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What is the University of Florida College of Dentistry?
The University of Florida College of Dentistry is the publicly funded dental school of the University of Florida, established in 1972 and based at the UF Health Science Center in Gainesville. It describes itself as the only publicly funded dental school in Florida and as active across dental education, research, patient care and community service, with more than 50 years of operation.
It serves three broad audiences: students training to become dentists or specialists, patients seeking general and specialty dental care, and researchers and community partners working on oral health. Its clinical network extends beyond Gainesville, with locations in Wildlight (near Jacksonville), Hialeah/Miami, St. Petersburg and a pediatric center in Naples.
What it offers
- DMD education — the Doctor of Dental Medicine program, built around evidence-based training.
- Advanced and graduate programs — all nine American Dental Association recognized specialties, plus AEGD programs in Miami/Hialeah and St. Petersburg.
- Continuing education — courses for practicing dental professionals.
- Patient care — general and specialty care for adults and children, including resident-staffed clinics operating under faculty supervision.
Choosing it as a patient or applicant
The main trade-off is teaching-clinic care versus a private practice. Teaching clinics can offer broad specialty coverage in one place and access to newer technologies, but appointments may be longer, involve students or residents, and follow an academic calendar. Private practice typically offers faster scheduling and continuity with one dentist.
If you are considering treatment, start by identifying the clinic closest to you and confirming which services it provides, since the Gainesville, Wildlight, Hialeah, St. Petersburg and Naples sites differ in focus — Naples, for example, is described as pediatric care. If you are applying, the specialty and AEGD program pages are the place to check which pathways match your goals. Related official resources include the university's health system at UF Health.
How do I apply to the DMD program at UF College of Dentistry?
Applying to the UF College of Dentistry's Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) program means applying through the centralized ADEA AADSAS service rather than sending an application directly to the school, then completing UF's secondary requirements. The college's own pages present the DMD track as its main predoctoral program, grounded in evidence-based training, so treat the application as a two-stage process: a national application followed by school-specific steps.
The basic sequence
- Apply through ADEA AADSAS, the common application used by U.S. dental schools. You submit transcripts, letters of evaluation, a personal statement and your Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores there.
- Indicate the University of Florida College of Dentistry as a designated school so your file reaches Gainesville.
- Complete any UF-specific supplemental application or fee the school requests after receiving your AADSAS file.
- Watch for interview invitations. UF's DMD Screening Clinic and predoctoral patient-services operations are directed by a screening lead, which reflects how deliberately the school manages applicant and patient screening.
- Submit official DAT scores and final transcripts as instructed, and respond promptly to any admissions correspondence.
What the school emphasizes
The college describes itself as a national leader in dental education, research, care and service, and its DMD page stresses an education "guided by and grounded in sound scientific evidence." In practice, that means a competitive file usually combines strong science coursework, a solid DAT performance, and evidence you understand clinical dentistry as a career — through shadowing, assisting or community oral-health work.
UF also runs all nine American Dental Association recognized specialties plus AEGD programs, so if you are undecided about general dentistry versus specialization, the school offers exposure across the full range. Its research activity, including first-year students involved in oral-health research, suggests applicants who show curiosity beyond the clinic fit the culture well.
A realistic applicant scenario
Suppose you are a Florida resident finishing a biology degree with a 3.6 GPA, three months of shadowing, and a DAT retake planned. Your practical order of operations: confirm your AADSAS coursework entry matches your transcripts exactly, ask evaluators early so letters arrive before deadlines, and prepare a short, specific answer to "why dentistry" rather than a generic one. Because UF is described as the only publicly funded dental school in Florida, in-state applicants often weigh it heavily on cost and location — but that same public mission can mean a large, competitive applicant pool.
Where to verify details
Application deadlines, required prerequisite courses and supplemental fees change, so confirm them on the official pages before you rely on any summary:
- UF College of Dentistry admissions and DMD pages: College of Dentistry » University of Florida
- The centralized application service: American Dental Education Association
- DAT registration and scoring: American Dental Association
Your next step: open the DMD admissions page, list every prerequisite course against your transcript, and note the AADSAS deadline plus UF's supplemental deadline in a single calendar entry so nothing slips.
Where can I find a UF College of Dentistry clinic for patient care in Gainesville, Wildlight, Hialeah, St. Petersburg, or Naples?
The UF College of Dentistry lists its patient-care locations by city, so you can start at the college's patient care section and choose the site closest to you. College of Dentistry » University of Florida
Clinic locations listed by the college
- Gainesville: The Gainesville centers offer general and specialty care for adults and children in one location, at the UF Health Science Center.
- Wildlight (Yulee, north of Jacksonville): UF Health Dentistry – Wildlight opened in January 2020 and includes about 2,900 square feet of dental clinic space with six operatories.
- Miami/Hialeah: The UF Health Hialeah Dental Center provides dental and oral health services for adults and children, with dental residents working under faculty supervision.
- Tampa/St. Petersburg: The UF Health St. Petersburg Dental Center also provides care for adults and children with residents supervised by faculty.
