The majority of HSDM graduates in recent years have entered postdoctoral programs in clinical specialties or general practice residencies and many go on to careers in research, teaching, public heath, public policy and the general practice of dentistry. Enrollment at HSDM is extremely competitive, with the predoctoral program accepting thirty-five students per class. Nineteen postdoctoral programs have 131 postdoctoral students and residents enrolled. These consist of nine specialty-training programs and ten advanced training programs. Dental and Craniofacial Research Dental research and education has undergone significant change over the last decade.
Predoctoral students have a research requirement and many go far past the basic level.
Research is no longer exclusively about caries or periodontal disease, rather it is about craniofacial biology, genetics, and tissue engineering. In that spirit, a large NIH funded Program Project in the basic understanding of oral, and head and neck cancer is very active and the Harvard Center for Craniofacial Tissue Engineering focuses investigators and students on this exciting area. Since 1993 a special affiliation with the FI exists with a shared Department of Oral Biology and many other collaborative programs. In fiscal year 1998, HSDM was ranked 15th overall among dental schools receiving NIH grant monies. Almost double that funding supports patient- oriented research at the School and its affiliated hospitals.