Southern Illinois University of Dental Medicine

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Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine is an academic unit of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) located in Alton, Illinois, United States, in the Greater St. Louis area. The school is one of three dental schools in the state of Illinois and is mandated with the mission "to improve the oral health of the people of Southern Illinois and the region through education, patient care, scholarship and service".A part of the Southern Illinois University system, the school has nearly 200 students (about 50 in each entering class) and provides a fully accredited and nationally recognized dental education.HistoryThe SIU School of Dental Medicine was established in 1972 to provide a source of dentists in the southern half of Illinois.Its campus was one of two residential centers of SIUE from 1957 until the opening of the Edwardsville campus in 1965 and saw only limited use from 1965 to 1972.The school graduated its first class of dental practitioners in 1975, and, with the Commencement of the Class of 2016, the School has trained more than 1,800 dentists.FacilitiesThe SIU School of Dental Medicine occupies the 26acre former Shurtleff College campus in the Upper Alton neighborhood of Alton for its primary teaching facilities and clinics.The Main Clinic (built 1984, renovated 2005) is the site of most student practical experience and provides patient dental care at 72 patient-care stations. Its Advanced Practice Wing (built 2006) allows pre- and post-doctoral students to gain experience in diagnosis, treatment planning, surgery, and prosthodontic treatment for implant dentistry in its classroom (Roller Hall) and at an additional 24 patient-care stations.