Students from across the globe continue to come to the United States for dental school, which is no surprise as Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings has listed 15 US programs in the 2016 edition of its top 50 dental schools in the world. And while the University of Hong Kong took the top slot, the University of Michigan followed at number 2—a leap up from its fourth place showing last year.
“The School of Dentistry has a 140-year tradition of leading the way in dental education,” said Dr. Laurie McCauley, dean of the school. “We are committed to providing the best possible environment for our students to engage in an education as unique as they are, for our faculty to be creative scholars, and for our staff to fulfill their goals.”
QS scored each school’s academic reputation, employer reputation, and research citations per paper on a scale of zero to 100 and averaged these totals for each final score. Surveyed academics and employers identified up to 10 domestic and 30 international institutions they considered excellent, while GS used Scopus to determine the citation tallies.
“This recognition is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of an outstanding group of students, a world-class faculty, and exceptional staff,” said Dr. Renée E. Duff, assistant dean for student services. “Working together, we continually strive to be the leaders and best in teaching, research, and patient care.”
Meanwhile, the staff at the University of Hong Kong cites the school’s clinical sessions and problem-based discussions as key factors in its success. It actively recruits academics from around the world to meet the evolving educational demands of its students—a population that continues to grow to serve the needs of the territory’s citizens.
“In order to address the shortage of dentists in Hong Kong, we will take in more undergraduate students,” said Thomas Frank Flemmig, dean of the Faculty of Dentistry. “There will be an approximately 40% increase in the number of students admitted to the Bachelor of Dental Surgery Program in the fall of this year.”
The Prince Philip Dental Hospital, which is where the school is located, will need to undergo a significant reconfiguration to accommodate these larger incoming classes. The school is the sole educational center for dentists in Hong Kong, and two thirds of the dentists practicing in the territory were educated there.
Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, was ranked third, falling from number one last year. King’s College London was fourth on the international list. The University of Gothenburg, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, University College London, Universidade de Sao Paulo, and New York University rounded out the top 10.
“Rising to fourth in the global rankings reaffirms our position as a world-class institution and reflects the dedication, commitment, and innovation of our academic and professional staff, our students, and our alumni,” said Dianne Rekow, executive dean and professor at King’s Dental Institute.
Other U.S. dental schools in the top 50 include the following:
- Harvard University (11th)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (14th)
- University of Washington (15th)
- University of California at Los Angeles (19th)
- University of Pennsylvania (21st)
- Boston University (24th)
- University of California at San Francisco (30th)
- Columbia University (32nd)
- University of Iowa (36th)
- University of Southern California (39th)
- The Ohio State University (40th)
- University of Minnesota (44th)
- University of Florida (45th)
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