UK College of Dentistry: Providing Education and Care to Kentuckians and Beyond

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 8, 2015) - When the University of Kentucky opened its doors 150 years ago, the space where the College of Dentistry (UKCD) now stands was a cornfield. Upon being appointed dean in February 1961, Dr. Alvin L. Morris, with the support of a very dedicated group, worked hard to build a program from scratch, very quickly in order to welcome the first class of 20 students to the college in September 1962.

Since that time, the college has been providing innovative curriculum and maintaining an intimate class size to allow students an early opportunity to provide patient care, form close mentoring relationships with faculty and be fully prepared to meet the oral health and overall health needs of their patients by graduation time.

It did not take long for UKCD to stand out from other programs. The entire December 1962 issue of The Journal of Dental Education was devoted to highlighting “the first of the second generation of dental schools.” Introducing students to clinical experiences very early was a new concept. Another aspect of the school setting it apart from others was the early creation of continuing education courses made available to practicing dentists at a time when no such program existed in Kentucky. Although continuing education requirements were not in place when the program was first launched, dentists are now required to earn credits to maintain their license.

The college has earned a national and international reputation for its dynamic and innovative approaches to dental education. In addition to a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree, postdoctoral programs in six fields of study are offered, including General Practice Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orofacial Pain, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry and Periodontics.

Graduate students in Orofacial Pain, Orthodontics and Periodontics receive a Master of Science degree from the UK Graduate School and a specialty certificate. The goal of these degree programs is to provide graduates with clinical proficiency in a specialty area, research experience, and exposure to the fundamentals of teaching in dentistry. All seven programs hold current and full accreditation by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

“This year, according to the US News & World Report, being a dentist is the number one job a person can hold,” said Dean Sharon Turner. “While generally the profession offers attractive pay and a good work-life balance, it’s the ability to play such an important role in people’s lives both at the individual and community levels—the ability to make significant contributions to populations in need—that attracts many to dentistry. That’s a big part of what we look for in prospective students here at UKCD. We want to know whether a student is service-minded and engaged in giving time, talent, and resources to his or her community, in addition to assuring they possess strong leadership skills and have demonstrated superb academic performance.”

At the school’s 50^th anniversary celebration, Morris said, “The significance of what’s happened in this place is measured by the thousands and thousands and thousands of patients throughout this state and this country whose lives are made better because they had the benefit of a UKCD alumni looking after their oral health and their general health.”

Historical Highlights:

• 1961: Dr. Alvin Morris is selected and hired as UKCD’s first dean.
• 1962: UKCD opens its doors to its first class of students.
• 1968: Dr. Harry Bohannan named dean. Susan Ann McEvoy becomes the first woman to receive a DMD degree from UKCD. She went on to become the fifth president of the UKCD Alumni Association, as well as a faculty member. A partnership with the former College of Allied Health Professionals is established to train hygienists to perform expanded functions in a dental office without direct supervision from a dentist. The program was later retired as Kentucky’s licensing laws for hygienists were not expanded to allow for increased hygienist duties.
• 1974: Dr. Gene Lewis named interim dean.
• 1975: Dr. Merrill Packer named dean.
• 1976: The Saturday Morning Clinic, a UKCD student-led project, is established to provide no-cost treatment to children several times throughout the year. In addition to being a vital safety net for children, the clinic provides an opportunity for prospective students to visit the college and see student dentists at work in the clinic.
• 1977: The Orofacial Pain Program is founded. One of only two programs in the nation to be accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, the focus of the program is on teaching about the identification and management of chronic orofacial pain disorders. Dentists, psychologists, and physical therapists work together to identify the underlying cause for a patient’s pain and create a treatment plan for their condition.
• 1986: Dr. Emmett Costich named dean.
• 1987: Dr. David Nash named dean.
• 1996: UKCD’s Division of Dental Public Health starts school-based Seal Kentucky trips to provide dental screenings and sealants, a plastic coating painted onto the surface of the tooth to prevent tooth decay, in primarily Eastern Kentucky. UKCD student dentists, faculty, and volunteers travel to elementary schools and apply sealants to children whose parents consent to their treatment. Each child also receives a dental screening, and a report describing their dental status is sent home to their parents.
• 1997: Dr. Leon Assael named dean.
• 2000: The Center for Oral Health Research is established to support research focused on oral health and its impact on overall health.
• 2003: Dr. Sharon Turner named dean.
• 2004: The National Center for Research Resources awards the college with a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant of more than $10 million. This award was renewed in 2009 for another five years at approximately $11 million. Delta Dental Plan of Kentucky and a matching grant from the Commonwealth of Kentucky Research Challenge helped create the Delta Dental of Kentucky Clinical Research Center, the clinical arm of the Center for Oral Health Research.
• 2011: UKCD clinics move to electronic health records, improving secure access to patient records.
• 2012: UKCD celebrates 50 years of education and service. Over 2,500 DMD students have graduated since the opening of the college. Alumni members practice in 45 states, in the military, and in multiple countries around the world.
• 2014: An exchange program between UKCD and Universidad de los Andes Dental School in Santiago, Chile starts. Two UDLA students visit Kentucky, and the first group of UKCD students will travel to UDLA in the fall of 2015.
• 2015: UKCD celebrates 25 years of mobile outreach. A joint effort between pediatric dentistry and dental public health, the program has spread across Eastern, Central, and Western Kentucky over the years, offering care to underserved children. Since 2000, the outreach program has received five prestigious national awards. Dr. Stephanos Kyrkanides will join UKCD as dean in August 2015.

Media Contact: Ann Blackford at 859-323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu