Key players

UDENTE was developed by King’s College London under the name of IVIDENT .The dental school at King’s is the largest in the UK. and King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher 2007) England.  A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has 19,300 students from more than 130 countries, and 5,000 employees. It has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research.

King’s research

The College is in the top group of UK universities for research earnings and has an annual income of approximately £400 million. King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the health sciences, natural sciences, engineering, humanities and law and has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. Today it is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe and is home to five Medical Research Council Centres – more than any other university.

King’s Health Partners

King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are working together to create the UK's largest Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC). The AHSC, known as King’s Health Partners www.kingshealthpartners.org/, will bring together the widest range of clinical and research expertise in the UK – strengths that will be used to drive improvements in care for patients, allowing them to benefit from breakthroughs in medical science and receive leading edge treatment at the earliest possible opportunity.

Professor Patricia A Reynolds BDS MBBS MAODE(Open) PhD FDSRCS(Eng)(Edin)

An award winning educationalist and innovator in her field, Patricia A. Reynolds has a full professorship at King’s College London in Dental Education. With numerous awards and publications to her name, including the 2008 Medical Futures commendation award for UDENTE, Professor Reynolds, a specialist Oral Surgeon, has spearheaded both the vision and delivery of the world’s first virtual dental school.   She fervently believes that the quality of dental education and thereby patient dental care will be much improved through creating a global community of dental professionals.

A message from Dean and Head of the Dental Institute, King’s College London, Professor Nairn Wilson CBE

"Here at King’s College London, we are delighted to announce the establishment of the world’s first virtual dental school.  In keeping with the tradition of innovation that is so firmly rooted within King’s College London, UDENTE is set to change radically the way in which we support the education of all those entering and working within the dental professions, not only in the UK but around the world.

In supporting the future growth of UDENTE, we now have the opportunity to create a unique community of dental professionals working to improve dental and oral healthcare.

Through fully exploiting the potential of the next generation of technology, UDENTE offers a host of unrivalled opportunities.  Amongst these is the ability to:

• share our specialist knowledge seamlessly between Continents
• plug specific gaps in information and curriculum delivery that are so often faced by dental schools today
• create and maintain up-to-date electronic student records and timetables.

But of greater significance is the opportunity this new technology brings for all of us to work as a single global community of professionals no matter where in the world you are or how isolated you may be. In embracing this change through UDENTE, together we will make an enormous contribution towards improving dental and oral health care on a worldwide scale.  In doing so, we will also continue to enhance the development and reputation of the dental professions, which can only be best achieved by radically cutting across geographical barriers.

As with all those who have lent their support during the developmental stage, I now hope you too will have the vision and foresight to support UDENTE.  And with your support we are certain that it will continue to develop over the coming years.  I can assure you that all materials offered through UDENTE have been through the King’s College quality assurance process, which is an integral part of its development in helping us to deliver the very best in dental education.  

I look forward to your support for UDENTE, through which I hope we will nurture a truly unique working relationship."