I am delighted to welcome you to the University of Southern California School of Dentistry Website. The School of Dentistry is a dynamic professional school dedicated to the advancement of excellent oral health education and patient care. For more than a century, USC Dentistry has committed itself to teaching dental professionals the skills needed to meet the unique challenges of a rapidly changing oral health field. Part of the larger USC campus, the School of Dentistry is strategically located in an economically, culturally and ethnically diverse urban area, allowing students a unique learning environment and access to interdisciplinary research endeavors. The school’s doctoral dental program, bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene and advanced specialty programs offer unparalleled educational and professional opportunities. In addition, through its dental facilities and community service programs, USC Dentistry prides itself on providing cutting-edge, comprehensive and compassionate dental care to the diverse communities of Southern California. Through our Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, USC Dentistry researchers are studying dental disease and craniofacial abnormalities at the genetic level, investigating the root causes of cleft lip and palate deformities and realizing the promise of stem cell technology to grow tooth root and supporting periodontal ligaments in the laboratory. USC Dentistry is particularly poised to be a leader in oral health with collaborations with major educational and research institutions around the globe. In a unique agreement established in 2006, the School of Dentistry aligned itself with two of USC’s top-ranked divisions—Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy and Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, which allow unique collaborations that focus on holistic and systemic health. Confronted with statistics showing that one in three Californians lack access to oral health care, USC Dentistry seeks additional opportunities to address health disparities through partnerships with other California dental schools, local, state and national government agencies, organized dentistry and community-based organizations. |