The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is a public academic health science center in Houston, Texas, United States. It was created in 1972 by The University of Texas System Board of Regents. It is located in the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. It is composed of six schools: McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UTHealth School of Dentistry, Cizik School of Nursing, UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics and UTHealth School of Public Health.
A dental hygienist or oral hygienist is a licensed dental professional, registered with a dental association or regulatory body within their country of practice. Prior to completing clinical and written board examinations, registered dental hygienists must have either an associate's or bachelor's degree in dental hygiene from an accredited college or university. Once registered, hygienists are primary healthcare professionals who work independently of or alongside dentists and other dental professionals to provide full oral health care. They have the training and education that focus on and specialize in the prevention and treatment of many oral diseases.
A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.
The UCLA School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in the Center for Health Sciences building in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. The school has several educational and training programs, conducts oral and dental health research, and offers affordable dental care at three locations: Westwood, Venice, and Inglewood. The school also participates in several outreach endeavors, including numerous health fairs during the year, STEM pipeline programs and provides dental care for underserved populations in the region. The School of Dentistry is considered among the nation's best research-intensive dental schools.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is the dental school of the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). It is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of Pitt's six schools of the health sciences and one of several dental schools in Pennsylvania. It is closely affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The School of Dental Medicine accepted 3.6% of applicants for the class of 2016, a record low for the school's entire history.
Texas A&M Health, also known as Texas A&M University Health, and Texas A&M University Health Science Center, is the medical education component of Texas A&M University, and offers health professions research, education and patient care in dentistry, medicine, nursing, biomedical sciences, public health, and pharmacy on its several campuses. One of the fastest-growing academic health centers in the nation, Texas A&M Health encompasses six schools and numerous centers and institutes. It was established in 1999 as an independent institution of the Texas A&M University System and received accreditation in December 2002 from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's, doctoral and professional degrees. The institution and its colleges merged with Texas A&M University on July 12, 2013.
The Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences is one of the constituent faculties of McGill University. It became established as a constituent of McGill University in 1904 as the McGill Dental School, a department in the McGill University Faculty of Medicine until becoming its own faculty in 1920. In 2022, the Faculty of Dentistry was renamed as the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences to reflect the diversity of research conducted in the Faculty that goes beyond the dental chair. The Faculty is closely affiliated with the Montreal General Hospital, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal Children's Hospital, and McGill University Faculty of Medicine.
Dentistry throughout the world is practiced differently, and training in dentistry varies as well.
The Melbourne Dental School is one of the graduate schools of the University of Melbourne. In addition to the 4-year graduate dental program the Doctor of Dental Surgery, the school offers specialty training programs combined with the Doctor of Clinical Dentistry degree, advanced training programs, and research degrees including M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs. According to the QS World Rankings, it is the highest ranking dental school in Australia and often ranks among the top 25 in the world.
University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry is one of the faculties of the University of Otago.
The Ohio State University College of Dentistry is one of the graduate and professional schools of Ohio State University. The college is the fourth largest public dental school in the U.S. and consists of nine academic divisions representing all major dental specialties. In addition to the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) and Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degrees, the Ohio State College of Dentistry offers specialty training programs, advanced training programs, MS programs, and a Ph.D. program in Oral Biology. Outreach and Engagement activities include over 60 active programs and more than 42 extramural sites, which continue to expand.
Special needs dentistry, also known as special care dentistry, is a dental specialty that deals with the oral health problems of geriatric patients, patients with intellectual disabilities, and patients with other medical, physical, or psychiatric issues.
Pediatric dentistry is the branch of dentistry dealing with children from birth through adolescence. The specialty of pediatric dentistry is recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.
The School of Dentistry is a dental school within Meharry Medical College located in the United States city of Nashville, Tennessee.
The University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of Detroit Mercy. It is located in the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is one of two dental schools in the state of Michigan.
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of Minnesota. It is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.
The practice of dentistry in the United States is overseen by several agencies, including the American Dental Association, the Commission on Dental Accreditation, and the regional boards. Ultimate licensure is the responsibility of individual states. There are roughly 190,000 practicing dentists in the United States.
The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of Michigan, a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Established in 1875, the School of Dentistry engages in oral and craniofacial health care education, research, patient care and community service. It is currently the number one ranked dental school in the U.S. and fifth in the world according to two independent rankings.
In the United States and Canada, there are twelve recognized dental specialties in which some dentists choose to train and practice, in addition to or instead of general dentistry. In the United Kingdom and Australia, there are thirteen.
Esther Mae Wilkins was an American dental hygienist, dentist and author of the first comprehensive book on dental hygiene, Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist. The dental instrument known as the Wilkins/Tufts Explorer was named after her.
