School of Dental Medicine Fact Sheet

Established in 1878, the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine is a private institution with a history deeply rooted in forging precedents in dental education, research, and patient care.

Since its founding, dentistry has been taught in a scientific environment as a specialty of medicine and under the multidisciplinary umbrella of the University of Pennsylvania.

Some of the School's key academic, faculty, and student highlights follow.

Penn Dental Medicine's educational programs include:

• A predoctoral DMD professional program.
  
• Postgraduate programs in the clinical specialties of endodontics, oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, pediatrics, periodontics, periodontics/orthodontics, periodontal prosthesis; and a Master of Science in Oral Biology program, which prepares students for an academic career.
  
• The Program for Advanced Standing Students (PASS), which enables graduates of foreign dental schools to gain the training needed to practice in the United States. Successful completion of the two-year program allows dentists from overseas to take licensing exams in any state. Graduates and students enrolled in the program represent over 60 countries.

Penn Dental Medicine consistently attracts high-quality students to its DMD program who routinely have GPAs and DAT (Dental Admission Test) scores above the national average for all dental schools.

Each year, approximately 130 students graduate from the predoctoral program at Penn Dental Medicine.

Penn Dental Medicine is unique among dental schools for the strength of both its clinical and basic science departments.

Penn Dental Medicine is designated a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Oral Infectious Diseases: Education, Research and Care. It is the only collaborating center worldwide devoted to oral infectious disease.

Penn Dental Medicine treats over 18,000 patients each year in its main clinical teaching facilities, located primarily in the Evans Building. A full range of general and specialty services are provided at the School, including treatment for medically complex patients. A new clinical facility, the Robert Schattner Center, was dedicated in 2002.

The University of Pennsylvania Dental Care Network includes one on-campus and two satellite practice locations for the group practice of Penn Dental Medicine faculty. These practice locations serve faculty and staff of the University of Pennsylvania and the Health System, as well as their surrounding communities.