Office of Research and Ph.D. Training
The research mission of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry is to support development of new knowledge from research in oral health science and related fields that will contribute to improved health. Essential to this mission is promoting an integration of basic, translational, clinical and health services research along with associated educational programs to stimulate discoveries and their diffusion into practice. Central to our mission is support for research by outstanding Dental Hygiene, DDS, and MS students; the dissertation work by candidates in the Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. Program; and, postdoctoral research.
Direct, continuing contacts with the Office of the Vice President for Research of the University and the Dean of the Rackham School for Graduate Studies embed our mission and goals within the fabric of the University. In support of our research, interfaces are maintained with the University’s Institutional Review Board system and the University Laboratory of Animal Medicine.
Through the Office of Research and Ph.D. Training, the School supports:
- outstanding faculty research for continuing and new investigators
- faculty cross-disciplinary research initiatives and centers
- research space infrastructure and renovation
- core facilities within the School for: Histology and Imaging;
Molecular Biology; and, Animal Use and Care - the Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. Program
- the DDS / Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. Dual Degree Program
- the M.S. Clinical Specialty / Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. dual degree options
- the DDS and DH Student Research Program
- the Tissue Engineering and Regeneration Training Grant (T32)
from the NIDCR, NIH - the Oral Health Sciences Seminar Series
- the annual School – wide Research Day
Research strengths of School of Dentistry faculty members include these theme areas:
Craniofacial development
Mineralized tissue biology and musculoskeletal disorders
Oral and pharyngeal cancer
Oral infectious and immunologic diseases
Oral sensory systems and pain
Tissue engineering and regeneration
To recognize and enhance the standing of clinical research within the School, the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research (MCOHR) was established in 2004. Facilities specially designed for clinical studies by our faculty members are on Frank Lloyd Wright Drive in the Domino’s Farms complex, contiguous with clinical research space of Medical School colleagues.