The Melbourne Dental School is one of the graduate schools of the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

. In addition to the 4-year graduate dental program the Doctor of Dental Surgery, the school offers specialty training programs combined with the Doctor of Clinical Dentistry degree, advanced training programs, and research degrees including M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs. According to the QS World Rankings, it is the highest ranking dental school in Australia and often ranks among the top 25 in the world. Professor Alastair J Sloan has been head of the Melbourne Dental School since January 2020.

History

In 1884, a group of dentists formed the Odontological Society of Victoria with the aims of the regulation and education of dentists in the state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. Mr. John Illife (1847–1914), a member and later president of the Odontological Society of Victoria, was the driving force in negotiations for the regulation of dentistry in Victoria and the establishment of a hospital and college in Melbourne. Thanks largely to his efforts, the Melbourne Dental Hospital opened its doors in 1890 and was followed in 1897 by the Australian College of Dentistry, devoted solely to the education of dentists. In 1904, a Faculty of Dental Science was established and the College was affiliated with the

. In 1963, the Faculty and the hospital moved from 193 Spring Street to the new

Royal Dental Hospital The Royal Dental Hospital was a dental hospital in Leicester Square, London, which operated from 1858 until 1985. In 1859, it opened the London School of Dental Surgery, later renamed to the Royal Dental Hospital of London School of Dental Surge ...

at 720 Swanston Street, Carlton. In 1989, the Faculty of Dentistry merged with the Faculty of Medicine (established 1876) to create a new Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry consisting of a School of Medicine and a School of Dental Science. To reflect additional responsibilities, the faculty expanded in 1991 to become the present Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Programs

Graduate programs

The Faculty of Dentistry offers formal graduate programs leading to a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry degree (DClinDent) in the following areas: * Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and

Oral medicine An oral medicine or stomatology doctor (or stomatologist) has received additional specialized training and experience in the diagnosis and management of oral mucosal abnormalities (growths, ulcers, infection, allergies, immune-mediated and autoim ...

* Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Offered conjointly with a medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine) *

Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics Orthodontics is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modification of facial growth, known as dentofacial ...

Pedodontics Pediatric dentistry (formerly pedodontics in American English or paedodontics in Commonwealth English) is the branch of dentistry dealing with children from birth through adolescence. The specialty of pediatric dentistry is recognized by the Ame ...

Periodontics Periodontology or periodontics (from Ancient Greek , – 'around'; and , – 'tooth', genitive , ) is the specialty of dentistry that studies supporting structures of teeth, as well as diseases and conditions that affect them. The supportin ...

* Prosthodontics *

Endodontics Endodontics (from the Greek roots ''endo-'' "inside" and ''odont-'' "tooth") is the dental specialty concerned with the study and treatment of the dental pulp. Overview Endodontics encompasses the study (practice) of the basic and clinic ...

* Special Needs Dentistry * Oral Health Promotion (Offered conjointly with an oral health degree from the Melbourne Dental School) The Faculty also offers graduate programs in Forensic Odontology and Restorative dentistry.

Melbourne Model changes

*In 2008 and 2009, the School of Dental Science will continue to accept applicants into the 5-year Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc). *In 2010, there will be no intake into the Bachelor of Dental Science. *In 2011, the School of Dental Science will only accept students who have completed a relevant undergraduate degree into the new 4-year graduate-entry dental program which will replace the 5-year Bachelor of Dental Science for training dentists at Melbourne University. Melbourne will be the second dental school in Australia to transition to a 4-year graduate program after the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

Research

The Melbourne Dental School has a strong tradition in dental research and an established international reputation in several research areas. Research in the school is an integral component of staff and student activities underpinning both the undergraduate and graduate curricula. The major research activities of the school are conducted by four research groups. This research covers a vast area of scientific research from basic science to clinical studies and involves a range of scientific disciplines. The school published 46 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals in 2003 and attracted over $8 million in external grants from government agencies (National Health and Medical Research Council and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council etc.) and industry. Research within the school has led to several products, including Recaldent, a unique product which helps prevent and reverse dental decay. The Melbourne Dental School is one of five participants in the Victorian Centre for Oral Health Science, established in 2003 with an infrastructure grant (major equipment grant) from the Victorian State Government. The Melbourne Dental School was a core party in the

Cooperative Research Centre Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) are an Australian Federal Government program and are key bodies for Australian scientific research. The Cooperative Research Centres Programme was established in 1990 to enhance Australia's industrial, comme ...

for Oral Health Science (CRC-OHS) from 2004 - 2010. The success of the CRC resulted in an extension being granted, with th
Oral Health Cooperative Research
Centre (Oral Health CRC) commencing in January 2010. In 2009, an Oral Health Therapists Graduate Study was conducted at the Melbourne Dental School. This study was jointly funded by both the Dental Hygienists Association Australia and the Victorian Dental Oral Health Therapists Association. Ethical approval was granted for this study with all findings to be made public in October 2009 on "Research Day." The Melbourne Dental School is a participant in the Bio21 Institute with research encompassing a wide variety of sub-disciplines, including structural chemistry, bacterial biofilms and peptide vaccine technology

Accreditation

*Melbourne University Faculty of Dentistry is accredited by the Australian Dental Council and the

Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons The Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (RACDS) is a postgraduate professional education body established in 1965 to provide a broad range of activities to enhance the professional development of both general and specialist dentists thr ...

Notable alumni

* Prof. P. Raymond Begg AO,''Highest international honour for orthodontics pioneer''
University News & Events, 1 June 2007, University of Adelaide, retrieved 1 Feb 2009. Orthodontist, BDSc '23. * Clinical Associate Professor Matthew Hopcraft BDSc 1994 MDSC 2000 PhD 2010

The Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum

Th
Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum
contains over 2,500 objects, photographs, documents and catalogues relating to the history of dentistry and dental education in Victoria. Objects in the collection date from the early 18th century and provide insights into the changes and developments within the dental profession and its striving to improve the standard of dental education, dental health and dental care within Victoria. The Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum is located on the ground floor, 720 Swanston Street Melbourne, in the same building occupied by The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne.

References

External links

Melbourne Dental School

Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons

Australian Dental Association

Australian Dental Council

Melbourne Dental Students' Society

Oral Health CRC

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