Transforming Lives, Eliminating Oral Health Disparities

It is the mission of the West Virginia University School of Dentistry to promote a diverse and dynamic learning environment that addresses the present and future oral health needs of the citizens of West Virginia and beyond by providing an oral health center committed to excellence and innovation in education, research, patient care, service and technology.

Students

Students

The Division of Dental Hygiene offers many exciting and unique learning opportunities including baccalaureate, degree completion, and masters programs. The school also offers five graduate programs that are masters programs or residency programs.

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Patients

Patients

Our faculty, graduate and student dentists provide comprehensive state-of-the-art specialty and general dental care. Your appointment will be in one of two convenient locations: our brand new offices located at the Suncrest Towne Centre, or in our familiar Health Sciences Center location.

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Outreach

Outreach

We are heavily involved with the people who live in the state, in the city and rural locations. We are affiliated with many schools and clinics where students and faculty assist in providing quality treatment and educational support for oral health care

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Message from the Interim Dean
Interim Dean Borgia Headshot
Anthony T. Borgia DDS, MHA
Interim Dean of Dentistry

Let's Make a Difference Together

Since our school was founded in 1957 and graduated its first dental class in 1961, our primary focus and principal goal has been improving the oral health of the citizens and the communities of West Virginia.

Our recognized standing for training and graduating both exceptionally competent dentists and dental hygienists is acknowledged on a national level as well as throughout the international community of dentistry. The WVU School of Dentistry is known for providing each student with a sound and widely diverse scientific educational foundation, along with hundreds of hours of direct patient contact and care. Each student, working under the close supervision of experienced faculty members, has the opportunity to provide treatment for patients in a team setting that closely mirrors the realities of modern day dental practice.

This high level of patient involvement is what truly sets us apart and has been the longstanding hallmark of the School of Dentistry's reputation for graduating outstandingly clinically competent practitioners. Our faculty members, and all students under their supervision, have provided countless thousands of people with excellent, easily accessible care for their oral care needs, both in our Morgantown facilities and across the state of West Virginia.

We're also justifiably proud of our network of fully credentialed adjunct faculty members, who, while delivering care in rural dental practice settings, also welcome students into their offices for additional clinical training, while at the same time helping to offer care for patients who might otherwise go without.

WVU SoD has recently installed advanced simulation laboratory facilities where students become familiarized with and acquire the necessary skills needed before working with actual patients. Of particular note, our small class sizes readily allow for close relationships between our students and their preceptors, fostering a learning environment second to none.

Upon graduation, all of our graduates are truly prepared to either enter directly into clinical practice or to compete strongly for places in postgraduate or oral health research programs.

Be a Mountaineer. Join us at the WVU School of Dentistry.

Student Spotlight

Student Silhouette

"The WVU School of Dentistry offers relationships that transcend a lifetime. From the inception of orientation, dental students begin to rely on one another and tight bonds are formed that foster friendships. It's indescribable the closeness and sense of brotherhood that different people can forge while learning Gross Anatomy, Physiology, Dental Materials, etc., which culminates in the fun get-togethers that ensue outside of the classroom."

Blake Younis, Dental Class of 2016
Our Research Initiatives

Research

Engineering and dentistry researchers are collaborating to develop an ultrasound tool to improve early detection of periodontal disease, a common cause of tooth loss in older adults. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $1.2 million grant to build on studies linking gum disease and mild-to-moderate memory loss, as well as a $2.8 million grant to study oral health disparities in northern Appalachia.

  • Oral Health

    The Oral Health Initiative was established to improve health and change smiles of West Virginians through the mission–based leadership and programming

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  • COHRA

    In 2003, we began collecting information for a groundbreaking-study called "Genetic Factors Contributing to Oral Health Disparities in Appalachia."

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Our Technology

Our simulation laboratory allows students to learn dental procedures in the pre-clinical setting on the most realistic simulation units available that will facilitate their transition to the clinics. This allows us to increase class size and to provide a new environment for hands-on continuing dental education that is second-to-none in the US. This project was made possible through a partnership with the KaVo Group, a worldwide manufacturer of dental equipment, and is representative of a long-standing relationship between the school and KaVo.

Let's Work Together

Would you like to join us?

The West Virginia University School of Dentistry has a national reputation for producing excellent clinicians, both dentists and dental hygienists. More than half of all West Virginia residents admitted to the School of Dentistry have remained in state after graduation. Approximately 81 percent of the state's practicing dentists are WVU alumni.

Through our rural partnerships, dental and dental hygiene students have seen more than 17,000 patients and performed more than 32,000 procedures over the past decade. For this service, the School received the first-ever OrnaShanley Prize for Enhancing Access to Care by the American Dental Education and the International Federation of Dental Education Associations.