University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine

What University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine does

The University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, also known as the CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine, is a public state university dental school located on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. Founded in 1973 and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, it is the only dental school in the Rocky Mountain region. The school offers five dental programs — a four-year Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), an Advanced Standing International Student Program, a General Practice Residency, plus Graduate Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and Graduate Periodontics residencies — alongside a Geriatric Dental Medicine Fellowship and a DDS/MPH dual degree.

Operations span three integrated activities: education, patient care, and research. Eight on-campus specialty clinics — including adolescent, faculty practice, team care, first aid, general practice residency, periodontics, orthodontic, and senior/special care — deliver dental services at up to 50% below private practice pricing and accept Delta Dental, CHP+, and Health First Colorado (Medicaid). Co-located on the academic medical campus, the school conducts externally funded research from NIDCR, NIH, and AAI on craniofacial biology, dental materials, and digital dentistry.

Technology infrastructure centers on digital dentistry, 3D printing of dentures and prosthetics, AI-driven educational and diagnostic tools, and haptic simulation training, underpinned by The DASH (Dental Avatar Simulation Hub). The school has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School in 2022 and 2024. Revenue flows from patient care fees, tuition across DDS, ISP, residency, fellowship, and continuing education programs, and research grants; the institution is not a private company and raises no venture capital.

Name

University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine

Legal name

The Regents of the University of Colorado

Website

https://dental.cuanschutz.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine is the only dental school in the Rocky Mountain region, training dentists through DDS, residency, and fellowship programs while operating eight specialty dental clinics serving Colorado patients at reduced rates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dental Education & Clinical Dental Care

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Offices of Dentists (621210)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Dental Schools (EDAHAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Public Health Dentistry Clinics (FQHC/School-Based/Nonprofit) (HLABAAAF), Geriatric & Special Needs General Dentistry (HLABAAAH)

Keywords

• Dental education programs
• Clinical dental care
• Residency training
• Dental research
• Continuing dental education

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Patient Care Services: Revenue generated from dental services provided to patients at reduced costs (up to 50% less than private practice) through various specialty clinics including adolescent, orthodontic, periodontics, and general practice clinics
2. Tuition and Educational Programs: Revenue from Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program, Advanced Standing International Student Program, residency programs, and continuing education courses
3. Research Grants and Funding: External research funding from organizations such as NIDCR, NIH, AAI grants for craniofacial research, dental materials innovation, and various clinical studies

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine is a public dental school that delivers professional dental education (DDS, Advanced Standing International Student Program, three residency programs, and a Geriatric Dental Medicine Fellowship) and operates eight on-campus dental clinics that provide comprehensive, lower-cost dental care to the public, supervised by faculty and dental trainees. The school also advances dental research, innovation in digital dentistry and simulation, and community/global oral health outreach.

Product overview

University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental Medicine is the only dental school in the Rocky Mountain region, offering a portfolio of academic programs and clinical services. The school provides five core dental programs: Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), Advanced Standing International Student Program (ISP), three residency programs (General Practice, Orthodontics, Periodontics), and a Geriatric Dental Medicine Fellowship. Clinical operations include eight on-campus clinics serving diverse patient populations, from adolescents to seniors and special care patients. Innovation initiatives include Digital Dentistry with 3D printing capabilities and The DASH (Dental Avatar Simulation Hub) for simulation-based training. The school also operates community programs including the ACTS Program and participates in interprofessional education at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACTS Program: A community-based dental clinic rotation program connecting dental students with underserved populations in Colorado.
• COPPR (COPRR)

