Four of the World’s Premier Dental Schools Form Historic Alliance
October 26, 2020
Adams School of Dentistry
Koury Oral Health Sciences Building.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry; King’s College London’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences; National University of Singapore Faculty of Dentistry; and the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Dental School, are establishing the DentAlliance to advance and transform research, education, and practice in dentistry and the oral and craniofacial health sciences.
The initial five-year agreement provides the structure for creation of the DentAlliance partnership and builds upon collaborations and exchanges between Carolina units and the three partners..
The DentAlliance partners will collaborate globally to transform education and curriculum development, to pursue new and transformative research and discovery initiatives, and to enhance professional practice in dentistry and the oral and craniofacial health sciences.
The partner schools will work together to inspire and train future leaders and practitioners of the profession on a global stage, creating new and transformative training, development and exchange opportunities and for students and employees.
In celebration of the launch, a virtual event featuring all partners took place on Friday, Oct. 23. A recording of the event is available for viewing here.
From the Leadership
“This strategic partnership brings together four of the world’s top dental schools in a new and transformative way. I am excited for the new opportunities that this agreement opens for our institutions and for all the ways we will work together in the coming years to improve oral health care across the globe,” said Scott S. De Rossi, D.M.D., MBA, dean of the UNC Adams School of Dentistry.
“I am delighted that King’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences is joining forces with three other outstanding dental faculties across the globe with highly complementary programmes in research and education. Our experiences over the last year have demonstrated how it is entirely possible to conduct truly meaningful and productive collaboration and teaching in a virtual format and we are therefore really well placed to make rapid progress in achieving the goals of this unique partnership,” said Mike Curtis, B.S., Ph.D., executive dean of the King’s College London’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences.
“The partnership will allow some of the world’s most prestigious dental schools to draw on each other’s strengths to bring about better clinical care, high impact research and education to nurture the future generations of oral health professionals,” said Finbarr Allen, BDS, M.S., Ph.D., dean of the National University of Singapore Faculty of Dentistry.
“This partnership allows us to really re-imagine how we can teach the dental and oral health students and professional clinicians in a global way. Collaboration is the best way to advance our understanding through research but also provide our students and research students with the opportunity to be taught by recognised world leading experts in their field and for each School to learn from each other to tackle the education and research challenges that lie ahead with a shared approach and shared outcomes,” said Alastair Sloan, B.S., Ph.D., head of the Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne.
About the Partners
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Claude A. Adams, Jr. and Grace Phillips Adams School of Dentistry is transforming dentistry for better health. Founded in 1950, the UNC Adams School of Dentistry was the first dental school in the state and is regarded as a leader in oral health care and education. More than half the dentists in North Carolina are UNC trained, and UNC Adams School of Dentistry alumni live or work in 96 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, all 50 U.S. states and 27 countries. The school sees more than 90,000 patients each year in its clinics and provides care ranging from general needs to complex cases. Consistently ranked among the top schools for NIH funding, the school strongly supports the University’s research mission. Together, the school’s faculty, staff and students passionately serve their community and field through service within North Carolina totaling more than $3 million of in-kind care annually. The ultimate goal of the UNC Adams School of Dentistry is to be the global model for oral health education, in care and discovery. Visit the UNC Adams School of Dentistry website to learn more.
King’s College London’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences
King’s College London’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences is one of the foremost dental schools in the world. Recently ranked first in the world in dentistry by the QS World University Rankings 2020, the Faculty aims to maximize impact on health and wellbeing by integrating excellence across four areas:
- Education / teaching
- World-class science
- Clinical approaches
- Patient care
The Faculty’s mission is to understand disease, enhance health and restore function. Their vision is to be world leading in dental, oral and craniofacial education, research and clinical care.
The Faculty’s international reputation attracts students and staff from across the globe. The largest dental academic center in the U.K., they teach over 700 undergraduate students, 140 graduate taught students, 300 distance learning students and 110 graduate research students. The Faculty is shaped by a diverse student and staff population which adds strength to its standing.
The faculty has over 85 academic staff and is organized into three research priority areas:
- Development, Regeneration, Repair & Tissue Engineering
- Immunity, Infection & Host-Microbe Interactions
- Clinical, Translational & Population Health
The research areas complement the teaching and clinical service initiatives.
As well as excellent research facilities, the Faculty has internationally recognized education programs. With highly skilled teachers and supervisors, there are exceptional facilities, including access to over 300,000 patients each year across world-famous hospitals, Guy’s & St Thomas’, and King’s College Hospitals for hands-on clinical training. They are one of the most comprehensive dental academic health science centers in Europe.
Visit the King’s College London’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences website to learn more.
National University of Singapore Faculty of Dentistry
The National University of Singapore Faculty of Dentistry (FOD) began as a Department of Dentistry within the King Edward VII College of Medicine in 1929. It was the first dental school to be established in a British colony in the East. It achieved full Faculty status in 1966 and continues as the only dental school in Singapore. The Faculty works closely with departments in the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and other teaching hospitals and institutions across Singapore in healthcare delivery and education. It also partners departments in other faculties of the University, public institutions and private enterprises in multi-disciplinary research activities. From 2019, the Faculty has relocated to the new National University Center for Oral Health, Singapore (NUCOHS), with clinical services, education and research facilities under one roof. It will cater to an increased annual undergraduate intake to train more dental professionals, employing advanced simulation laboratories to promote leading-edge and experiential dental training. Through its spectrum of laboratory, clinical and population-based research, the Faculty leverages on research to transform oral health care. Visit the National University of Singapore Faculty of Dentistry website to learn more.
Melbourne Dental School
Established in 1904, the Melbourne Dental School is ranked number one in Australia (QS World University Rankings). With strengths in both research and teaching, the School plays a leading role in oral health both nationally and internationally, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
With a proud history of research addressing the major social, economic and environmental challenges of our time, the School aims to reduce disease in the community and improve health.
In teaching and learning the School offers world-class education for the next generation of dental professionals. The School’s Melbourne Dental Clinic offers the general public high quality, accessible dental services, while students gain clinical experience, using state-of-the-art technology and learning the latest techniques.
The Melbourne Dental School is located within the heart of the Parkville Biomedical precinct, which ranks as one of the best facilities of its kind in the world. The precinct is a hub of innovation and home to an exceptional network of skilled professionals, quality education providers and leading research institutes and hospitals.
Visit the Melbourne Dental School’s website to learn more.