Academy of General Dentistry (AGD)

The Academy of General Dentistry is the only organization exclusively dedicated to serving the interests and professional needs of the general dentist. AGD provides its more than 40,000 members with the resources, support, and inspiration they need to deliver the best dental care and oral health education to the public. Wherever you are in your career — dental student, new dentist, mid-career, or experienced dentists — AGD provides educational programming, opportunities for you to advocate for our profession, and a link for general dentists who want to connect with a strong and dedicated network of industry leaders.

The AGD works at the student chapter, state, regional, and national levels. At UAB, the AGD student chapter hosts multiple events throughout the year:

• Exclusive continuing education courses for UAB students
• Oral cancer screenings at the Lovelady Center
• Introduction to AGD Annual D1 Pizza Party
• Lunch and Learn Q&As with special guest speakers
• Social networking events with general dentists across the state
• Participation in the ALAGD Emerald Coast Conference and National AGD Annual Scientific Session

All dental students are welcome to join. For more information, visit UABAGD on Instagram.

American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD)

The American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) is a national organization established in 1921 that seeks to unite women dentists (and dental students) together to form a place of comradery and support for one another. AAWD benefits its members from dental school through retirement.

At UAB, AAWD works to cultivate relationships among dental students by hosting various socials, including wine and charcuterie events, Galentines, among others. Students have the opportunity to learn more about personal and professional life after dental school.

All dental students are welcome to join. For more information, visit UAB AAWD on Facebook.

This new chapter aims to help SOD students become aware of and learn more about career opportunities in dental education. Activities being discussed include panel events with current residents to help with understanding residency programs, application processes, and interviews, as well as panels with current full- and part-time faculty on the many opportunities in dentistry, including dental education. Membership and participation are open to all SOD students.

American Student Dental Association (ASDA)

More than 50 years ago, dental students first came together to organize what is now known as the American Student Dental Association. Today ASDA connects students on local and national levels and gives them the training they need to be better leaders and professionals.

ASDA Alabama is involved at the district and national levels. In addition, the chapter hosts multiple events throughout the year. Events include:

• Miles for Smiles is an annual fall fun run fundraiser for Cahaba Valley Health Care’s dental clinic.
• Helps UAB Pediatric Dentistry hold Give Kids A Smile, an initiative of the American Dental Association.
• Oral Hygiene Drive for First Light Women’s Shelter.
• Annual Vendor’s Day
• ASDA Wide Open annual golf tournament.
• Also helps Love in Action Ministries with canned food drives

The chapter also publishes a newsletter, the Handpiece, which includes information about chapter events. All dental students are welcome to join. Visit Alabama ASDA on the web and on Facebook.

Asian Dental Student Organization (ADSO)

The Asian Dental Student Organization(ADSO) aspires to enrich the professional, educational, recreational, and social dimensions of UAB SOD while furthering the understanding of the unique aspects of Asian culture through:

• Events to celebrate holidays from different cultures such as Holi, Lunar New Year, and Mooncake Festival
• Asian dentist speakers
• Language and culture workshops

All UAB dental students are welcome to become members and participate in events hosted by the Asian Dental Student Organization.

Dental Business Club

The Dental Business Club focuses on educating dental students on the various business aspects of the dental profession through lectures and meetings with professionals from multiple disciplines that have experience in the dental field. All dental students are welcome to join.

Endodontics Interest Group

Is your future in Endodontics?

Endodontic treatment has remained the only treatment available to save the natural tooth from hopelessly being extracted. That being said, advances made over the last 30 years have allowed us to assure patients of predictable success at a rate beyond 95%. Considering the promising future of Endodontics, we want to offer supplemental information about the specialty in order to help those interested to decide whether endodontics is right for them! All dental students are welcome to join.

Esthetic Dentistry Club

The UAB Esthetics Club is a new student interest club focused on learning clinical aspects of esthetic dentistry. The club has started strong with online lectures from local and national experts and a hands-on intraoral photography session. All dental students are welcome to join.

Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA)

The Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and improving oral health in the Hispanic community. As the leading voice for Hispanic Oral Health, we provide service, education-research, advocacy, and leadership for all healthcare professionals, to promote overall health of the Hispanic/Latinx and underrepresented communities.

Our active UAB HSDA chapter hosts a variety of events and initiatives throughout the year:

• Each April, the chapter hosts a Dental Immersion Day for high school students interested in dentistry, including those who face barriers to success. Held in cooperation with the Alabama State Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), this is an immersive program in dentistry where students participate in lectures and pre-clinical dentistry activities while a concurrent program is held for parents to become familiar with college presentation and financial aid.
• The group holds an annual D1 Information Session where they let new first year students know what the organization can do for them, including their efforts to have a smoother transition going into clinic as well as volunteering and other social events.
• Through Spanish & Snacks, the group provides HSDA members with Spanish terms that are commonly used in the clinic in order to facilitate the communication with their Spanish-speaking patients.
• The group is involved in community service through Cahaba Valley Health Care, providing patient screenings and volunteers.
• During the spring semester, the group also hosts their annual Salsa & Sangria for students and faculty. The event is full of Hispanic food and salsa dancing, just to submerge everyone a bit in the Hispanic culture.

