What drives us forward

Since our inception in 1964, our focus has been on achieving and maintaining excellence in four areas: comprehensive dental education, cutting-edge research, quality patient care, and a shared commitment to community service. For six decades, our dedicated student dentists, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, have propelled the UCLA School of Dentistry to being one of the premier dental schools in the world.

The caliber of our faculty, staff, and student dentists helps foster a dynamic environment, focused towards the future. Along with our passion and dedication to be among the best in the world, UCLA Dentistry is truly unique. As part of a world-renowned research university, combined with excellent educational programs and clinic training, we believe this is where leaders are made.

A commitment to community service is emphasized here, and our student dentists, residents, and trainees are given numerous opportunities to interact with patients in order to experience first-hand the needs of the community. It’s this same commitment to providing high-quality, affordable care to our patients that sets the School of Dentistry and the UCLA Dental Clinics apart. With three Los Angeles locations and 13 specialty clinics, serving patients is an integral part of our teaching process.

Since that first graduating class in 1968, more than 5,000 DDS degrees have been awarded. And our vision and commitment to our students has never wavered: to offer an enriching environment that encourages our students to explore a variety of passions beyond their training, whether that’s research, academia, or community service. We admit 88 student dentists each year for the incoming 4-year DDS program and 20 foreign-trained dentists for the 2-year Professional Program for International Dentists, the best and the brightest in the country and beyond to become a part of our UCLA Dentistry family. With more than 100 active residents at any given time, our residency programs are among the top in the country and we offer 13 specialty and general dentistry programs.

With some of the world’s most renowned researchers, our impactful research is at the top of its game. Our areas of innovative research focus on Cancer Diagnostics & Therapeutics, Craniofacial Biology & Bioengineering, Infection & Inflammation, and Health Services & Clinical Research.