University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
Encyclopedia
The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (commonly referred to as Penn Dental) is one of twelve graduate schools at the University of Pennsylvania
, an Ivy League
university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Its rigorous clinical curriculum, high-impact research, and strong specialization rates have earned Penn Dental the reputation as being one of the top dental schools in the world http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/history.html. The class of 2011 had a mean DAT of 21 (~95th percentile) and a mean GPA of 3.85.http://www.adea.org/publications/Pages/OfficialGuide.aspx With over 3000 applications received for a limited 115 positions, Penn's ~3.80% acceptance rate ranks it as one of the world's most selective dental schools.http://www.adea.org/publications/Pages/OfficialGuide.aspx Its rich history of tradition and innovation have allowed Penn to remain at the forefront of dental education.
It is designated a World Health Organization
(WHO) Collaborating Center for Oral Infectious Diseases: Education, Research and Care and is the only WHO collaborating center worldwide devoted to oral infectious disease.http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/facts.html
Penn Dental Medicine is the birthplace of many dental specialties including Endodontics
, Oral medicine
, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
.
Penn Dental Medicine is among the oldest university-affiliated dental institutions in the nation.http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/history.html It was created in 1878 as the Dental Department of the University of Pennsylvania
, and its first facilities were housed in Medical Hall (now Logan Hall). The following year it moved into its own building, Dental Hall, which was designed and constructed for its particular needs. Some of its graduates even helped to establish other dental faculties across the nation and even overseas, for example in Canada and Australia
.
In 1897, Thomas W. Evans
, cosmopolitan, brilliant, and innovative dentist to the courts of Europe during France's Second Empire and confidant of Napoleon III, left his estate to the University of Pennsylvania
to create and maintain a dental school that would be "not inferior to any already established." 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.http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/history.html
Penn's dental education program has always had close relationships with medicine. For example, it has offered courses in internal medicine to dental students since 1930. As the profession has shifted its emphasis from dental surgery to the promotion of dental health and control of dental disease, Penn has expanded its curriculum to stress the biochemistry of cells, tissue reactions, human genetics, chemotherapy, and other aspects of general medicine. Penn's commitment to total patient care is the practical result of this expanded study of human biology as well as the behavioral sciences.
In view of the expanding scope and responsibilities of its graduates, and in appreciation of the One Medicine concept at Penn (integrating the philosophies of the schools of medicine
, veterinary medicine
, and dentistry
), the name of the School of Dentistry was officially changed to the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1964.http://www.stateuniversity.com/universities/PA/University_of_Pennsylvania_School_of_Dental_Medicine.html
For similar reasons, the name of the degree has also been changed. The degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery
, in its literal meaning, fails to indicate the evolving scope of preparation in dental medicine at Penn. The new degree title, Dentariae Medicinae Doctoris, DMD, or Doctor of Dental Medicine, was initially introduced at Harvard School of Dental Medicine
to better reflect the intention of the dental profession to prevent, diagnosis, and treat dental diseases without limitation. http://www.drsimonrosenberg.com/d_m_d__versus_d_d_s_.html
DMD Program
4 year program leading to Doctor of Dental Medicine degree.
Graduate Dental Education
Dental Auxiliary Utilization and Expanded Function Dental Assisting
The Dental Auxiliary Utilization (DAU) and Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA) courses were implemented into Penn Dental's clinical curriculum in 2010. Students are trained as a Dental Auxiliary in their first year, and further trained as Expanded Function Dental Assistants in their second yearhttp://www.dental.upenn.edu/pdf/penn-dental-journal/pdj_fall10.pdf. Currently, Penn Dental is the only dental school in the nation to offer its students clinical exposure throughout their entire dental educationhttp://www.dental.upenn.edu/pdf/penn-dental-journal/pdj_fall10.pdf.
Program for Advanced Standing Students (PASS)
PASS program at Penn enables graduates of foreign dental schools to gain the training needed to practice in the United States. Successful completion of the two-year program allows dentists from overseas to take licensing exams in any state. Graduates and students enrolled in the program represent over 60 countries.http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/facts.html
Dual-Degree Options
Penn Dental Medicine provides unique opportunities for students able to participate in a second program at the University of Pennsylvania
. Some of the programs include Masters in Bioethics and Masters in Higher Education
Doctoral Degree in the Dental Sciences
Penn Dental Medicine allows individualized programs to be created for those wishing to pursue study in the dental sciences beyond the master's level.
