Meet the smartest family of dentists in the world: Who studied what and why all 5 kids went to a Spanish university

Meet the Chen family, the internet’s new favourite and definitely a contender for the title of “smartest family of dentists in the world.” 

Dad’s a dentist. Mum’s a dentist. All five kids? Dentists too. 

All of them graduated from some of the most prestigious dental schools in the US, including Harvard University, New York University, Northwestern University, and Tufts University. 

They’ve all risen to viral fame, and why wouldn’t they? They’re the type of family your parents would compare you to.

 

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Five siblings, one degree

Most siblings carve out their own paths. Some compete. Some intentionally choose different schools, different careers, and different cities.

But when it comes to the Chen siblings — Dr. Nina Chen, Dr. Audree Chen, Dr. Niq Chen, Dr. Aleq Chen, and Dr. Nasdaq Chen — they chose to stick together. Same primary, middle, and high schools. And when it came time to choose their future paths, they decided not to be apart.

They moved abroad together. Same country. Same university. Same degree.

In a YouTube video, one of the children, Dr. Niq Chen, joked that they’re like Velcro. And he’s not wrong. 

The siblings even co-authored a study titled, “Utilising granulomatous tissue as a membrane for primary closure: Introducing Leon’s Everted Gingival Pouch (LEGP) technique”.

And while they may have stuck together through dental school, each of the Chen children has built an impressive academic journey of their own for their postgraduate degrees.

 

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Where and what the children of the smartest family of dentists in the world studied

Dr Nina Chen (1st child)

University: Universidad Europea de Madrid and New York University (NYU)

Degrees: Bachelor’s in Dentistry and a postgraduate degree

Specialisation: Periodontics and implant dentistry

Dr Audree Chen (2nd child)

University: Universidad Europea de Madrid and Tufts University

Degrees: Bachelor’s in Dentistry, a postgraduate degree, and a joint Master of Science degree

Specialisation: Prosthodontics

Dr Niq Chen (3rd child)

University: Universidad Europea de Madrid and Columbia University

Degrees: Bachelor’s in Dentistry and a postdoctoral degree 

Specialisation: Periodontics 

Dr Aleq Chen (4th child)

University: Universidad Europea de Madrid and Tufts University

Degrees: Bachelor’s in Dentistry and a postdoctoral degree 

Specialisation: Prosthodontics

Dr Nasdaq Chen (5th child)

University: Universidad Europea de Madrid and Columbia University

Degrees: Bachelor’s in Dentistry and a postdoctoral degree 

Specialisation: Implantology

 

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So, what’s so special about Universidad Europea de Madrid?

With a family resume stacked with names like Harvard, NYU, and Tufts, many may assume the Chen siblings completed every step of their education in the US. But instead of staying home for their dental degrees, they moved halfway across the world to Universidad Europea de Madrid. 

So why Spain? While we don’t exactly know why they did it, we’ve done some research. 

For one, the Universidad Europea de Madrid offers an internationally recognised dental programme with a strong clinical focus and early hands-on training.

The university offers a Bachelor’s degree in Dentistry (taught in English)and a Master’s in Dentistry (taught only in Spanish).

The thing is, the university isn’t ranked in the QS World University Rankings by Subject for Dentistry. However, it has been recognised as one of the best in Spain, ranking fifth in the 23rd edition of El Mundo‘s prestigious ranking. 

Besides, there’s a global perspective. Studying in Madrid exposes students to diverse patient populations, different healthcare systems, and international standards of care — an experience that can broaden both clinical skills and cultural understanding. 

Oh, and it’s cheap(er). An undergraduate degree in dentistry at Universidad Europea de Madrid would cost approximately 24,040 euros (US$28,208) per year. That’s way less than what you would be paying for in the US — and just imagine their parents having to pay for five children to attend dentistry school.

For the Chen family, whose identity is built on things together and long-term thinking, the decision seems to be about expanding their reach rather than stepping away from the US.