University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Dentistry
The University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Dentistry is a public dental school on Hospital Hill in Kansas City, Missouri. It is part of the University of Missouri–Kansas City in the Missouri System, and the dean is Paul Luepke.
The school trains about two-thirds of Missouri’s dentists and enrolls about 110 students each year in its four-year Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program. It also offers a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) program, an Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program, and specialty residencies in Periodontics, Orthodontics, Endodontics, and Oral Surgery.
History: It began in 1881 as the Kansas City Dental College, which later joined with Western Dental College to form Kansas City-Western Dental College. In 1941 it became the School of Dentistry for the private University of Kansas City. In 1961 the University of Kansas City joined the four-campus Missouri state system, and the school has been known as the UMKC School of Dentistry since then.
Notable notes: During World War II, then-dean Roy J. Rinehart helped admit Japanese-American dental students expelled from West Coast schools; the school has continued to admit Hawaii students and has many Hawaii alumni. In 1965, Dr. Donald Randolph Brown, Sr. DDS, became the first African American graduate.
Future development: A new 125,000-square-foot, five-story clinic called the Healthcare Innovation and Delivery Building is planned at 25th and Charlotte streets. It will house dental clinics and medical offices and is expected to be completed around May 2026.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:28 (CET).