Established in 1972,the University of Florida College of Dentistry is the only publicly-funded dental school in the state and ranks as a national leader in dental education, research, patient care and community service.The collegeis housed in the Dental Sciences Building located on the UF Health Science Center campus.
Our students and faculty participate in interdisciplinary learning and research that benefits the college and its patient community, resulting in a well-rounded curriculum that produces dentists skillful in the art and science of dentistry.
The college educates the states future dentists and dental specialists through 16 degree and certificate programs. Each year we admit a new class of 90+ D.M.D. students who are among the top predental students in the nation. Students performance on standardized examinations is a benchmark of the quality of our academic programs. In June 2015, the colleges DMD Class of 2017 achieved an outstanding 100% first-time pass rate on Part One of the National Board Dental Exam, the seventh class in a row to achieve this benchmark of excellence.
The college is nationally recognized for its oral health research enterprise, emphasizing infectious diseases in dentistry, bone biology, pain and neurosciences, and translational research to improve clinical care. The UFCD research enterprise now ranks fifth nationally among all U.S. dental schools in NIH funding according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. We recruit mid-career basic scientists to achieve excellence in strong areas of research within the college, while also aligning the college with key research initiatives within the university and Health Science Center, including: genomics of infectious diseases, immunology, autoimmunity, biostatistics, cancer epidemiology and prevention, cell biology/cell signaling, and pain and neurosciences. We also strive to recruit magnet investigators and junior investigators to provide a nucleus of clinical and translational researchers in areas where we presently have complementary strengths.
We have a multi-faceted service mission encompassing patient care and community outreach and education. Through the UF Statewide Network for Community Oral Health, we improve access to dental care for Floridas residents, focusing on vulnerable and indigent populations and special needs patients. Our students and faculty also give of themselves in providing free dental treatment to underserved populations during service missions abroad and at home.
Welcome to the University of Florida College of Dentistry. I am honored to serve as the colleges 7th permanent dean and lead our efforts to improve oral health throughout Florida and globally through excellence in education, patient care, service and research.
Our college provides a full array of top-rate educational opportunities from our predoctoral education to graduate, specialty and certificate programs including a DMD/PhD program in biomedical science with a focus on oral biology. Collectively, our students and residents benefit from the skills and experience of our highly devoted faculty, and a rich collaborative environment afforded by being one of the six colleges that comprise UF Health. Our colleges faculty are not only educators and clinicians but also leaders in developing the knowledge that guides teaching and clinical care currently we are ranked No. 5 among the dental schools in the U.S. receiving grant support from the National Institutes of Health.
Our dental centers in Gainesville, Hialeah, St. Petersburg, Naples and Wildlight (Yulee) offer the highest quality comprehensive care to children and adults. As the only publicly-funded dental school in the state, our college has a strong tradition of service to the community; we have a multi-faceted service mission encompassing patient care and community outreach and education. Through the UF Statewide Network for Community Oral Health, we improve access to dental care for Floridas residents, focusing on vulnerable populations and special needs patients.
As we focus on developing exceptional, dentists, specialists, and researchers we are ever mindful that academic excellence must be matched by compassion, integrity and professionalism and that our future depends on producing not only future clinicians, but also leaders, academicians and researchers.
With continued support from the state of Florida, and in partnership with many organizations and individuals, we look forward to advancing all aspects of our mission, continuing to build the status of Gator Dentistry nationally and internationally during the coming years.
In 1957, the Florida Legislature designates the University of Florida as the site for a college of dentistry. The journey to secure funding, appoint faculty to establish the college and design and build a permanent expansionin the Health Science Center to house it takes almost two decades.
The first class of 24 dental students enters the University of Florida in 1972.The college administers education programs in several temporary spaces, and begins to provide dental care to patients. In 1975, the College of Dentistry moves into its new home in the eleven-story Dental Sciences Building.
The college graduates its first class in 1976. The next year, it establishes advanced education programs in orthodontics, oral pathology, general practice and periodontics. Continuing education programs begin in 1981, and educational offerings soon expand to include pediatric dentistry and oral biology.Several clinical research centers begin treating patients, and the college founds an outreach clinic in Mayo, Fla. In 1986, the first College of Dentistry satellite clinic opens in Jacksonville.
The college opens satellite clinics in St. Petersburg, Hialeah and on the east side of Gainesville to serve more Floridians, and receives recognition for its dental service. Several research centers are established, using federal and state grants as well as gifts from alumni and friends. Clinical education programs begin to incorporate rotations atcommunity-based dental clinics. The Sim Lab opens, allowing first- and second-year dental students to realistically simulate dental care before entering the clinic.
New clinics open in Naples and St. Petersburg (Seminole), greatly increasing the number of patients that can be treated. The college continues to keep abreast of technological advances, implementing digital radiography, adopting a new clinic management system, and acquiring a cone beam CT scanner. Administrative changes streamline both patient care and education, and the college begins the process of updating its three-decade-old home.