The UCLA School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in the Center for Health Sciences building in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States.

The school also participates in several outreach endeavors, including numerous health fairs during the year, STEM pipeline programs and provides dental care for underserved populations in the region.

[1] In 2014 alone, new faculty grants and contracts awarded totaled nearly $20 million from the National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies.

Accepted students have highly competitive grade point averages and dental admission test scores.

Out of all 62 US dental schools for 2016, UCLA's average matriculant DAT score of 23 ranks second in the nation - behind Harvard and tied with Columbia.

[citation needed] Preceptorship programs are meant for U.S. or internationally-trained dentists who want specialized postgraduate training.

Candidates must also take a minimum of six units of elective courses that fit a student's research area and must be at a graduate level.

[citation needed] The PhD degree program is for applicants who are interested in becoming leaders in academic dentistry.

[citation needed] In addition to the DDS, advanced training and MS and PhD degrees, the school offers continuing dental education courses.

The CE program is housed at the School of Dentistry academic buildings and the majority of courses are held here.

Dental students and residents, along with a supervising faculty member, are prepared to address the oral health needs of any patient.

Although patient care is obviously the clinic's primary concern, the school is also responsible for the education and training of dental students and residents.

The School of Dentistry operates a general clinic where the pre-doctoral students treat patients, with a faculty member overseeing the treatment plan.

One of the benefits of becoming a patient in the general clinic is the significantly lower cost of treatment when compared to fees in the private sector.

The specialized services offered are endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, and prosthodontics.

[citation needed] Starting in 1998, the school has participated in health fairs across the entire Southern California region.