic teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities.

As a full-time faculty member on the clinical track, a typical week may involve:
  • Multiple clinic sessions supervising third- and fourth-year dental students.
  • A day dedicated to patient care in the faculty practice.
  • Delivering a lecture for a departmental course, directing a pre-clinical simulation laboratory.
  • Attending faculty meetings.
  • Managing various administrative tasks (emails, reviewing and approving clinical notes, grading clinical competencies and coursework, and writing letters of recommendation.)

Benefits of academic dentistry
  • The ability to share your years of clinical experience with students.
  • The joy of mentoring cohorts of the next generation of dentists to positively impact thousands of patients.
  • Building long-lasting relationships with colleagues and students.
  • Endless learning opportunities to stay current with evidence-based dentistry.
  • Having both general dentist colleagues and “in-house” specialists to obtain second opinions from for complex cases.
  • Becoming a better clinician; students test the limits of your knowledge as you provide a rationale for your instructions.
  • Opportunities in leadership, mentorship, curriculum development, collaboration, inter-professionalism, continuing education, faculty practice, and publications.
  • Varied teaching opportunities and experiences each week (e.g., lecturing, sim-lab, researching, teaching, mentoring).
  • Less physically taxing on the body than practicing!
  • Financial benefits (salary, health insurance, retirement plan, sick days, vacation, federal holidays, possible tuition waivers for you or your kids, and more).

Challenges of academic dentistry
  • Relocating yourself (and your family) to live near a dental school.
  • Learning all the institutional knowledge of that dental school.
  • Learning a new skill set as an educator and mentor.
  • Testing your communication skills when instructing students.
  • Lack of full control when supervising students.
  • Holding students accountable for unprofessional behavior.
  • Constantly modeling professionalism for students to emulate.
  • Finding work/life balance.
  • Developing strong organizational and time management skills.
  • Office politics.
  • Salary may be lower than private practice or community health centers.
  • Faculty practice is a group practice with less autonomy than private practice.
  • Expectations of scholarly activity such as publishing or grant work.

The need, aka, the current landscape
There is a growing nationwide demand for qualified dental school faculty, with a 62% increase in open faculty positions between the 2018–2019 and 2021–2022 academic years.1 This demand is driven by a myriad of factors, but most significantly by the steady increase of new U.S. dental schools as well as the aging demographic of current faculty.

According to the American Dental Association, the U.S. now boasts 76 accredited dental schools, the most ever recorded, accompanied by peak enrollment levels.2 Meanwhile, the median age of dental school faculty remains in the mid-50s.1 As many seasoned faculty approach retirement, the need for new educators is intensifying.


Where to find job openings?
  • American Dental Education Association (ADEA): dentedjobs.adea.org
  • Individual dental or hygiene school websites

How to become a strong applicant
A strong applicant must be a “jack of all trades,” capable of balancing clinical excellence, research potential, and education.

Dental schools seek:
  • General dentists and specialists with robust clinical experience
  • Faculty with research experience, especially in key scientific areas
  • Applicants open to mentorship and continuous learning
  • Strong communicators with organizational and interpersonal skills
Those with advanced degrees (master’s, PhD, or public health certification) may have an additional advantage.

In summary, an ideal candidate for academic dentistry is passionate about education, adaptable to new challenges, and dedicated to advancing the field, whether through clinical practice, research, or mentorship. A career in academic dentistry can be deeply rewarding and worthwhile.

References
1. Istrate EC, Cooper BL, Gül G, Booker CL, West KP. Trends in dental school faculty: An analysis of the results of the 2021?2022 ADEA Dental School Faculty Demographic Census and 2018?2019 ADEA Survey of Dental School Faculty. J Dent Educ. 2024 Sep;88(9):1287-1307. doi: 10.1002/jdd.13702. PMID: 39256887.
2. ADA. (2025). CODA Survey of Dental Education Series. Dental Education | American Dental Association. https://www.ada.org/resources/research/health-policy-institute/dental-education.

Author Bios
Author William Jacobson, DMD, MPH, is a general dentist, clinical assistant professor, curriculum consultant, and the author of Clinical Dentistry Daily Reference Guide, a book to help dental students and dentists with day-to-day decision-making for a myriad of clinical scenarios. The book is available on Amazon.com. He is also a member of the Dentaltown Editorial Advisory Board. Website: williamjacobson.net.



Author Stephanie Dennison, DDS, FAGD, is a general dentist and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. She received her DDS from the school in 2015 and completed an advanced education in general dentistry program at NYU Langone Medical Center in 2016. Dennison served in the National Health Service Corps, providing comprehensive care at federally qualified health centers in Maryland until 2021. She is a fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and a certified dentist with the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. She currently practices dental sleep medicine at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry faculty practice and lectures on the subject to dental hygiene and predoctoral students.


Author Lisa D’Affronte, DDS, is a clinical assistant professor and division director of general practice in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. She graduated second in her class and was one of four students selected for the Diamond Scholar Program in the advanced education in general dentistry clinic during her senior year, where she worked alongside residents. D’Affronte completed a residency in general dentistry at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She began teaching at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in 2013 and has been instrumental in introducing CAD/CAM dentistry into the curriculum. She maintains a general dentistry faculty practice at the school and was named a Top Dentist by Baltimore Magazine in 2024 and 2025.
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