Dentistry

Dentistry is the medical field devoted to the art and science of maintaining the oral cavity's health of soft and hard tissues. Dentistry is not just about filling teeth! Dental procedures are becoming much more sophisticated and involve advancing technology to prevent, diagnose and/or treat periodontal disease, caries, malocclusion, and oral-facial abnormalities. Dentists also have the responsibility of detecting head and neck cancer and other mucosal diseases. More and more research is discovering that there is a strong link between oral and systemic health. Dentists are the dental health care team's directors, which include dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental laboratory technicians. These dental professionals work together to develop and complete individualized and comprehensive treatment plans for each patient.

Established in 1972, the University of Florida College of Dentistry is the only publicly-funded dental school in the state. It ranks as a national leader in dental education, research, patient care, and community service. The college is housed in the Dental Sciences Building located on the UF Health Science Center campus.

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. According to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the University of Florida College of Dentistry (UFCD) research enterprise now ranks fifth nationally among all U.S. dental schools in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. 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.