DEN Oral Health Sciences MS Facilities, Laboratories & Research

Research Centers & Laboratories

In addition to a primary research center located in Temple University’s College of Public Health, there are six dedicated research laboratories housed within Temple’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, located minutes north of Main Campus.

In collaboration with Temple’s Department of Psychology, the Center for Public Health Research facilitates in the understanding of the complex variables that surround oral health and disease status, with a focus on evidence-based prevention research. The center acts as a bridge between dentistry, public health and psychology.

The Smart Biomaterials Research Laboratory is a fully equipped fabrication and smart biomaterials facility for the testing of various dental materials across load types. This lab features 3D printers, ink-writers and a full machine shop, so students can work with dental materials ranging from ceramics to biological tissue. Many of the materials are used in-house to simulate real-world oral and periodontal conditions.

Additional Facilities

The Ginsburg Health Sciences Library is a 53,000-square-foot facility that caters to all students in Temple’s Health Sciences Center. In addition to a robust analog and digital offering of dentistry literature, the library features 175 workstations and 10 collaborative learning rooms that are open to all dentistry students and faculty.

The Student Faculty Center offers space to conduct research or, if needed, take a reprieve from learning. Located just north of Temple’s Main Campus, a host of study and conference rooms intertwine with multipurpose athletic courts and fitness facilities.

Learn more about research centers and laboratories in the Kornberg School of Dentistry.

Quality of Research

Research is a vital aspect of the Kornberg School of Dentistry, with a wide array of projects underway in each of the facilities outlined above. Students and residents work alongside faculty to produce cutting-edge research in their fields. The school has received $1.75 million in funding from United Healthcare Inc. and the UHC Foundation, $2.17 million from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, and $1.14 million from the American Dental Association for faculty research projects.

Highlights

Recently the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, awarded the school $2.59 million to support research aimed at combating dental anxiety. This project marks an innovative partnership between the Kornberg School of Dentistry and Temple’s Psychology Department, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts.

In 2017, a pair of Kornberg students earned a research award from the American Public Health Association Oral Health Section for their study of dental public health entitled Support for Community Water Fluoridation and Integrating Advocacy Training in Dental Curriculum: Pediatric Dentists Perspectives.

Other student research has centered on projects such as

the laser treatment of periodontal disease;
patient attitudes toward Temple University’s smoking policy; and
prophylactic antibiotic usage in nonoperative, closed facial fracture.

Research Funding

In 2016, the National Science Foundation placed Temple University among the top 100 in terms of research expenditures, which amounted to $242 million. Learn more about the university’s research support efforts.

Carnegie Classification

In 2016, Temple was elevated to an R1 institution of “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing it in the top 4% of all four-year educational institutions in the nation. Temple’s research enterprise distinguishes itself through its focus on community, and using advances in technology to make a positive impact on people’s lives.