College of Dentistry

College of Dentistry Index

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, D.D.S. students, and specialty residents provide oral health care to patients at clinics in the Dental Science Building, the Center for Disabilities and Development, and dentistry clinics at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Veterans Affairs Iowa City Health Care System. 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.

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 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 Commission on Post-Secondary Education.

Programs offered by the college cover the full spectrum of dentistry and closely integrated fields. They include the Bachelor of Science in oral health science, a degree completion program for individuals holding an A.A.S. degree in dental hygiene; the Doctor of Dental Surgery program (D.D.S.), which prepares general dentists; advanced education programs in all dental specialties, each of which may lead to certification in a dental specialty; several advanced education programs in other areas of dentistry, including the oral science program, which offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees; post-D.D.S. residency programs in general dentistry and hospital-based dentistry; and a wide variety of continuing education programs for dental and allied professions.