University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine

University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine

Established	Unknown
School type	Public Public university A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
Dean	Yilda M. Rivera
Location	San Juan San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of... , Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an... (US United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... territory)
Enrollment	Unknown
Homepage	http://dental.rcm.upr.edu/

The University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine is the dental school

Dental school

A dental school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches dentistry. Upon successful completion, the graduate receives a degree in Dentistry, which, depending upon the jurisdiction, might be a bachelor's degree, master's degree, a professional degree, or a...

of the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus

University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus

The University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus —or Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Ciencias Médicas in Spanish— is a state university located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is one of the eleven campuses of the University of Puerto Rico...

located in San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. It is the only dental school in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

. It is currently accredited by ADA

American Dental Association

The American Dental Association is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 155,000 members. Based in Chicago, the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association and promotes good oral health to the public while representing the dental...

History

In January 1955 Dr. Harold W. Brown, Ex-Dean of the School of Public Health of Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

, submitted his study on the needs of Physicians and Dentists in Puerto Rico (1). This study was conducted at the request of the then Chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico, Graduate Jaime Benitez

Jaime Benitez

Jaime Benítez Rexach was a Puerto Rican author, academic and politician. He was the longest serving chancellor and the first president of the University of Puerto Rico.-Early life:...

. The study revealed that the ratio of dentists per capita then in Puerto Rico was one in every nine thousand inhabitants, approximately (1 / 8949). This rate was considered very inferior compared to the United States, by that time, was one in every thousand seven hundred approximately (1.677). In those years, the majority of dentists practicing in Puerto Rico and American school graduates projected that U.S. schools would not increase admissions of Puerto Rican students in the proportions necessary to improve the situation of the small number of dentists in Puerto Rico . Moreover, it is envisioned that for various reasons would be more difficult for Puerto Rican students could gain access to American schools in the immediate future.

As part of this study and in coordination with the College of Dental Surgeons of Puerto Rico were surveyed dentists in Puerto Rico, as a professional class, demonstrating a massive boost to the creation of a dental school in the country. This study concluded that, based on the low ratio of dentists to existing population and the inability to improve it with the option of educating dentists in accredited schools outside the country, there was a need to establish a dental school built with the School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico. In April 1955, Dr. Harold Hinman, Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico and Dr. Shailer Peterson, Secretary of the Board of Dental Education American Dental Association, signed a statement which recommended the University to delineate plans for developing an educational program to train dental residents of Puerto Rico to meet the oral health needs of the country, based on the advice of East and Brown.

The lawyer Jaime Benitez, then Rector of the University of Puerto Rico

University of Puerto Rico

The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...

, submitted a request to the Council for Higher Education, with Dr. Peterson's paper as a reference, to create the School of Dentistry. In an extraordinary meeting on 27 January 1956, the Council accepted the report of the Rector and approved the establishment of the School of Dentistry linked to the School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, according to Certification # 85 of 6 February 1956. In it was established that the approval was made without the University to have the funds necessary for implementation. Therefore, the rector was empowered to manage themselves and not make any commitments until they have the required funds. To this end, it was not possible to project at this time that the Dental School could begin operations.

On 8 March 1956 the doctor Ubaldino Ramirez de Arellano

Ubaldino Ramírez de Arellano

Ubaldino Ramírez de Arellano Quiñones was born in San Germán, Puerto Rico. He was a dentist, congressman and he was known as the father of Basketball in San German. His parents were José Ubaldino Ramírez de Arellano Lugo and María Matilde Quiñones Quiñones. While in university he joined Phi Sigma...

, a dentist by profession and a congressman, introduced House Joint Resolution 3122 which allocated the funds during the 1956-57 fiscal year to cover the costs for planning and buying equipment to establish the School of Dentistry (2). At the meeting of 24 May 1956, approved the resolution with a unanimous vote of 43 votes for and 0 against. This project was approved in the Senate of Puerto Rico without amendment on 30 May 1956. The adoption of the law occurred on 21 June 1956 with the signature of Governor Luis Muñoz Marín

Luis Muñoz Marín

Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...

.

The lawyer appointed Dr.Raymond Baralt Jr. as the first dean of the newly created School of Dentistry, University of Puerto Rico effective July 1, 1956 as soon learned of the signing of the bill by the Governor. A year later, on Monday, 19 August 1957, the school began its academic functions with 29 students. Some of the courses in biomedical sciences, administratively under the School of Medicine, were initially shared by the students of Dentistry and Medicine, gradually creating separate courses after the first year of dental school operations. The faculty and school administration made great efforts to develop academic programs, establish rules and procedures, design and build appropriate facilities (clinics and laboratories), while the teaching work was done. In the academic year 1960-61, the school had 102 students of dentistry.

