Accredited dental school
University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
155 5th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry is a dental school in San Francisco, CA with an accredited predoctoral program. Dental degrees are earned in part by treating patients under supervision, so many schools run clinics that anyone can apply to as a patient.
Fees at a teaching clinic are set by the school and are usually well below private practice rates, though the care is reduced-cost rather than free. In exchange, appointments are longer and treatment can take more visits than it would elsewhere. California has 7 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the California page.
What This School Publishes for Patients
This school screens new patients before taking them on. It publishes a screening charge of $105, payable at that first visit. Being screened is not the same as being accepted: the school is deciding whether your case suits its students and its teaching schedule.
Some insurance is accepted here. Plans and public programs change from year to year, so confirm yours by name rather than asking whether insurance is taken in general.
At the time this was read, the school said it was accepting new patients. That changes with the academic year, so it is worth confirming on the phone.
The school lists a patient line on 888.372.0892 and clinic hours on its patient pages. Both change between academic terms, so check again shortly before you travel.
Common Questions
Can I come just for a cleaning?
Sometimes, but not always at the dental school. Several schools route simple preventive work to the dental hygiene program instead, where it is cheaper and quicker to get an appointment. If a cleaning is all you need, ask about that route first.
Which insurance plans are accepted?
The school says it accepts some insurance, but plans and public programs change from year to year. Call with the plan name printed on your card rather than asking whether insurance is taken in general. Adult dental coverage under California Medicaid is decided at state level; our Medicaid dental page covers how to check yours.
Will I see the same person at every visit?
Usually yes for the student, which is one of the better features of this route: your case belongs to one person for the whole course of treatment. The supervising faculty member may change from session to session, and the practice varies by school.
How long will a course of treatment take?
Longer than at a private practice, and the gap widens with the amount of work. Individual appointments often run two to three hours because each stage is reviewed, and clinics slow down or close between terms. Someone needing several crowns should expect months rather than weeks.
How is this different from a dental hygiene clinic?
A hygiene clinic is staffed by hygiene students and does preventive work only — cleanings, X-rays, sealants, gum treatment. It cannot fill a cavity or pull a tooth. For preventive care it is cheaper and easier to book; for anything else you need the dental school or a dentist.
What if something goes wrong with the work later?
Schools generally stand behind treatment in the same way a practice does, and problems are reviewed by faculty. What differs is continuity: the student who treated you may have graduated. Ask what the policy is for remakes and repairs, and keep your treatment paperwork.
What a Teaching Clinic Is Like
Care is normally split between a student clinic doing general dentistry at the lowest prices, graduate clinics where qualified dentists train in a specialty and charge more, and a faculty practice priced near private practice.
Two things surprise most first-time patients. Nearly every school screens you before agreeing to treat you, and being screened is not the same as being accepted. And appointments run long — often two to three hours — because an instructor checks the work as it goes, so a course of treatment can take months and follows the academic calendar.
Our guide to dental schools and teaching clinics covers the screening process, how the discount works on laboratory costs, and what to ask before the first appointment in more detail.
Before You Call
Schools commonly keep the patient clinic on a different line, and occasionally at a different address, from the school office. Ask before you travel.
- Which clinic would handle the treatment you need — the student clinic, a specialty clinic, or the faculty practice — and does it have its own waiting list?
- What are the fees for that treatment, and do they include laboratory work for crowns or dentures?
- Would your case go to the student clinic or a graduate clinic, and what is the price difference between them?
- What is the policy if you have to cancel or cannot make an appointment?
- Are evening or Saturday appointments available, or is it weekdays only?
Accreditation
Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2029. It reviews the program every few years against a national standard for teaching. Patient access, fees and waiting times are outside what it looks at.
Other Accredited Dental Schools in California
California has 7 accredited dental schools altogether. If this one is full or the wait is too long, the others are separate institutions with separate lists:
- University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry — San Francisco, the same city
- California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine — Elk Grove
- Loma Linda University School of Dentistry — Loma Linda
- Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California — Los Angeles
- University of California at Los Angeles School of Dentistry — Los Angeles
The full California list has the rest.
Other Low-Cost Options in California
- Community health center dental clinics in California — priced against your household income rather than by using students, which makes them the better option if your income is low and your need is routine.
- Dental hygiene programs in California — teaching clinics for cleanings, X-rays, sealants and gum treatment at low cost. They do not do fillings or extractions.
- Free and charitable dental care in California — genuinely free where you qualify, but the criteria are narrow and waiting lists close without notice.
- How dental school clinics work — a general guide to screening, fees, and what to expect across the country.
Other Dental Schools Nearby
- California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine — Elk Grove, CA
- Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California — Los Angeles, CA
- Loma Linda University School of Dentistry — Loma Linda, CA
- University of California at Los Angeles School of Dentistry — Los Angeles, CA
- University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry — San Francisco, CA