About
Where international dentists learn what evaluators look for.
Lumina Dental Institute prepares internationally trained dentists for every step of U.S. admission, from the application to the bench test to the interview. Our faculty have directed residency programs and examined candidates for licensure, and they teach from the evaluator's side of the table.
EDUCATION • MENTORSHIP • CLINICAL EXCELLENCE
Founder
Luana Oliveira-Haas, DDS, MS, PhD
As a Postgraduate Operative Dentistry Program Director, and later director of an AEGD program, I interviewed and evaluated hundreds of internationally trained dentists. Many were excellent clinicians. A surprising number still didn't get in. It wasn't their hands. No one had shown them what we were actually looking for. I watched candidates repeat the same preparation a hundred times and make the same error every time. I read strong careers hidden inside CVs written for another country's system. I sat through interviews where good dentists couldn't explain their own reasoning. None of that was a talent problem. It was an information problem. We founded Lumina to solve it.
Associate Professor, UMKC AEGD Program, academic appointments at NSU, UMKC, UNMC, and UNESP
Internationally trained dentist who completed the U.S. dental education pathway
Published author and editor in restorative and esthetic dentistry
How we teach
Four things we hold to.
Whether you're at the bench, writing your personal statement, or preparing for the interview, the same four principles shape how we teach.
FACULTY
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Faculty
LEARN FROM FACULTY WHO KNOW WHAT EVALUATORS LOOK FOR.
Both instructors work alongside you throughout the two-day program, providing demonstrations, individualized coaching, and real-time feedback.
