The school’s reputation for excellence took firm root in the 1940s, when several key teachers and researchers began long and prolific careers on the dental faculty. It was during this era, for example, that three IU scientists, including dental professor Joseph Muhler, created the first stannous fluoride formula that became the active decay-preventing agent in Crest toothpaste. Dr. Muhler and other pioneering teachers at the dental school contributed a body of groundbreaking work that drew worldwide attention to Indiana University, and each left a legacy of knowledge that helped build the foundation for contemporary dental science.

In the twenty-first century, about 125 full-time and 115 part-time faculty members contribute to IU’s teaching and research programs, and many have earned solid reputations as experts in their fields. About 40,000 square feet of space divided into more than a dozen facilities is now devoted to dental research opportunities at IU, including the school’s Oral Health Research Institute, whose researchers have gained prominence for their studies of such subjects as fluoride and dental caries prevention.

The school has more than 10,000 living alumni who are pursuing a variety of careers in private practice, education, research, and public health throughout the United States and in more than 30 other countries.

Mission

Its mission is to promote optimal oral and general health of Indiana citizens and others through educational, research, and service programs. The school is committed to recruiting quality students and preparing them to become highly competent, ethical, and socially responsible practitioners of dentistry. The school also sees as part of its responsibilities the creation of opportunities for career-long learning for its graduates and other dental professionals through continuing education programs.

The school strives to maintain its role as a vital and productive member of Indiana University’s scholarly community. It is dedicated to a goal of increasing the knowledge base in all areas related to oral health through an extensive research program that includes the participation of both faculty and students.

The school provides a broad spectrum of patient services as a principal means of furnishing clinical educational opportunities for students. About 100,000 dental appointments are scheduled annually for a population of nearly 17,000 dental patients. Treatment is also provided at several other patient care facilities, including the pediatric dentistry clinic at IU’s James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, the oral and maxillofacial surgery clinics at University and Wishard Memorial hospitals, and two clinics located in the community.

The dental school continually emphasizes to its students the importance of community service. Through collaborative partnerships with schools, health care centers, and other facilities in central Indiana, the school seeks to expose students to a variety of outreach experiences, particularly those involving special population groups. Students also are taught that part of their ongoing responsibilities as health care providers in the community will be to increase public awareness of the critical role oral health plays in one’s overall well-being.

List of Programs

Undergraduate^*

Professional

Graduate

For information about the other degree programs listed above (B.S., D.D.S., M.S.D., M.S., and Ph.D.), see the School of Dentistry Bulletin. Requests for bulletins should be directed to:

Fort Wayne, Gary, South Bend

Fort Wayne