Products and services

• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) Program Four-year professional dental degree program training students to become licensed dentists, including clinical training at school clinics and affiliated hospitals.
• Advanced Standing International Student Program (ISP) Program for internationally trained dentists to earn a U.S. DDS degree, including an educational observation option.
• General Practice Residency (GPR) Program Postdoctoral residency program providing advanced training in general dentistry, including operating room appointments for complex cases.
• Graduate Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Residency Program Advanced specialty residency training in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, covering treatment mechanics, self-ligating brackets, TADs, and appliance systems.
• Graduate Periodontics Residency Program Specialty residency program in periodontics covering periodontal regeneration techniques, osseointegrated implants, and periodontal microbiology.
• Geriatric Dental Medicine Fellowship Fellowship preparing healthcare providers to address the oral health needs of the growing older adult population.
• DDS/MPH Dual Degree Program Combined degree program allowing students to earn both a DDS and a Master of Public Health.
• Adolescent Dental Clinic Clinic providing comprehensive dental care for children and teens ages 12-18, including preventive care, fillings, root canals, gum disease treatment, and wisdom teeth extractions at up to 50% less than private dental offices.
• Dental Faculty Practice Clinic staffed by experienced faculty dentists providing comprehensive dental care with supervised student involvement.
• Dental Team Care Clinic Clinic providing team-based dental care with faculty supervision.
• Dental First Aid Clinic Clinic providing first aid and emergency dental care, including after-hours services.
• General Practice Residency Clinic Resident-staffed clinic providing advanced general dentistry care, including operating room appointments for complex cases.
• Graduate Periodontics Clinic Specialty clinic providing periodontal care, including periodontal regeneration, implants, and treatment of gum disease.
• Orthodontic Clinic Specialty clinic providing orthodontic treatment and dentofacial orthopedic care.
• Senior & Special Care Clinic Specialized clinic serving seniors and patients with special needs, addressing complex oral health conditions.
• ACTS Program (Assuring Competition To Success) Community-based dental clinic rotation program connecting dental students with underserved populations in Colorado.
• Global Health Initiatives Service-learning programs placing dental students in international oral health initiatives, including in Honduras and Brazil.
• Digital Dentistry Initiative Innovation initiative incorporating digital workflows including CAD/CAM dentistry, digital imaging, 3D printing for dentures and dental prosthetics, and haptics-based simulation training.
• The DASH (Dental Avatar Simulation Hub) Avatar-based simulation training platform for dental education, enabling students to practice procedures in a virtual environment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Services cost up to 50% less than typical private dental offices
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Taipei Medical UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Collaborative research partnership on in vitro studies evaluating calcium chloride-crosslinked alginate-gelatin hydrogels for odontoblast differentiation and dentin regeneration. Researchers from Taipei Medical University and collaborating institutions work on scaffold-guided dental tissue engineering research.
• Children's Hospital ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Collaboration between the Children's Hospital Colorado Pediatric Dental Center and CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine to provide preventive and educational dental care to families. The partnership offers pediatric dental services at the hospital location while leveraging the school's training programs for dental residents and students.
• International Medical ReliefminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Founded by Shauna Vollmer King (CU Dental alumna), International Medical Relief has become a leading provider of short-term global dental and medical care. The organization collaborates on global health outreach initiatives and oral health programs internationally.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Harvard School of Dental Medicine: Elite private dental school with research-heavy DDS and postdoctoral programs; comparable academic mission but with significantly greater financial resources and global brand.
• University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine: Ivy League dental school with DDS, specialty training, and research; comparable in education and patient care offerings though much larger and better capitalized than CU Anschutz.
• NYU College of Dentistry: Largest U.S. dental school by enrollment and clinic volume; broadly comparable academic and clinical structure but at much greater scale and with broader national recruitment.
• Columbia University College of Dental Medicine: Ivy League dental school offering DDS, specialty programs, and research on a medical campus; comparable mission but with deeper private endowment and broader brand reach than CU Anschutz.

Direct peers

• University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston: Large public dental school with extensive DDS, residency, and clinic operations that closely parallel CU Anschutz in scale, structure, and public-university governance.
• University of Washington School of Dentistry: Pacific Northwest public dental school with comparable DDS, specialty residencies, and patient care clinics — similar mission to serve as the regional dental education anchor.
• University of Michigan School of Dentistry: A leading U.S. public dental school offering DDS, advanced specialty programs, and research-driven dental education, making it directly comparable to CU Anschutz in mission, scale, and program structure.
• University of Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry: Private dental school on the West Coast with comparable DDS, specialty programs, and patient care operations; similar in size and program mix, useful as a private-institution peer benchmark.
• UCLA School of Dentistry: Major public dental school combining DDS, advanced specialty training, research, and large patient care operations on a health sciences campus — directly comparable model.
• University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry: Another top-tier U.S. public dental school operating DDS, residency, and patient care clinics with a similar research and education mix — directly comparable to CU Anschutz.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/cudentalmed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/cudentalmed
• Facebookfacebook.com/cudentalmed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cudentalmed
• Instagraminstagram.com/cu_dental

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine