Master of Science in Oral Biology

The Master of Science in Oral Biology (MSOB) degree program is comprised of two tracks designed for outstanding students who are interested in either integrating more extensive research or structured evidence-based learning into their postgraduate education. Enrollment in the MSOB program tracks is limited to individuals concurrently registered in one of the postgraduate specialty training programs at Penn Dental Medicine.

Candidates receive the MSOB degree after completion of both their specialty training and the Master’s curriculum, which consists of didactic, seminar and research practicum courses. Depending on the track selected, research activities or a systematic literature review form the core of this program. and students are expected to participate in a project of sufficient scope and intensity or construct a structured and critically-evaluated literature review focused on an important oral health-related research or clinical question. Presentation of an in-depth review of the relevant literature along with a manuscript reporting the results of the research or systematic review are required for graduation.

Penn Dental Medicine is among the oldest university-affiliated dental institutions in the nation. Its historic ties trace back to the Philadelphia College of Dental Surgery, established in 1852. In 1856, the faculty of the Philadelphia College of Dental Surgery formed the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery when the former closed, and in 1878, the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery Dean, Dr. Charles J. Essig, was asked to join the University of Pennsylvania, founding the School of Dental Medicine as the Dental Department of the University of Pennsylvania. He would serve as the School’s first Dean from 1878-1883. The Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery would eventually merge with the University of Pennsylvania in 1909.

The School’s first facilities were housed in Medical Hall (now Claudia Cohen Hall). The following year it moved into its own building, Dental Hall, which was designed and constructed for its needs.

In 1897, Thomas W. Evans, a Philadelphia native, who became the dentist to the courts of Europe during France’s Second Empire and confidant of Napoleon III, left his estate to create and maintain a dental school that would be “second to none.” Evans’ generosity made possible the construction of the Evans Building (officially called the Thomas W. Evans Museum and Dental Institute) which opened in 1915, the best-equipped dental building in the nation at that time. His boldness and spirit of leadership have continued to guide the School throughout its history of expansion and innovation both in curriculum and in clinical and scientific facilities.