About

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 and community service. The college is 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 state’s 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 college’s 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 Florida’s 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.