Bio-Dental Consortial Programs for High School Students
This is an accelerated program leading to a combined bachelor's and a dental degree. Students in this program can obtain both degrees in 7 years. This program is offered through the following schools
The Robert Schattner Center
The 70000 square feet (6,503.2 m²) brand new Robert Schattner Center includes the following clinical facilities:
Admissions/Emergency Clinic,
Oral Medicine Clinic,
William W.M. Cheung Advanced Dental Care Clinic,
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic, and the
Penn Dental Medicine at the Robert Schattner Center
The Thomas W. Evans Museum and Dental Institute
The Evans Building, the flagship building of the School of Dental Medicine, was constructed in 1915. It houses administrative and academic department offices, lecture halls and seminar rooms, laboratory facilities, and the following clinical facilities: Pediatric Dentistry, Endodontics, the D. Walter Cohen and Morton Amsterdam Periodontal Clinic, the Brainerd F. Swain Orthodontic Clinic, and the Main (general restorative) Clinic. The museum itself closed in the 1940s.
The Leon Levy Center for Oral Health Research
The Levy building houses Penn Dental Medicine's basic science departments, including lecture and seminar rooms, faculty and departmental offices, and research laboratories.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, an Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Its rigorous clinical curriculum, high-impact research, and strong specialization rates have earned Penn Dental the reputation as being one of the top dental schools in the world http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/history.html. The class of 2011 had a mean DAT of 21 (~95th percentile) and a mean GPA of 3.85.http://www.adea.org/publications/Pages/OfficialGuide.aspx With over 3000 applications received for a limited 115 positions, Penn's ~3.80% acceptance rate ranks it as one of the world's most selective dental schools.http://www.adea.org/publications/Pages/OfficialGuide.aspx Its rich history of tradition and innovation have allowed Penn to remain at the forefront of dental education.
It is designated a World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO) Collaborating Center for Oral Infectious Diseases: Education, Research and Care and is the only WHO collaborating center worldwide devoted to oral infectious disease.http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/facts.html
Penn Dental Medicine is the birthplace of many dental specialties including Endodontics
Endodontics
Endodontics is one of the dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, and deals with the tooth pulp and the tissues surrounding the root of a tooth...
, Oral medicine
Oral medicine
Oral medicine is the dental specialty placed at the interface between medicine and dentistry.- Scope :Oral medicine is concerned with diagnosis and non-surgical management of non-dental pathology affecting the oral and maxillofacial region, such as oral lichen planus, Behçet's disease and pemphigus...
, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Oral and maxillofacial surgery
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is surgery to correct a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty...
.
History
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and its first facilities were housed in Medical Hall (now Logan Hall). The following year it moved into its own building, Dental Hall, which was designed and constructed for its particular needs. Some of its graduates even helped to establish other dental faculties across the nation and even overseas, for example in Canada and Australia
Sydney Faculty of Dentistry
The Faculty of Dentistry is a constituent body of the University of Sydney, Australia. It is an Australian graduate-entry dental school based at two locations: Westmead Centre for Oral health which is a part of Westmead hospital, and Sydney Dental Hospital which is situated between Chalmers...
.
In 1897, Thomas W. Evans
Thomas W. Evans
Thomas Wiltberger Evans was a dentist. He performed dental procedures on many heads of state, including Napoleon III, and received numerous medals for his dentistry, including the Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur...
, cosmopolitan, brilliant, and innovative dentist to the courts of Europe during France's Second Empire and confidant of Napoleon III, left his estate to the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
to create and maintain a dental school that would be "not inferior to any already established." 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.http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/history.html
Penn's dental education program has always had close relationships with medicine. For example, it has offered courses in internal medicine to dental students since 1930. As the profession has shifted its emphasis from dental surgery to the promotion of dental health and control of dental disease, Penn has expanded its curriculum to stress the biochemistry of cells, tissue reactions, human genetics, chemotherapy, and other aspects of general medicine. Penn's commitment to total patient care is the practical result of this expanded study of human biology as well as the behavioral sciences.
In view of the expanding scope and responsibilities of its graduates, and in appreciation of the One Medicine concept at Penn (integrating the philosophies of the schools of medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
, and dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
), the name of the School of Dentistry was officially changed to the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1964.http://www.stateuniversity.com/universities/PA/University_of_Pennsylvania_School_of_Dental_Medicine.html
For similar reasons, the name of the degree has also been changed. The degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery
Doctor of Dental Surgery
There are a number of first professional degrees in dentistry offered by schools in various countries around the world. These include the following:* Doctor of Dental Surgery * Doctor of Dental Medicine * Bachelor of Dentistry...
, in its literal meaning, fails to indicate the evolving scope of preparation in dental medicine at Penn. The new degree title, Dentariae Medicinae Doctoris, DMD, or Doctor of Dental Medicine, was initially introduced at Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Harvard School of Dental Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is an American dental school located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to the DMD degree, HSDM offers specialty training programs, advanced training programs, a Ph.D...
to better reflect the intention of the dental profession to prevent, diagnosis, and treat dental diseases without limitation. http://www.drsimonrosenberg.com/d_m_d__versus_d_d_s_.html
Education
The School of Dental Medicine at Penn offers following academic programs:DMD Program
4 year program leading to Doctor of Dental Medicine degree.
