College of Dentistry

Professional degree: DDS

Graduate degrees: MS; PhD

Website: https://dentistry.uiowa.edu/

The College of Dentistry is an integral part of the University of Iowa and its health sciences campus. Its mission, which embraces the university's academic values as well as the ethical responsibilities implicit in educating future members of a profession, rests on a foundation representing every aspect of collegiate activity: education of students as general practitioners and specialists; research into all aspects of oral and dental disease and the delivery of health care; and service to the community, the state, and the profession.

Faculty members, DDS students, dental specialty residents, and staff provide oral health care to patients at clinics in the Dental Science Building and the Center for Disabilities and Development. Faculty, staff, and students participate in interdisciplinary research and training activities involving the university's five health science colleges as well as other university colleges and departments.

Patient at a College of Dentistry check-in desk.

Dentistry at the University of Iowa began in 1882 as a single department. In 1900 the university underwent general reorganization and the Dental Department became the College of Dentistry. Today the college is Iowa's only provider of predoctoral dental education and ranks as a leader in dental education nationwide.

The college and its educational programs are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, an independent tripartite commission authorized and recognized by the Office of Postsecondary Education.

Programs offered by the college cover the full spectrum of dentistry and closely integrated fields. They include the Doctor of Dental Surgery program (DDS), which prepares general dentists. The college has advanced education programs in nine dental disciplines, each of which may lead to certification in a specialized area of dentistry. In addition, advanced education programs in operative dentistry, geriatrics and special needs dentistry, and post-DDS residency programs in hospital-based dentistry are available. The college has an oral science program, which offers an MS or PhD with or without a specialty certificate. To emphasize commitment to learning, the College of Dentistry has a wide variety of continuing education programs for dental and allied professions.

Faculty

Iowa's dental faculty are predominantly full time. In addition, more than 100 part-time adjunct faculty members assist with clinical teaching in the DDS and advanced residency programs. Approximately 88% of the college's faculty members hold DDS or DMD degrees and 12% represent other disciplines. The vast majority of faculty dentists have advanced education past the DDS, generally with master's degrees in specialty areas; about one-fifth hold a PhD.

The College of Dentistry is committed to the principle that diversity is essential to a strong educational environment—one that prepares new generations of dentists to provide high-quality care to patients from many backgrounds. The college's full-time faculty reflects that commitment.