Mexico Dental Schools
Abstract
Background
The history of the modern medical and dental era in Mexico
dates back to 1841, with the advent of professional regulatory
law. Despite great achievements, dental education continued
to be rather disorganized from 1841 to 1880; this situation
lasted until the end of the 19th century when Americans who
had graduated from U.S. dental schools began arriving in
Mexico. Many of them worked on organizing an educational
system mimicking that in the U.S. In 1880 Eduard Clay Wise
and Tobias Nuñez asserted the necessity for a formal dental
school in Mexico. At about the same time, the first dental
the journal appeared; El Bazar Mexicano y la Odontologia, which
set the standard for other dental publications in that era. In
1887, Alfonso M. Brito established the first dental society, the
Sociedad Odontologica; in the following years, a committee
was created to organize dental study programs and new dental
societies. The formation of new dental schools resulted in the
need for laws to regulate dental education and the profession
in general. In 1901, the Sociedad Odontologica made a formal
request to formulate such laws. The regulatory law of the
first national dental education program was approved in 1903
by the Chamber of Deputies, and, in 1904, the first national
dental school, Consultorio Nacional de Enseñanza Dental, was
founded [1,2].
Overall Educational System in Mexico and
Dental School Admission
Mexico’s educational system is divided into three levels: basic
(preschool, primary and secondary education), mid-level (high
school or undergraduate education leading to a bachelor’s
degree or technical degree), and advanced (postgraduate
education). In 2004, an estimated 2,323,000 students were
registered in advanced education programs.
Eligible applicants for dental schools must have graduated
from high school and have had 12 years of education. High
school students who want to enter an advanced education
dental program should have a solid background in biology,
chemistry, and physics. In Mexico, the EXANI II examination
measures the proficiency of high school graduates; it is similar
to the standardized exams required for American students
to graduate from high school. Each university has its own
admissions requirements and procedures, and the admissions
process to enter public universities is extremely competitive
and demanding.
The annual cost of public advanced education varies
according to the university. For example, the public
Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes cost approximately
US $800 in 2010. In contrast, the annual cost of a dental
education program at a private university was US $8000. This
difference is one of the main reasons why entrance into public
universities is in such high demand.
Dental School Curriculum
In 1977, there were 59 dental schools in Mexico, 37 of which
were public and 22 of which were private [3]. Of the 26,177
students enrolled in dental education programs, 89.9% were
in public schools (22,999 students), and only 12.1% were in
private schools (3,178 students). Population growth and the
demand for higher education programs led to an increase in
the number of dental schools; there was a total of 83 in 2007
(Table 1); 41 of these were public and 42 were private. This
increase translates to a growth ratio of 40.7% in 30 years. Each
year, the number of new dental schools increases, as do the
numbers of students and licensed dentists.
All dental schools must register with and be accredited by
the Minister of Education (SEP) and it's National Association of
Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (ANUIES).
ANUIES was established in 1950 to develop and regulate
higher (advanced) education in Mexico. Interest in developing
and improving the quality of higher education in Mexico has
Dental Education in Mexico
David Masuoka1, Takashi Komabayashi2, Enrique Reyes-Vela3
1David Masuoka, DDS, Ph.D., Professor, Dentistry Department, Health Science Center, Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes,
Aguascalientes, Mexico. 2DDS, MDS, Ph.D., Associate Professor, and Graduate Endodontic Program Director, Department of
Endodontics, West Virginia University School of Dentistry, USA. 3DDS, MSc, Director (Former), Dentistry Department, Health
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