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Welcome to the website of the first dental school in Western Canada!

We are proud of our long history and our central role in the education of dental professionals for nearly a century. Dental education was instituted at the University of Alberta in 1917 in the School of Dentistry under the Faculty of Medicine. The first full degree program was offered in 1923 and the first class graduated in 1927. When the school’s first dean, Dr. H.E. Bulyea, came here from Harvard University in 1917, he patterned this school’s curriculum after that of Harvard.

The school became the Faculty of Dentistry in 1944, and until 1958, this was the only dental school in Western Canada. The U of A dental faculty trained practitioners for all the western provinces, promoted dental health in the community and in the schools, and conducted research into the prevention of dental diseases, which led to the fluoridation of water in Edmonton.

In 1996, the Faculty of Dentistry merged with the Faculty of Medicine to become the U of A’s Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, which has achieved national and international prominence for the high quality of its teaching, research and clinical programs.

Today, we eagerly look forward to the future as we embark on another transformational change in our history. From one of the oldest buildings on campus, we are moving to the new, state-of-the-art Edmonton Clinic Health Academy. This move symbolizes the revitalization of the School of Dentistry as we chart a new course in our educational initiatives and research endeavours, and renew our long-standing commitment to serve the community.    

We encourage you to stay tuned to the changes coming to the School of Dentistry. And we invite you to browse this website to learn about our mission, our various programs and activities, and our staff and students.