Creighton University

• Overview
• Faculty
• Students
• Alumni
• Curriculum
• Research
• Points of Pride

Since its start in 1905, the Creighton University School of Dentistry has graduated 5,106 students. In 2008-2009, 340 students were enrolled in the school, which has 103 full- and part-time faculty as well as numerous contributed-services faculty.

The first clinical patient treated in the present facility, the Harry N. and Maude Boyne School of Dental Science, was in July 1973, following completion of the building.

The School of Dentistry’s tuition places it as one of the most affordable private dental schools in the United States. In 2009-10 Creighton was approximately $7,500 per year lower than the national average for private dental schools which is about $53,000.

Many Creighton dentists continue to participate in community service as alumni, sustaining Creighton’s mission to train students to become “men and women for and with others.”

• Wayne W. Barkmeier, D.D.S., M.S., serves as dean.
• There are three endowed chairs in the School of Dentistry:
  • The Dr. Raymond W. Shaddy Endowed Chair in Operative Dentistry, held by W. Thomas Cavel, D.D.S.’70.
  • The Dr. Oscar S. Belzer Endowed Chair in Dentistry, held by Gary H. Westerman, D.D.S.
  • The Dr. Edward J. “Eddie” and Neta DeRose Endowed Chair in Dentistry, held by James H. Howard, D.D.S
• Student-faculty ratio is 6.1:1.
• At the forefront of their profession, School of Dentistry faculty have a national reputation for excellence and serve on various local, regional and national boards and associations.

• Creighton’s School of Dentistry received 2,900 applicants in 2009 for 88 available seats.
• Incoming freshmen had an undergraduate grade point average of 3.6 on a 4.0 scale Creighton’s average dental testing scores on the two-part Dental Aptitude test (scoring 0-30) were approximately 19-20, compared to the national average of 18-19.
• Sixty-four percent of the student body comes from states without dental schools. Nearly 7 percent are from Nebraska.
• Creighton’s School of Dentistry holds state contracts with Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. These agreements provide a guaranteed number of seats or preferential access for students from these contract states The School also offers WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) seats for New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming.
• The School of Dentistry has a chartered chapter of the American Student Dental Association. This organization promotes participation in the activities of student-directed organizations.
• The school received a $200,000 grant in 2008 to increase the number of Native Americans in dentistry. This 27-month grant, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Dental Pipeline program, targets recruitment of Native American students into the nation’s Jesuit dental schools. Four 2009-2010 freshmen are Native Americans who benefitted from the Robert Wood Johnson grant.

• Alumni are active in providing care in all dental care settings from general dentistry to specialty activities.
• School of Dentistry graduates live and work in 48 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

• The dental school curriculum is focused on the development of a competent general dentist. Creighton students are prepared to enter residency programs, dental practice or continue with advanced degrees and specialty training.
• While Creighton centers on training general dentists, 20 percent of the students go on to specialize – a figure that virtually mirrors the national average.
• A student research group provides a forum for predoctoral (students who have yet to receive their dental degrees) to participate in research seminars and projects.
• In 2007, the school installed a new clinic-management system. It allows the students to view digital patient records and x-rays directly from a monitor. This clinic management system also provides real world business function experience for dental students.

• Research in the School of Dentistry is a growing enterprise with extramural funding support from the National Institutes of Health and numerous foundations multinational corporations. Areas of study include:
  • Basic molecular studies using novel transgenic and mutant mouse strains to study the role small ribonucleic acide (RNA) i.e. miRNAs and cell cycle control molecules have as facilitators of cell fate determination, proliferation and function. Information learned from the studies of these mice will add new knowledge to the burgeoning field of small RNA therapeutics.
  • Lipid growth factors an in vitro model of oral wound healing, as well as cytokine regulation of G protein-coupled receptors. These processes are compromised in inflammatory conditions like periodontal disease and Type II diabetes.
  • A focus on lipid growth factors an in vitro model of oral wound healing, as well as cytokine regulation of G protein-coupled receptors. School of Dentistry researchers discovered that the lipid mediator and growth factor lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) regulates fundamental healing processes of human oral fibroblasts.
  • Imaging studies of various head and neck anatomic structures and pathologies using cone beam computed tomography.
  • Researchers in the School of Dentistry Dental Materials Center conduct laboratory and clinical studies investigating the physical properties and performance of dental materials and devices. Faculty members are making discoveries in the areas of composites cements and adhesives, fatigue life of dental materials and the clinical effectiveness of new dental therapies and devices. They also are increasing our knowledge of potential new materials by formulating new materials based on discoveries in a newly build organic synthesis laboratory.

• Creighton dental students continue to perform well on National Boards and licensing exams. Creighton graduates enjoyed an average pass rate of nearly 93 percent over the past year on regional licensing exams.
• Creighton’s dental students and faculty participate in activities that provide dental care to underprivileged adults and children and volunteer hundreds of hours of service. These activities include Omaha’s One World Community Health Center,” Give Kids a Smile” (dental education and dental services outreach for needy children), service in the Dominican Republic and Special Olympics/Special Smiles Program.