University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry

What University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry does

The University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry is a public dental school within the University of California system, founded in 1881 and based at 707 Parnassus Avenue in San Francisco. It operates as a tripartite academic dental institution combining dental education, biomedical research, and patient care through the UCSF Dental Center and the Community Dental Clinic. Educational offerings span the DDS program, the International Dentist Pathway (IDP), the DDS/MBA dual degree, a PhD in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, and ten postgraduate residency programs including Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontology, Prosthodontics, Endodontics, Dental Public Health, Oral Medicine, and General Practice Residency. Annual tuition and fees are governed by UC system policy. The school enrolls roughly 75-81 DDS students per graduating class plus a steady flow of postgraduate trainees.

Research is a defining dimension of the institution. The school has been the top recipient of NIH dental research funding for 25 of the last 30 years, capturing $27.6M across 55 grants in 2025 and $23.2M across 57 grants in 2024. Core research technologies include Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP) using 3D imaging, cone beam computed tomography, intraoral scanners, and CAD/CAM systems; evidence-based risk-assessment methodologies such as CAMBRA (Caries Management by Risk Assessment), PEMBRA, and the VERDICT EHR-based caries indices calculator; and biomarker-based salivary diagnostics. Faculty collaborate across UCSF Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing on oral-systemic health research.

Patient care is delivered across three clinical sites (Parnassus, Mission Bay, and the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery clinic at UCSF Medical Sciences Building) generating over 125,000 patient visits annually through fee-for-service specialty and general dentistry billing, supported by Delta Dental, Denti-Cal, and other insurance arrangements. The school supplements clinical revenue with philanthropic donations, alumni contributions, tuition, and state grants such as the $1.8M California legislative grant funding the DDS-ASPIRE underserved-community program launching in 2026. As a public entity governed by The Regents of the University of California, the school does not operate on a venture-backed growth model; rather, its funding mechanics depend on sustained NIH competitiveness, tuition, clinical billing, and charitable support.

Name

University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California

Website

https://dentistry.ucsf.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

UCSF School of Dentistry is a public dental school founded in 1881 in San Francisco, educating DDS and postgraduate students, delivering 125,000+ patient visits annually across specialty clinics, and operating as the long-standing top recipient of NIH dental research funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dental Education and Clinical Services

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

Comprehensive Family Dentistry (Multi-Disciplinary In-Office General Care) (HLABAAAE), General Dentistry Group Practices (HLABAKAB), School/Community-Based Preventive Dental Programs (HLABAHAM)

Keywords

• Dental education
• Clinical dentistry
• Dental research
• Specialty dental care
• Oral health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Contracts: Primary revenue stream from competitive NIH and other federal research grants. UCSF School of Dentistry has been the top recipient of NIH dental research funding for 25 of the last 30 years, receiving $27.6M in NIH funding in 2025 and $23.2M in 2024. Research grants support faculty-led investigations across oral biology, craniofacial sciences, and clinical domains.
2. Patient Care Revenue: Clinical services revenue from the UCSF Dental Center network of specialty and general dentistry clinics. The school handles over 125,000 patient visits annually across its clinic network. Revenue is generated through fee-for-service billing for dental procedures including prosthodontics, endodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, and general dentistry.
3. Government and Legislative Funding: State funding from California legislators, exemplified by the $1.8 million DDS-ASPIRE grant to support the launch of a program to train dental students for underserved communities.
4. Tuition and Educational Program Fees: Tuition and fees from DDS, IDP, postgraduate residency, and specialty certificate programs. Educational programs include DDS, IDP (International Dentist Pathway), DDS/MBA, PhD in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, and multiple postgraduate residency programs.
5. Philanthropic Donations and Endowments: Charitable contributions from alumni, donors, and foundations supporting patient care, research, scholarships, and programs. The school solicits donations for community work, innovations in health, scholarships, and program support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UCSF School of Dentistry is a public dental school that trains dental professionals through DDS, IDP, PhD, and specialty residency programs; delivers comprehensive clinical dental care through specialty and general dentistry clinics handling 125,000+ patient visits annually; and conducts NIH-funded oral health and biomedical research, having ranked #1 in NIH dental research funding among US dental schools for 25 of the last 30 years. The school also offers free community dental care, develops proprietary evidence-based clinical methodologies (CAMBRA, PEMBRA, VERDICT), and operates specialty clinics across Prosthodontics, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, and General Dentistry.