Graduate Dental Education
- EndodonticsEndodonticsEndodontics is one of the dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, and deals with the tooth pulp and the tissues surrounding the root of a tooth...
- Oral medicineOral medicineOral medicine is the dental specialty placed at the interface between medicine and dentistry.- Scope :Oral medicine is concerned with diagnosis and non-surgical management of non-dental pathology affecting the oral and maxillofacial region, such as oral lichen planus, Behçet's disease and pemphigus...
- Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryOral and maxillofacial surgeryOral and maxillofacial surgery is surgery to correct a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty...
- OrthodonticsOrthodonticsOrthodontics, orthodontia, or orthodonture is the first specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions , which may be a result of tooth irregularity, disproportionate jaw relationships, or both...
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Periodontics
- Periodontic/Orthodontic
- Periodontal Prosthesis
- Masters in Oral Biology
Dental Auxiliary Utilization and Expanded Function Dental Assisting
The Dental Auxiliary Utilization (DAU) and Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA) courses were implemented into Penn Dental's clinical curriculum in 2010. Students are trained as a Dental Auxiliary in their first year, and further trained as Expanded Function Dental Assistants in their second yearhttp://www.dental.upenn.edu/pdf/penn-dental-journal/pdj_fall10.pdf. Currently, Penn Dental is the only dental school in the nation to offer its students clinical exposure throughout their entire dental educationhttp://www.dental.upenn.edu/pdf/penn-dental-journal/pdj_fall10.pdf.
Program for Advanced Standing Students (PASS)
PASS program at Penn enables graduates of foreign dental schools to gain the training needed to practice in the United States. Successful completion of the two-year program allows dentists from overseas to take licensing exams in any state. Graduates and students enrolled in the program represent over 60 countries.http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/facts.html
Dual-Degree Options
Penn Dental Medicine provides unique opportunities for students able to participate in a second program at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. Some of the programs include Masters in Bioethics and Masters in Higher Education
Doctoral Degree in the Dental Sciences
Penn Dental Medicine allows individualized programs to be created for those wishing to pursue study in the dental sciences beyond the master's level.
Bio-Dental Consortial Programs for High School Students
This is an accelerated program leading to a combined bachelor's and a dental degree. Students in this program can obtain both degrees in 7 years. This program is offered through the following schools
- College of Arts and Sciences of the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
- Hampton UniversityHampton UniversityHampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...
(Hampton, VA) - Lehigh UniversityLehigh UniversityLehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
(Bethlehem, PA) - Muhlenberg CollegeMuhlenberg CollegeMuhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
(Allentown, PA) - Villanova UniversityVillanova UniversityVillanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
(Villanova, PA) - Xavier UniversityXavier University of LouisianaXavier University of Louisiana , located in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States, is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college with the distinction of being the only historically black Roman Catholic institution of higher education...
(New Orleans, LA)
Research
Penn Dental Medicine is among the top dental schools in the nation for NIH funding received per standing faculty member.http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/facts.html The following is an overview of areas being addressed by Penn Dental Medicine researchers:- Bone, Teeth, and Extracellular Matrix
- Cranio-facial Genetic Anomalies
- Dental Care Systems
- Dental Implantology
- Heavy Metal Toxicity/Bone Metabolism
- HIV/AIDS
- Infection and the Host Response
- Invasive Pathogens
- Orthodontics/Human Growth
- Pain Studies
- Periodontal Diseases
- Product Testing
- Saliva, GCF, and the SDM-GCRC Core Oral Fluids Laboratory
- Sleep Apnea and Snoring
- Viral Infection
Publications
School of Dental Medicine publishes Penn Dental Journal, a biannual magazine for the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine community.School facilities
The University of Pennsylvania Dental Care Network includes one on-campus and two satellite practice locations. Together, Penn Dental Medicine treats over 18,000 patients each year in the main clinical teaching facilities with a full range of general and specialty services provided at the School, including treatment for medically complex patients.http://www.dental.upenn.edu/about/facts.htmlThe Robert Schattner Center
Admissions/Emergency Clinic,
Oral Medicine Clinic,
William W.M. Cheung Advanced Dental Care Clinic,
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic, and the
Penn Dental Medicine at the Robert Schattner Center
The Thomas W. Evans Museum and Dental Institute
The Evans Building, the flagship building of the School of Dental Medicine, was constructed in 1915. It houses administrative and academic department offices, lecture halls and seminar rooms, laboratory facilities, and the following clinical facilities: Pediatric Dentistry, Endodontics, the D. Walter Cohen and Morton Amsterdam Periodontal Clinic, the Brainerd F. Swain Orthodontic Clinic, and the Main (general restorative) Clinic. The museum itself closed in the 1940s.
The Leon Levy Center for Oral Health Research
The Levy building houses Penn Dental Medicine's basic science departments, including lecture and seminar rooms, faculty and departmental offices, and research laboratories.