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Fast Facts

Fast Facts

Researcher in Lab

Snapshot of the School 2024-2025

Year Founded: 1945

First DDS Class: 1946-1950

Accreditation: ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation

Dean: André V. Ritter, DDS, MS, MBA, PhD

Office of the Dean
Health Sciences Center D-322, Box 356365
Seattle, WA 98195-6365
206-543-5982

Administrative Areas, Associate & Assistant Deans

Academic Affairs: Sara Gordon, Associate Dean

Advancement, Alumni Relations & CDE: Randy Newquist, Assistant Dean

Clinical Affairs: Natasha Flake, Associate Dean

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: Douglass Jackson, Associate Dean

Faculty: Greg Huang, Associate Dean

Finance & Resources: Gary Farris, Associate Dean

Human Resources: Renni Bispham, Assistant Dean

Infrastructure & Development: Ricardo Schwedhelm, Associate Dean

Regional & Global Affairs: Frank Roberts, Associate Dean

Research: Donald Chi, Associate Dean

Student Services & Admissions: Susan Coldwell, Associate Dean

Academic Departments & Department Chairs

Endodontics: James Johnson

Oral Health Sciences: Whasun Oh Chung

Oral Medicine: Mark Drangsholt

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery: Thomas Dodson

Orthodontics: Greg Huang

Pediatric Dentistry: Travis Nelson

Periodontics: Frank Roberts

Restorative Dentistry: Alvin Wee

Student Services

Applicants

Summer 2024 Class of 2028

DDS Applicants 976
DDS Matriculates 63
Female 34
Male 29
WA State Residents 53 (84%)

Number of Students/Residents

All Programs 2024

DDS (4 yrs.) 251
International DDS 30
DDS/PhD 6
GME Residents – certificate only 41 (GPR, OMR, OMS)
GME Resident – certificate & MSD 10 (PEDO)
Graduate Students – certificate & MSD 56 Endo, OM, Ortho, Perio, Pros)
MS 0
PhD 11
Total 404

Postdoctoral Education

Certificate/Residency Programs: General Practice Residency, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Pediatric Dentistry, and Oral Radiology

Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD): Offered through Departments of Endodontics, Oral Medicine, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics

Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) / Master of Public Health (MPH): Offered through the Department of Pediatric Dentistry after the Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD)

Master of Science (MS)/Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): Offered through the Department of Oral Health Sciences

Postdoctoral Fellowships: Offered through departments

Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE)

The RIDE program is a predoctoral educational track developed to address oral health workforce needs in rural and underserved communities. RIDE is a partnership with Eastern Washington University (EWU) and the UW School of Medicine WWAMI program to create educational efficiencies as well as innovations. Dental associations, community health centers, Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), and other stakeholders also play an invaluable role in supporting RIDE activities. RIDE was funded by the Washington State Legislature in 2007 and expanded in 2024 to increase enrollment and curriculum. The first cohort of RIDE students graduated in 2012 and 80% of all graduates currently practice in rural or underserved areas.

Fast Facts

Faculty with two students

Human Resources

Faculty

(Fall 2024)

Full-time 74
Part-time 38
Affiliate (volunteer) 482

Staff

(Fall 2024)

Staff FTE (Clinics and Administration) 209.71

Advancement

Alumni

(FY 2024)

DDS 4,565
Specialty 1,875
Hygiene 515
Total 6,955

Continuing Dental Education (CDE)

Courses offered July 2023 — June 2024 84
Participants 1711

Clinical Services

Predoctoral Clinics

  • Primary training site for dental students
  • Patients receive care under supervision of expert faculty

Postdoctoral Specialty Clinics: Clinics for training dentists to become specialists in one of the following areas: Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics

Unique Clinics

  • DECOD: Dental Education in Care of Persons with Disabilities
  • Autism Clinic: For pediatric patients at the Center for Pediatric Dentistry
  • General Practice Residency: For treatment of medically compromised patients
  • Outreach Clinics: over 30 sites in the Northwest
  • Geriatric Dental Clinic: Offsite clinic where where dental students care for low-income older patients

UW Dentistry Faculty Practice
Experienced dentists who are faculty in the dental school provide care for patients.

Center for Pediatric Dentistry (CPD)
Located in the Washington Dental Service Building in Magnuson Park, CPD provides a broad range of dental services for children.

Northwest Center for Oral and Facial Surgery
Located in the Washington Dental Service Building in Magnuson Park, the Northwest Center for Oral and Facial Surgery provides a broad range of oral and maxillofacial surgery services for patients of all ages.

Research

Research Thematic Areas
Research in the School of Dentistry is wide-ranging. Areas of emphasis include:

  • Origins of disease susceptibility, disparities in disease and access to care in children
  • Addressing the major barriers to accessing dental treatment, including dental anxiety
  • Craniofacial development and disease/craniofacial anomalies
  • Oral microbiome
  • Bacterial/host interactions in periodontal health and disease
  • Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD), and other forms of chronic orofacial pain
  • Dental materials and tissue reactions

School Centers, Institutes and Networks

Regional Clinical Dental Research Center (RCDRC): The RCDRC is part of the Institute of Translational Health Sciences, one of more than 50 clinical and translational science award centers nationwide. This center provides facilities and staff support for conducting high-quality clinical and translational research in collaboration with NIH-funded investigators and industry research partners.

Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health: a UW School of Dentistry organization affiliated with the Department of Global Health in the UW School of Public Health. Created to foster, support, and enhance collaborations in research, education, and faculty/student exchanges in oral health in international settings or with non-U.S. institutions.

Training Programs (selected)

Clinical, Public Health and Behavioral Oral Health Research Training for Thailand: Short and long term programs on clinical research methods in collaboration with Thammasat and Khon Kaen universities.

Comprehensive Training in Inter-Disciplinary Oral Health Research: A comprehensive program that covers a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary oral health research areas.

Summer Research Fellowship (SURF): Designed to give dental students a meaningful experience conducting oral health research with a faculty mentor

Summer Institute in Clinical Dental Research Methods : Designed to provide clinical research training for dental faculty; since its inception in 1992, more than 400 faculty from dental schools in 30 states and 40 foreign countries have participated