Building on Tradition

Lifelong Learning. It's one of the tenets of great dental medicine.

As leaders of our profession, we constantly strive for improvement to take our practice and our understanding to new levels.

This spirit pervades Penn Dental Medicine. You see it in our faculty, our students and our graduates. It's the thread that binds our international community of practitioners and scholars. And it's the same approach we take with our curriculum.

As dental science evolves, so does our tradition of academic excellence. For instance, all first-year students now hone their preclinical skills using virtual reality equipment in the DentSim Lab. While students perform procedures, this lifelike simulation gives detailed feedback to help reduce errors and accelerate development. It's an ideal complement to the rigorous instructor-led training.

"Penn Dental Medicine was the first school to integrate this technology with the curriculum," says Dr. Margrit Maggio (D'87), assistant professor of Restorative Dentistry. "Learning the fundamentals this way gives our students a great advantage in the clinic and beyond."

Another way our students get ahead is through innovative courses designed to reflect their professional interests, such as practice management, microendodontics or forensic dentistry. Enabling students to pursue the aspects of dentistry they're passionate about is what ultimately draws them into different specialties and professions.

No matter what path they choose, the end result is clear: Penn Dental Medicine students and alumni make an impact on the profession around the world.