School of Dentistry

Dean

Martha Somerman
D322 Health Sciences

Established in 1945, the University of Washington School of Dentistry offers courses leading to a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree, and advanced education leading to a Master of Science in Dentistry degree and/or a certificate of proficiency in endodontics, oral medicine, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, and prosthodontics. Residency training is available in oral and maxillofacial surgery and general practice. The Department of Oral Biology offers a Master of Science (M.S.), an M.S. non-thesis degree for dental hygiene educators, and a doctoral degree (Ph.D.). Postdoctoral study is available in various disciplines. The School also offers a baccalaureate degree completion program in dental hygiene.

Opportunities to earn other degrees concurrently (M.S. or Ph.D. in the School of Dentistry's Department of Oral Biology and other schools) may be arranged on an individual basis.

These educational programs are enriched by the School's strong commitment to research and the presence of a Regional Clinical Dental Research Center, a Comprehensive Center for Oral Health Research, a Dentist-Scientist program, and a fellowship research training programs for predoctoral and postdoctoral students. The mission of the Regional Clinical Dental Research Center is to foster clinically relevant research that will advance dentistry's knowledge base, improve patient care, and promote oral health. The Comprehensive Center for Oral Health Research is focused on children's dental health and is one of only six such programs to be funded nationally by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. State-of-the-art clinical research facilities are available for faculty and student use.

School of Dentistry Mission Statement: "The School of Dentistry shares the University's overall mission to generate, disseminate, and preserve knowledge and serve the community. The School is an integral part of the Health Sciences Center and is an oral health-care center of excellence serving the people of the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest. Our primary mission, through educational, research, and service programs, is to prepare students to be competent oral health-care professionals. The School's research programs contribute to the fundamental understanding of biologic processes and to the behavioral, biomedical, and clinical aspects of oral health. The service mission is to improve the health and well-being of the people of the community and the region through outreach programs that are especially attentive to minority and underserved populations. The School values diversity in its students, staff, faculty, and patient populations. It seeks to foster an environment of mutual respect where objectivity, imaginative inquiry, and the free exchange of ideas can flourish to facilitate personal development, professionalism, and a strong sense of self-worth." (August 2002)

The following departments participate in the curriculum for the School's programs:

• Dental Public Health Sciences is concerned with the social, legal, political, economic, and psychological aspects of dental health-care delivery as well as the epidemiology of oral diseases and the application of biostatistical methods in studying them.
• Endodontics offers training in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries of the tooth pulp and periradicular tissues.
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery trains students in the procedures used for all types of operations in the oral cavity and all phases of dental pain control.
• Oral Biology encompasses the study of basic biological mechanisms in normal and diseased oral tissues and structures.
• Oral Medicine provides training in diagnostic techniques and nonsurgical treatments of oral disease.
• Orthodontics provides training in the prevention and correction of malocclusion of the teeth.
• Pediatric Dentistry provides students with a broad understanding of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of most dental needs from infancy through adolescence with emphasis on the psychological and educational requirements of the patient and parent.
• Periodontics offers training relative to the periodontium and dental implants, with emphasis placed on diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and maintenance.
• Prosthodontics provides instruction in the fabrication and maintenance of removable, complete, and partial dentures, and dental implants.
• Restorative Dentistry offers training in the restoration or replacement of tooth structure and study of the form and function of the masticatory structures.