Product overview

The UCSF School of Dentistry is an academic dental institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs, clinical services, and research initiatives. Educational offerings include DDS, IDP, DDS/MBA, PhD in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, and multiple residency programs (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontology, Prosthodontics, Endodontics, Dental Public Health, Oral Medicine, General Practice Residency). Clinical care is delivered through specialty clinics including Prosthodontics, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, General Dentistry, and Student Dental Implant Program. The institution also operates a Community Dental Clinic providing free care. Research programs include CAMBRA (caries risk assessment), PEMBRA (periodontal risk assessment), VERDICT (EHR caries calculator), Global Oral Health Program, and Virtual Surgical Planning technology. The school has maintained #1 NIH dental research funding ranking for over 25 years, demonstrating leadership in oral health innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CAMBRA (Caries Management by Risk Assessment): A research-based strategy for assessing patient risk and developing treatment plans to prevent and manage cavities, developed at UCSF in the early 2000s
• Research and Clinical Excellence Day
• Global Oral Health Program
• DDS-ASPIRE
• Community Dental Clinic (CDC)

Products and services

• DDS Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 125,000 patient visits annually across UCSF Dental Center network
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• International academic and clinical institutions (Colombia and Peru)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026The 2026 Global Oral Health Symposium 'Perspectives on Oral Health in South America' featured keynote speaker Carol Guarnizo-Herreño from the National University of Colombia and speaker Ximena Concha Melgar from Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia, advancing collaborative oral health initiatives across Colombia and Peru.
• NYU Langone HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSF/NYU Langone Health Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program offered exceptional postgraduate training in a community-based setting. This one-year program with an optional second year provided residents broad clinical and didactic experiences while serving diverse patient populations in underserved communities. The program was fully accredited by CODA. Applications are no longer being accepted; the program ends June 30, 2026, and the UCSF AEGD program will be updated in 2027.
• UCSF HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of an academic health system, UCSF School of Dentistry actively collaborates with UCSF Health to conduct research on the important relationship between oral health and overall health. The school shares electronic health records with UCSF Health and provides hospital-based oral and maxillofacial surgery services at UCSF Medical Center.
• UCSF Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, and NursingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSF School of Dentistry collaborates with UCSF's schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing on integrated research initiatives exploring oral-systemic health connections. The UCSF schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing collectively received $824 million in NIH research grants in the past year.
• UC Programs in Medical Education (UC PRIME)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDDS-ASPIRE was conceived and modeled after UC Programs in Medical Education (PRIME), California's multi-campus program training medical students to serve underserved communities. DDS-ASPIRE follows a similar model in dentistry, integrating leadership and research training within the dental curriculum.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine: Research-intensive private dental school with strong NIH funding, full DDS/residency/PhD portfolio, and integrated academic health system - highly comparable in research orientation and clinical footprint.
• University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine: Research-intensive dental school with NIH funding, full DDS/residency portfolio, and strong oral-craniofacial research programs - highly comparable in academic structure and research footprint.
• University of Michigan School of Dentistry: Top-tier public dental school with large NIH research portfolio, comprehensive specialty residency programs, and significant clinical operations - directly comparable scale and public-university model.
• University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry: Leading public dental school with strong NIH research rankings, comprehensive specialty residencies, and a national reputation for oral-health research - closely matches UCSF's research-led public model.
• Columbia University College of Dental Medicine: Ivy League dental school with NIH-funded research, full specialty residency programs, and urban academic-medical-center integration closely mirroring UCSF's profile.
• University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston: Large public dental school with NIH research, comprehensive specialty residencies, and significant clinical operations within a major academic medical center - comparable in scale, public-university model, and research orientation.
• NYU College of Dentistry: Largest US dental school by enrollment with extensive specialty training, large clinical operation, and NIH research; jointly ran the AEGD program with UCSF, making it a directly comparable training and care provider.
• UCLA School of Dentistry: Sister UC-system dental school with DDS, residency, and PhD programs, large NIH funding base, and California patient population - direct public-university peer within the same governance system.
• Harvard School of Dental Medicine: Elite US dental school combining DDS, residency, and PhD training with extensive NIH-funded research; one of the closest comparables to UCSF in mission, structure, and academic standing.
• University of Washington School of Dentistry: Top public dental school in the Pacific Northwest with NIH-funded research, broad specialty training, and regional referral clinical services - directly comparable as a research-intensive public dental school.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLaZ8mMFAaZ_CSq0jIUwpnWlWseuvZcnaq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/ucsf-school-of-dentistry
• Xx.com/ucsfdentistry

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry