Kings College London

School of Dentistry
Strand London St
London UK WC2R 2LS
207-188-1164
www.kcl.ac.uk/dentistry

Welcome to the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences from Executive Dean, Professor Mike Curtis You find us at a very exciting point in our history. We are the largest dental faculty in Europe and we’re rated 1st in the world for dentistry. Not to mention that as part of King’s College London we belong to a vibrant multi-faculty university in the centre of one of the world’s great cities.

But what does this mean to our students, clinicians, researchers and professional staff?

With over a thousand dental students, we have a critical mass that brings considerable benefits to everyone. More students mean we have more staff, more staff mean we have more specialists and a greater diversity of research. The sheer depth and breadth of our education and research underpin our mission to deliver the best possible oral health for society.

If you’re new to King’s, you’ll find we’re a very accessible and approachable faculty. My role is to makes sure everyone achieves their full potential in a supportive and friendly environment.

In 1998, when the dental schools of the Royal, Guy’s, St Thomas' and King’s merged with King’s College London, rich histories and legacies were united, bringing together space, expertise, people and passions to lead the way in dental education and oral and craniofacial research.The faculty distinguishes itself by its unique research portfolio in dental, oral and craniofacial sciences, embracing blue skies discovery research in addition to translational and clinical sciences. Every day, in these world-leading facilities we learn something new, and work in our local communities, with colleagues from around the world, to make a difference.

The faculty has a highly distinguished history building on over two hundred years of clinical care, research and education in our parent institutions, including the London School of Dental Surgery (Royal Dental Hospital of London), Guy's Dental Hospital and King's College Hospital Dental School. The establishment of the faculty as a single Institute in 1998 resulted from the merger of the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals with King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry.

The core of what we have done for over 150 years is bringing together clinical care, particularly for those who are poor or vulnerable, with the training of future generations of skilled dentists, surgeons and researchers. This was the founding principle of the Royal Dental Hospital of London in 1858 which continued to treat impoverished patients, and train dentists continuously until its merger with Guys in 1985, even through the Blitz during the Second World War.

The roots of our clinical activity go back even further: Guy's appointed its first dental surgeon in 1799 and, under Fredrick Newland-Pedley, established Guy's Dental School in 1889. King's College Hospital had a Dental Department from its foundation in 1839, initially in Portugal Street, Holborn serving the poor and disadvantaged and from 1913 onwards at Denmark Hill. King's College Hospital Dental School opened in 1923.

This history partly explains the deep roots of service and service-led education in the faculty: it has been a core part of our pedagogy and our mission since we began. It also speaks to a distinct and deep relationship with London and the communities within which our faculty grew, and which we still serve. This has grown into close co­ operative relationships with our NHS partners, particularly the two NHS Foundation Trusts: Guy's & St. Thomas', and King's College Hospital.

Since 1998, we have continued to innovate in our educational provision. The faculty has been a pioneer in the use of blended learning since 1998 and has been at the forefront of the use of haptics in dental education. LonDEC (The London Dental Education Centre) was founded in 2009 to provide high-quality clinical skills facilities for Continuing Professional Development and blended learning. Additionally, we have developed outreach centres with the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy and West Norwood Health and Leisure Centre in Lambeth .

Our research activities stretch back over 100 years and have become no less central to our mission to serve our communities. From its creation, the faculty has been the leading centre in the UK for oral and dental research.

Since 1998, the faculty has developed into a world-leading centre for research into craniofacial biology, as well as continuing very significant research in mucosal and salivary biology, and population and patient health, and in dental education. The faculty has deep historical strengths on which to build - service at the core of our self-identity, a history of education innovation, and strong and embedded relationships with our NHS Trust partners, and a longstanding commitment to research.

Map of Kings College London School of Dentistry, Strand London St, London UK WC2R 2LS

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