UCSF School of Dentistry

03/26/2026

Join the UCSF community for Alumni Weekend 2026, April 23–25. Reconnect with alumni, explore new ideas in health and science, and celebrate UCSF’s impact.

Register: alumni.ucsf.edu/aw

03/23/2026

The UCSF School of Dentistry remains the nation’s top recipient of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding among U.S. dental schools.

In 2025, the School of Dentistry secured $27.6M across 55 grants, marking the 25th time since 1995 we’ve led the country. This milestone reflects the strength of our research community and our commitment to advancing science and patient care.

Read more about the research, impact, and people behind this achievement: https://dentistry.ucsf.edu/news/school-dentistry-top-recipient-nih-grants-2025

02/12/2026

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month — a great time to refresh healthy habits at home.

We asked our Pediatric Dentistry residents to share three simple, practical tips parents and caregivers can use to support kids’ oral health.

🦷 Small habits. Big impact.

💙 Prevention starts early.

02/02/2026

At UCSF’s Community Dental Clinic, free care never means second-best care.

Every Wednesday night, student volunteers, alumni, and faculty come together to provide comprehensive dental services to uninsured adults—delivering hundreds of appointments each year with dignity, innovation, and deep humanity.

From 3D-printed denture workflows to on-site specialty care, the clinic pairs cutting-edge dentistry with an unwavering commitment to community. As one patient shared, “Other places kept telling me no—but the [UCSF Community Dental Clinic] treated me when no one else would.”

This is what it looks like when education, service, and compassion intersect.

01/22/2026

Congratulations to our UCSF dental students who matched into residency programs, as well as the incoming residents who will join us for postgraduate training this fall.

We marked this milestone with a Match Day celebration last night, recognizing the commitment, perseverance, and academic excellence of our future dental specialists. We are proud to support our learners as they take the next step in their professional journeys.

12/17/2025

Big news for the future of oral health education and patient care at UCSF.

UCSF has announced a new home for the School of Dentistry at Mission Bay, with plans to transform 409 Illinois Street into a modern, collaborative hub for education, research, and state-of-the-art dental care. The new facility will deepen dentistry's integration with other health professions, while expanding access to high-quality, patient-centered dental services for San Francisco and the Bay Area.

This investment marks a significant step forward in reimagining health professions education and designing care environments tailored to the needs of patients and communities.

Read the full story here: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/12/431231/ucsf-announces-new-home-school-dentistry-mission-bay

12/12/2025

Can we prevent cleft lip and palate before a baby is born?

New research from UCSF professor Jeffrey Bush, PhD, is uncovering the cellular and genetic mechanisms behind how facial tissues fuse during early development. Using advanced live-imaging and gene-editing tools, his team identified key processes that, when disrupted, can lead to the development of cleft lip and palate.

This discovery could pave the way for non-surgical, preventive approaches to craniofacial birth defects, and may have implications far beyond facial development, including cancer and regenerative medicine.

Read the full story:

UCSF’s Program in Craniofacial Biology (PCB) brings together researchers to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying craniofacial development and birth defects, such as cleft lip and palate. The program is one of the strongest in the U.S., with faculty conducting cutting-edge researc...

11/03/2025

On October 8, the UCSF School of Dentistry held its annual Research and Clinical Excellence Day, showcasing its dedication to basic research and clinical innovation.

More than 300 members of the School of Dentistry community attended the event, which featured oral presentations and a poster session, highlighting the work of dental students and research fellows in collaboration with their mentors.

Diana Nguyen, DDS, Health Sciences associate clinical professor and speaker at the event, said, "Seeing our learners share the research they’re conducting with their P*s and hearing them present gave me an even greater appreciation for the important work they’re doing outside of patient care, work that directly advances our profession and expands the treatment possibilities we can offer our patients."

Read the full story here ➡️ https://dentistry.ucsf.edu/about/news/22nd-annual-research-and-clinical-excellence-day

10/21/2025

The UCSF School of Dentistry has been awarded a $1.8 million grant to launch DDS-ASPIRE—a new Doctor of Dental Surgery program designed to train leaders who will expand access to care in the state’s underserved communities.

Modeled after the successful UC PRIME initiative in medicine, DDS-ASPIRE integrates leadership development, public health advocacy, and research training throughout all four years of dental education.

Led by Dean Michael Reddy, DMD, DMSc, Jack Gormley, Ed.D., Assistant Dean for Learner Success and Belonging, and Danielle Castillo Tiopo, Coordinator of Outreach and Belonging, DDS-ASPIRE will prepare ten students in the Class of 2030 to lead change where it’s needed most—by improving oral health outcomes and strengthening California’s dental workforce.

🔗 Read the full story: https://dentistry.ucsf.edu/about/news/dds-aspire-new-generation-dental-leaders-californias-underserved-communities

10/01/2025

93 learners from the DDS Class of 2029 and IDP Class of 2028 officially began their dental journeys at UCSF’s 27th annual White Coat Ceremony on September 19 at San Francisco’s Presidio Theatre.

Dean Michael Reddy encouraged students to stay agile in a rapidly changing profession, while keynote speaker Dr. Ted Wong emphasized the importance of competence, commitment, and character—stressing that trust is the cornerstone of dentistry.

Surrounded by faculty, family, and friends, the students donned their first white coats and pledged to uphold the highest standards of care. Congratulations to UCSF’s newest dental professionals!

Read the full story here: https://dentistry.ucsf.edu/about/news/ucsf-dentistry-welcomes-future-dentists-white-coat-2025

09/09/2025

Meet Belle Lao-Ngo, UCSF dental student and recipient of the 2025 Founders Day Award for Public Service.

Lao-Ngo has turned her passion for oral health into meaningful action. Inspired by her family’s immigrant journey, she partnered with San Francisco’s Chinatown YMCA to teach families everyday dental care habits that build confidence and improve health.

Her work not only supports the Chinatown community—it also strengthens UCSF’s connection to those we serve, creating opportunities for lasting partnerships in public health.

▶️ Watch Belle Lao-Ngo’s story in our 2025 Founders Day video profile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rr_8B0bGws

✏️ Story by Eric Brooks
📹 Video by Gillian Grisman

Community is everything to Belle Lao-Ngo, a second-year student in the UCSF School of Dentistry. As a daughter and granddaughter of Asian immigrants, Belle’s...

08/26/2025

The University of California is the source of:
🔎 4 inventions per day
🖊️ 70 Nobel laureates
💡 13,810 patents

Behind every breakthrough or cure, University of California ingenuity is driving the economy and helping people live longer, healthier lives.

Stand up for UC: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/get-involved/stand-up-for-uc