History
The Faculty of Dentistry at Ege University was established in 1968 as the first faculty of dentistry in Türkiye. Beginning its educational activities and patient admissions in 1969, the Faculty initially operated with a staff of 28 administrative and technical personnel and 13 academic members, and graduated its first cohort of students in 1973.
At the time of its establishment, the Faculty operated on an area of 9,069 m² with four academic chairs: Oral Diseases and Treatment, Prosthodontics, Orthodontics, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Today, the Faculty continues its education, research, and healthcare services within a total area of 27,850 m², consisting of 26,605 m² of indoor space and 1,245 m² of outdoor space, with 8 academic departments, 183 administrative staff, and 264 academic staff members.
The physical infrastructure of the Faculty has been developed in a planned and gradual manner over the years. Initially consisting only of the building currently referred to as Block A, the campus was significantly expanded with the opening of Block B in 1995, which includes lecture halls, administrative units, faculty and research assistant clinics, as well as Phantom (Simulation) and Casting Laboratories. In 2021, Block C, housing several academic departments and clinics, was brought into service, further strengthening the Faculty’s infrastructure.
With the integration of the central operating theatre complex into the Faculty in 2025, the Faculty of Dentistry at Ege University attained the status of an Oral and Dental Health Hospital. This development has enabled the safe, effective, and high-quality provision of dental treatments under general anesthesia, particularly for individuals with disabilities.
By continuously strengthening its academic staff and infrastructure, the Faculty has evolved beyond being solely an institution providing undergraduate and postgraduate education. It now serves as a tertiary-level oral and dental healthcare provider and functions as a national reference center in the field of oral and dental health.
The undergraduate dental education program, which has a duration of five years, includes a multidisciplinary clinical training model in its final year. This model, first implemented in Türkiye at our Faculty in 1985, allows fifth-year students to develop a holistic approach to patient care and enhance their clinical decision-making skills. While remaining committed to its long-standing traditions and values, the Faculty continuously updates its curriculum and course content in line with contemporary educational approaches, taking into account feedback from students, academic staff, and stakeholders.
In this context, the Faculty became the first faculty of dentistry in Türkiye to receive educational accreditation from the Association for Dental Education Programs Accreditation (DEPAD) in 2022. Following the interim evaluation conducted in 2025, the accreditation validity was extended until 2028.
Within the scope of its internationalization efforts, the Faculty has been actively participating in student and academic staff exchange programs under the Erasmus Program since 1987. In addition, it continues to develop international academic collaborations through the Orhun Exchange Program and bilateral agreements.
In conclusion, with its more than half-century-long institutional history, strong academic staff, research-oriented approach, contemporary educational philosophy shaped by social responsibility, and service model centered on preventive and protective dentistry practices, the Faculty of Dentistry at Ege University stands among the leading faculties of dentistry in Türkiye.
