If the human body were a car, the mouth would be its most vital diagnostic port—an early warning system that’s often overlooked. Today’s dentists recognize that oral signals—from inflamed gums to persistent dryness—aren’t just minor dashboard alerts. These symptoms are hardwired to the body’s core systems, potentially flagging serious conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even Alzheimer’s.
At UFCD, our researchers and clinicians don’t merely respond to these warnings—they’re rewriting the manual on whole-body health and chronic disease prevention. This vision comes to life at the intersection of disciplines. We train dentists to be expert diagnosticians who collaborate with physicians to decode the body’s earliest signals and craft strategic treatment and prevention plans. Our integrated DMD/PhD program embodies this philosophy, preparing a new generation of clinician-scientists to bridge the gap between laboratory research and clinical care.
The mouth is one of the body’s most revealing indicators of overall health—an early warning system that’s often overlooked. Modern dentistry recognizes that symptoms like inflamed gums, chronic dryness, or persistent oral infections are not isolated nuisances. These signs can be the body’s first signals of deeper systemic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s.
At UFCD, our researchers and clinicians are not just treating symptoms – they are decoding them. By interpreting oral health as a gateway, we are using these signals to rewrite the manual on whole-body wellness and reshaping the future of preventive care and chronic disease management.
This vision comes to life through interdisciplinary collaboration. We train dentists to be expert diagnosticians who work alongside physicians to interpret the body’s earliest warnings and develop integrated treatment strategies. This philosophy is epitomized by our combined DMD/PhD program, which prepares a new generation of clinician-scientists to bridge the gap between the research bench and dental operatory.
Our Department of Oral Biology, a research powerhouse with 19 faculty generating nearly $10 million in annual funding, is accelerating discovery at critical frontiers in areas ranging from immunology and oral infectious diseases to the human microbiome.
Their work includes pioneering new ways to fight bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, as well as and developing vaccine strategies to protect against periodontal bone loss. With oral diseases affecting 3.5 billion people globally, this kind of integrated approach is not just innovative – it’s essential.
The diabetes-oral health connection is a powerful example of this systemic research in action. Recognizing that patients with diabetes face twice the risk of developing periodontal disease, UFCD researchers are targeting this vicious cycle. Our researchers are working to uncover and understand the biological mechanisms behind this connection, aiming to disrupt the cycle and improve outcomes for millions. By looking through a comprehensive lens, our scientists are mapping the complex relationships between oral health and the rest of the body. When it comes to translating research into positive patient impacts, it’s not just UFCD dentists-in-training and resident specialists who benefit. The insights coming out of our labs are empowering providers across the U.S. – and around the globe — with new tools to fight oral diseases and its far-reaching consequences.
By “popping the hood” on oral health and examining diseases from every angle, our researchers are mapping the intricate circuitry between the mouth and the rest of the body. And when it comes to translating discovery into impact, the ripple effect extends far beyond our students and resident specialists. The breakthroughs emerging from UFCD labs are empowering providers across the nation—and around the world—to tackle oral diseases and the systemic conditions they influence.