- Naples: The NCEF Pediatric Dental Center in Naples focuses on complete dental care for children, including routine care.
How to choose
If you need several types of care in one visit, Gainesville is the broadest option. For children in southwest Florida, the Naples center is the clear fit. If you live near Jacksonville, Wildlight is the closest listed location. In Miami/Hialeah and St. Petersburg, care is delivered by residents under faculty supervision, which can mean longer appointments or a teaching-clinic pace; that setting is often a good trade-off for patients seeking lower-cost comprehensive care, but it is not the same as a private-practice schedule.
Next step: open the college's patient care pages, confirm the clinic's current hours and accepted patients, then call the specific location before traveling.
Does UF College of Dentistry offer continuing education courses for practicing dentists?
Yes. The University of Florida College of Dentistry runs a continuing dental education program aimed at practicing dentists and other dental professionals who need to maintain licensure, learn new techniques or refresh clinical skills. The college describes this offering as “Committed to dental excellence and your Continuing Education needs,” and it sits alongside its DMD, advanced and graduate education programs as one of the school’s main educational tracks.
What that means in practice
A general dentist in Florida, for example, could use the program to satisfy state CE requirements rather than piecing together courses from multiple providers. A specialist or a dentist returning from a career break might instead look for hands-on or topic-specific training. Because the college also runs all nine ADA-recognized specialty programs and AEGD residencies, its CE audience is broader than students alone, and courses are likely to reflect an academic clinical environment.
How to judge whether it fits you
- Licensure needs: Check whether the specific courses carry the credit types your state board accepts.
- Format and location: CE can range from lecture-based updates to participation courses; the college’s Gainesville clinical facilities and other Florida sites may matter if you want in-person training.
- Depth vs. convenience: University-based CE often trades convenience for more rigorous, evidence-based instruction, which suits dentists seeking substantive clinical updates over quick credit hours.
A useful next step is to open the college’s Continuing Dental Education section directly and filter by course topic, date and credit type, then confirm approval with your state licensing board before enrolling. The college also operates patient care centers in Gainesville, Wildlight, Hialeah, St. Petersburg and Naples, so if you are traveling within Florida, combining a course with a visit to one of those sites is possible.
What advanced and graduate dental specialty programs are available at UF College of Dentistry?
The UF College of Dentistry offers advanced and graduate training across all nine American Dental Association–recognized specialties, plus Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) programs at two locations. That breadth is the headline: a dentist can pursue virtually any recognized specialty without leaving the institution.
Programs at a glance
| Program type | What it covers | Where it is offered |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced & graduate specialty programs | All nine ADA-recognized dental specialties | UF College of Dentistry, Gainesville |
| AEGD | Advanced general dentistry training in a supervised clinical setting | Miami/Hialeah and St. Petersburg |
What this means in practice
The specialty programs suit dentists who have completed a DMD/DDS and want formal specialty certification, whether for a hospital, academic or referral-based practice. The AEGD route fits a different goal: a dentist who wants a fifth year of broad clinical experience—more complex restorative work, implants, sedation or practice management—rather than narrowing to one specialty. The page notes that residents in the Miami/Hialeah and St. Petersburg settings provide a complete range of dental and oral health services for adults and children under faculty supervision, so those programs are clinically intensive rather than classroom-only.
Choosing between them
Ask whether you want depth in one discipline or wider competence across many. If your goal is to limit your practice to endodontics, orthodontics or oral surgery, the specialty track is the direct route. If you are unsure of a specialty or plan to stay a general dentist in a high-need community, AEGD is often the better fit. Location matters too: Gainesville concentrates the specialty programs, while the AEGD options sit in Miami/Hialeah and St. Petersburg.
Next step
Check the college's Advanced and Graduate Programs page for each specialty's prerequisites, application timeline and degree or certificate awarded, then compare that against American Dental Association recognized-specialty definitions if you are weighing which field to enter.
How can I pay my dental bill online for UF College of Dentistry patient care?
Use the College of Dentistry’s online payment page for patient-care bills: UF College of Dentistry — Pay Your Dental Bill Online. The site’s patient-care section links to that page, which is the appropriate starting point for paying a UF College of Dentistry bill online.
What to have ready
Before you begin, gather:
- The patient’s full name and date of birth
- The account or statement number from the billing statement
- The amount due
- A credit, debit, or other accepted payment method
How to proceed
- Open the online bill-payment page from the patient-care area of the college site.
- Enter the patient and account details exactly as they appear on the statement.
- Confirm the amount and submit payment.
- Save the confirmation number or screenshot for your records.
If your bill is from a specific clinic
The college lists several patient-care locations, including Gainesville, Wildlight, Hialeah, St. Petersburg, and the Naples pediatric center. If your statement names a particular clinic, keep that statement nearby when paying; it may contain the correct account identifier or billing-office contact. For questions about a charge, a refund, or whether a payment posted, contact the billing office or clinic printed on your statement rather than relying only on the payment page.
Practical check
If you are paying on someone else’s behalf, confirm that the account allows third-party payment and that you have the patient’s authorization. For international payments or payment plans, ask the billing office first; the online page may not cover every arrangement.
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