How to Study in

Dental School
What they don't teach you during
orientation week

Welcome to our crash course on studying in dental school. As a dental

student, you are going to have a lot of information thrown at you and little
time to learn it all. Your day is already filled with classes, lab, and clinic.

If your current study methods ...

aren't working
are taking to long
aren't getting you the grades you deserve
aren't helping you actually remember anything

It is time to try something else and this guide is here to help.

We will break down studying into three essential steps:

Step 1: Learn and Understand

Step 2: Memorize through Active Recall
Step 3: Take Practice Tests

Let's get started!

 Step 1
Learn / Understand
Why are we not jumping into memorization right away?

Without understanding the material you are studying, you're merely

memorizing words, which can make the process more challenging,
time-consuming, and hinder your ability to apply knowledge to
different test questions.

How to learn/understand the new and sometimes difficult

concepts:

You are one lucky duck if your dental school lectures are all you need
to understand a topic! We are not always that lucky though. I
recommend exploring various learning methods such as visual aids,
reading, listening, and writing, finding what works best for you.

Utilize resources like textbooks, boards review books (these often

have great summaries/charts), YouTube channels (see next page for
a list of my favorite YouTube channels), upperclassmen, and
classmates to enhance your understanding.

How to know you are ready for the next step:

When the topic no longer looks like a foreign language (AKA you feel
confident you understand the material), it is time to move on.
Concepts don't have to be memorized at this point, that is coming
next.

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My Favorite YouTube Channels
(click the photo to be sent to the YouTube channel)

Dental Clarafication
My YouTube channel is new but growing. The focus is mostly on topics
for first year dental students. I include lots of color and animation to
keep things clear and entertaining.

Mental Dental
Content on various dental topics. Easy to find playlists of topic
categories. Channel has been around for 7 years so has large library of
videos. Videos are mostly PowerPoints with voice over.

Pass the Dental Boards

Mostly known for the "300 Facts Dental Anatomy" series which covers
anything you could possibly need to know about dental anatomy for
boards. Does cover other topics. Includes great memory
aids/mnemonics. Videos are PowerPoints with voice over.

Stevenson Dental Solutions

This channel made by Dr. Stevenson focuses on instructional videos.
AKA you will be able to watch different preps and restorations. Dr.
Stevenson was a Professor of Clinical Dentistry at UCLA for 26 years
before going private.

Simple Nursing
Who says you cannot learn from other medical professionals? While
this channel is directed towards nurses, the reviews on
pharmacology, physiology, and pathology are amazing! This channel
has been around for 10 years and is still actively posting. That means
HUGE library of videos.

Ninja Nerd
High quality science and medicine lectures. White board lectures with
great drawings and explanations. Channel is 6 years old and still
posting. Another HUGE library of videos.

@ Dental Clarafication, All Rights Reserved

 Step 2
Memorize Through
Active Recall
What memorization techniques are NOT active recall?

Highlighting, re-reading, and re-writing verbatim from your notes

is considered passive learning. While these methods do work for
some, and may have even worked for you in undergrad, they take
way too long. In dental school, time is of the essence! A better
approach is active recall.

What is active recall and why is it important?

Active recall is actively retrieving information from memory. Aka

your notes are NOT in front of you as you recall the information.
Active recall has been shown to be the most effective learning
method. A little more obvious...This practice of recalling
information without your notes in front of you gets you ready to
recall information during a test, where guess what, your notes will
not be in front of you.

Word of warning!

Active recall is hard. But hey, you made it into dental school, you
can handle hard. It almost feels like your brain hurts the first time
you try to recall information... and you are staring at a blank page.
You are training your brain and each time you do it you will
remember more and more. Don't give up!

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How to do active recall:

The goal is to recall information from memory. Start by picking a

specific concept or topic. Your goal is to recall everything you can
about that concept from memory.

I am serious! Don't look at your notes and flip them over. Then do
one of the following:

Rewrite your notes from memory

Write down / brain dump everything you know about the
concept
Use a model or diagram and talk through everything you know
with a friend
Teach a friend the concept / have them ask you questions
Redraw the diagrams or charts

Now flip your notes back over. Check what you missed or got
wrong. Correct it and repeat. You will find each time you do this
you remember more and more and your brain hurts less and less.

How to know you are ready for the next step:

Once you can actively recall the information without relying

heavily on your notes and feel confident in your ability to explain
the concepts, you are ready to take some practice tests.

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 Step 3
Take Practice Tests
Why add more tests to your life?

Practicing with test-like conditions familiarizes you with the exam

format, allows you to develop effective test-taking strategies, and
reinforces your ability to recall information in a test setting.

Why didn't we use practice tests for our recall step?

If you only studied from practice multiple choice, short answer, or

T/F questions, you would just memorize the answers to those
specific questions and not the topics in whole. If your actual test
has questions that are not worded exactly how you memorized
them, you will have a hard time getting the answer correct despite
studying so hard.

Where to get practice test questions:

Boards review books

End of the chapters in your textbooks
Online question banks
Practice tests provided by your dental school or professors
Get a group of classmates together to make your own question
bank

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How to do this step:

First, get your hands on a practice test that has the same style of
questions as your dental school exams.

Second, take that practice test using same time limits as your
dental school tests.

Thirds, review what you got wrong and why you got it wrong. Is
there a topic you need to relearn or a type of questions you keep
getting wrong? Adjust your studying and test taking strategy
accordingly.

How to know you are ready for the next step

(AKA ready to crush that exam):

You consistently perform well on practice tests and feel confident

in your ability to apply knowledge and recall information under
exam conditions.

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By following these three steps

1. Learn and Understand

2. Memorize through Active Recall
3. Take Practice Tests

you can optimize your study efforts in dental school.

Happy studying!
Dr. Clara

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