It is very difficult for foreign doctors to open a business in the United States. Relatively speaking, dentists trained abroad are much more likely to practice medicine in the United States.

Dentists from other countries other than Canada need to go through at least two procedures to practice medicine in the United States---1) Apply to attend an American dental school and complete specialized training for American dentists, which can take as little as one year to more than two years. 2) Pass the NBDE qualification examination. These two requirements do not constitute a natural hazard for foreign dentists with good professional ability and language proficiency. So there are so many foreign dentists in the United States. (As for Canada and the United States, they have the same system, so the qualification certification is interchangeable, making it simpler.)

As for studying dentistry in the United States, it may be much more difficult for Chinese students. The basic requirement for dental school is to graduate from a four-year college (there are very few schools that only require at least three years of college credits). It does not matter any major, but you need to take the DAT. Compared with MCAT, Chinese students will find DAT more difficult because DAT has a higher proportion of language requirements than MCAT. However, biochemistry and physics, which are generally regarded as strengths by Chinese students, have a low proportion. Other requirements are basically the same as those for medical school (there are many answers to medical school applications on Baidu for reference). The competition in dental schools is slightly less fierce than that in medical schools, but the winners are definitely an elite few. Some students choose dentistry because they can make money early and can practice medicine after graduating from dental school in four years. A small number of dentists will continue to enter the Residence to study advanced specialties such as dental implants, orthodontics, or oral surgery. These majors range from one to four years, with higher-paying majors requiring longer time requirements.

I have a lot of statistics about American medical school applications in my previous post, you can refer to them. Each year, less than 50,000 people apply for 18,000 places in medical schools, and the acceptance rate is about 35%-40%. The dental school has about 10,000 applications for 5,000 places each year, and the acceptance rate is slightly higher than the medical school. The average GPA of admitted students is also lower, so at least statistically speaking, a US dental degree (DDS) is easier than a US medical doctor (MD) degree. But dental schools, like orthodox medical schools, have very limited quotas for foreign students, probably less than 5%. Therefore, even if students without a green card have excellent academic qualifications, they have little chance of admission.

So from a statistical point of view, the best chance for Chinese students with good academic qualifications to become dentists in the United States is to come back after completing dental school in China. Dentists belong to the medical category and are the first priority of the Immigration Bureau. It is very easy to obtain a work permit.

But if you can’t even get into a dental school in China because you don’t have enough skills to take the test in your own language, then you can’t even think about taking the exam in a non-native language and applying to dental school in the United States. This answer may not be what you want to hear, but it should be a more comprehensive answer.