In addition, the chapter works on special projects during the year that support the Hispanic population of patients.

All dental students are welcome to join. For more information, visit UAB HSDA on Facebook.

The Oral Cancer Society (OCS) is dedicated to educating future dental professionals on the early detection, diagnosis, and understanding of oral cancer carcinogenesis. We believe this subject is critical for all students, regardless of their prospective specialty or practice setting. Our mission is to enhance students' clinical competencies while fostering a deeper understanding of the most current scientific evidence. Through this, we aim to cultivate a generation of dentists who are aware and prepared to reduce the impact of oral cancer. All dental students are welcome to join.

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Student Interest Group

The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Interest Group (OMSIG) is a student led organization open to students interested or potentially interested in oral surgery. We aim to educate and expose students to the full scope of oral surgery well beyond what most associate with oral surgery, “pulling wisdom teeth.” The aim of OMSIG is to connect students with oral surgery faculty, residents, and other interested students to create a community of those pursuing the same goal of becoming an oral surgeon. You will be educated on what is required to become a completive applicant when applying for residency, find mentors within the field, and resources to gain hands on experience and exposure to the full scope of oral surgery. All dental students are welcome to join.

Pediatric Student Interest Group

PSIG stands for Pediatric Student Interest Group and we love Pedo! Our group has several meetings throughout the year as well as service events revolving around the topic of pediatric dentistry. Each year we invite pediatric dentists in our community or general dentists who see children to speak about life seeing kids in private practice. We also hold informational meetings about applying for a pediatric residency for anyone interested. Whether you want to be a pediatric dentist or just want to see kids in your general practice, this group is for you! All dental students are welcome to join.

Periodontics Student Interest Group

The Periodontics Student Interest Group is a club dedicated to exploring the great specialty of Periodontics. The group will have networking opportunities with local periodontists, interviews with residents, tours of dental implant manufacturers, and much more! All dental students are welcome to join.

Prosthodontics Student Interest Group

Our mission is to broaden younger dental students’ horizons by showing them one of the most important dental specialties: prosthodontics. All dental students are welcome to join. The club provides early exposure to D1 students through a variety of activities:

• Lectures and case presentations from faculty and local prosthodontists
• Meet with residents to talk about the residency program and the application process
• Waxing practice with the residents

Sports Dentistry Club

Sports Dentistry helps equip students with the skills to treat/prevent dental injuries while promoting community engagement. Members reap benefits such as intramurals, lunchtime speakers, and volunteer opportunities. All dental students are welcome to join!

Student Government Association (SGA)

Student Government Association, also known as SGA, is a student-run organization that plans and coordinates events for the School of Dentistry and represents the SOD students in any necessary campus meetings. Each individual class (D1, D2, D3, and D4) is represented within SGA by 3 elected members. We also hold the elections to vote for the officers of each class. The elected class members work together to plan social events, fundraisers and other functions for both the individual classes and the entire school. Some of these events include holiday parties, graduation celebrations, homecoming events, a school-wide formal, Family Day, service events and much more! All dental students are welcome to join.

Student National Dental Association (SNDA)

The Student National Dental Association (SNDA) is an organization that strives to support the academic and social environment of students. The organization strives to establish opportunities for members to develop stronger alliances amongst one another while developing a sense of community and aiding in the advancement of minority students within the field of dentistry. It provides great opportunities to hone leadership skills on both national and local levels. SNDA also supports tackling health disparities in underserved populations.

Our award winning UAB SNDA chapter hosts and promotes several social and community service events throughout the school year:

• Impressions Program for disadvantaged pre-dental college students who demonstrate achievement and determination in the face of personal challenges is held annually in February. The program exposes pre-dental college students to a career in dentistry.
• Wax and Relax is an event where first-year dental students receive tips and tricks on waxing from current prosthodontics residents before their first bridge exam of the year. Add in a little food and it makes for a fun and sociable evening.
• Women to Women Brunch at the Birmingham Museum of Art that provides an opportunity for dental students to network with dentists who are currently practicing in the Birmingham area.
• Free dental screenings at Operation Help and Hope to serve the Birmingham area homeless.
• G.R.A.C.E. Thanksgiving Luncheon shows appreciation for the school's Environmental Services staff.

All dental students are welcome to join. For more information, visit UABSNDA on Facebook or email uabsnda@uab.edu.

Student Research Group (SRG)

The UAB School of Dentistry Student Research Group is the local chapter of the National Student Research Group in the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR/IADR). The SRG exists to aid in students (undergraduate, masters, PhD, dental, and residents) in finding research opportunities, support students involved in research, and host research-related events for the student body. All dental students are welcome to join.