In March 1961 it received official accreditation visit Dental Education Council of the American Dental Association. Subsequently, the agency told the Rector Jaime Benitez the status of "Full Approval" Under-graduate Program of Dentistry, University of Puerto Rico, in a communication dated 13 March 1961. Thereafter, the School of Dentistry has maintained its accreditation continuously.

The first acts of graduation, for receptacles of the degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine, took place on 2 June 1961 at the Teatro de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. In the years following its establishment were created graduate programs Histopathology

Histopathology

Histopathology refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease...

, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Oral and maxillofacial surgery

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is surgery to correct a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty...

, Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric Dentistry

Pediatric dentistry Pediatric dentistry Pediatric dentistry (formerly pedodontics (American English) or paedodontics (Commonwealth English) is the branch of dentistry dealing with childrenfrom birth through adolescence...

and Prosthodontics

Prosthodontics

Prosthodontics, also known as dental prosthetics or prosthetic dentistry, is one of nine dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons...

. Later, two programs were introduced in General Practice Residency

General Practice Residency

There are two forms of institution-based training for general dentistry available for dental school graduates in the United States:* General practice residency, often abbreviated as GPR...

in the year 1987 and Orthodontics

Orthodontics

Orthodontics, orthodontia, or orthodonture is the first specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions , which may be a result of tooth irregularity, disproportionate jaw relationships, or both...

in 1997. Dr. McKelvey served as dean during the period between 1961 and 1972, which welcomed the withdrawal. In that year he appointed Dr. Alberto Tossas, who turned into the first alumnus to hold the position of Dean of the School of Dentistry. In the same year the Medical Sciences Campus moved to its new facility at the Medical Center.

The training programs for staff support of the profession were established under the administration of the school. Among these programs were created Dental Assistants, Dental Hygiene

Dental Hygiene

Dental Hygiene is a 1980 Iranian short film directed by Abbas Kiarostami....

, Dental Technology and Training program Assistants in Extended Functions. Later, as a result of the reorganization of the Medical Sciences Campus in 1976, they were transferred to the College of Health Related Professions, now the School of Health Professions.

Academics

The School's curriculum has been revised several times in response to internal and external environment and responding to accreditation standards. Among the highlights are early clinical experiences, use of simulators in pre-clinical laboratories, treatment patient-centered comprehensive, competency-based assessment, innovative educational methods as standardized patients, scientific evidence-based learning among others. The School of Dentistry has taken a leadership role in the international community. Graduate programs have received professional Central and South America and Spain for training in various specialized areas of dentistry. An excellent example of this initiative is our school's contribution to the development of dental curriculum at the University of Granada

University of Granada

The University of Granada is a public university located in Granada, Spain that enrolls approximately 80,000 students. The university also has campuses in Ceuta and Melilla. Every year, over 2,000 European students enroll in the UGR through the Erasmus Programme, making it the most popular...

, in its decision to establish a separate School of Dental Medicine, satisfy the requirements of the European Economic Community

European Economic Community

The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...

.

The School of Dentistry has a Division of Continuing Education since 1959 and is a major supplier of this type of education for the local professional community at the level of Central and South America, Spain and other international standards. This division has been innovative in developing distance education and by CCTV. In 2005, the School of Dentistry opened an amphitheater with all the modern facilities of educational technology for offering continuing education courses. The School of Dentistry has maintained steady progress throughout its history and the celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of its foundation, confirms its institutional maturity.

University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry awards following degrees:

Doctor of Dental Medicine
D.M.D.-Ph.D Training Program

Research

As an integral part of its mission, the School of Dentistry has developed a significant work in research at all levels. The generation of new knowledge is critical because it results in improved oral health and general health of the population. Research Center, School of Dentistry has led efforts to address inequalities in oral health in Puerto Rico, and other Hispanic communities in the United States in aspects of oral cancer, dental caries and periodontal disease. The latter by their particular relationship with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pregnant women and their relationship to low birth weight and prematurity. The Research Center has been diligent in seeking funds to support research and has received an endowment fund of $ 15 million and has signed cooperation agreements with prestigious universities such as, for example, NYU, Columbia University

Columbia University

, Seattle University

Seattle University

Seattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.SU is the largest independent university in the Northwest US, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools, and is one of 28 member...

, University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

, University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

and Indiana University

Indiana University

Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...

. Concurrently, has made efforts to develop future researchers to coordinate research experiences during the summers at various universities and research intensive, like the National Institutes of Health

National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...

.
Dr. Augusto R. Elias Boneta, is the current Assistant Dean for Dental Research.

Departments

University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry includes the following departments:

Ecological Sciences Department
Restorative Sciences Department
Surgical Sciences Department

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