The Apollonian Society

Expanding the Traditional Boundaries of Dental Education

Since our inception, the UCLA School of Dentistry has focused on achieving and maintaining excellence in four main areas: a comprehensive dental education, cutting-edge research, quality patient care and public service. Over the past five decades, these four main areas of focus have propelled the School of Dentistry to being one of the premier dental schools on the national and international stage. However, it is our students that generate our greatest pride, for they are truly the future of oral healthcare.

Each year, more than 1,700 applicants vie for just 88 spots in our incoming class. Accepted students have some of the highest average Dental Admissions Test score in the entire nation. These extraordinary individuals will one day be leaders in fields of dentistry and oral health, education and innovation. For this reason, their experiences at UCLA Dentistry remain our trip priority.

In 2004, the UCLA School of Dentistry’s Apollonian annual fund was transformed into the membership-based Apollonian Society, which is dedicated to enhancing the student experience. Your gift plus the vision of student and alumni leaders allows the Apollonian society to enhance their experience through such efforts as a White Coat Ceremony for first-year students and a Patient Care Fund that enables low-income patients to continue treatment and allows students to complete critical clinical procedures. The Apollonian Society also supports the purchase of new equipment to enhance patient care and provides resources for evening workshops, student-initiated projects, reunions and renovations.

In 2017, the UCLA School of Dentistry established the Apollonian Society Community Dentistry Fund in order to support community-based oral health care sites across Los Angeles County. At these sites, our student dentists deliver oral health care to underserved populations, while enhancing their knowledge and skills to become the next generation of compassionate oral healthcare providers. Spearheaded by Dr. Bill Piskorowski, a national expert who previously conceived and implemented a similar program to great success, the Community Based Clinical Education program provides UCLA Dentistry students with robust external clinical experiences to help develop the attitudes and skills necessary for continued professional growth.

At the UCLA School of Dentistry, we are proud of our position at the forefront of discovery and education for a new era of dentistry and health. With your support, even more accomplishments lie ahead.