The Department of Developmental Sciences is one of four departments within the School of Dentistry.

Department Chair

Dr. Cesar D. Gonzalez Dr. Cesar D. Gonzalez completed his dental education at the University of San Luis Potosi, Mexico in 1983. He earned a specialty certificate in Pediatric Dentistry and Master of Sciences degree from the University of Minnesota in 1988. He is board certified from the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and an active member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. He joined the Marquette University School of Dentistry faculty ranks in 1989. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. (Read more)

Associated Postdoctoral Programs

Advanced Educational Program in Orthodontics

Orthodontic training at Marquette is provided in a 26.5 month program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The orthodontic residents are certified dentists who are being trained to be specialists in orthodontics. Orthodontic faculty are certified dentists who have completed two to three years of specialty training in an accredited orthodontic residency program beyond their four years of dental school training. Most orthodontic faculty are board certified by the ABO. First-year residents normally take on an initial caseload of 40–50 patients, then receive an additional transfer of 50 patients during the second year of their training. (Read more)

Associated Predoctoral Programs

Pre-doctoral Program in Pediatric Dentistry

The pre-doctoral program in pediatric dentistry strives to educate dental students to improve pediatric oral health care to children from birth to 13 years through evidence-based didactic and clinical practice, interdisciplinary team care, research, and community service.

Our clinic provides comprehensive dental care to healthy and special health care needs children from a very diverse ethnic background which enhances the sense of community in our students. 
In addition to providing treatment in our main pediatric dentistry clinic, students also provide comprehensive oral care to children in a community clinic located in the south-side of Milwaukee. Students in both clinics are supervised by our pediatric dentistry faculty.

Our program includes four full-time and ten part-time faculty for our didactic, pre-clinic, and clinic educational objectives. Our didactic curriculum includes development of the dentition, behavior management, examination, diagnosis and treatment planning, orthodontic assessment and space management, child abuse and neglect, caries risk assessment and preventive services, local anesthesia, restorative procedures, pulp therapy, trauma, gingivitis and periodontal disease in children, hospital dentistry for the pediatric patient, Children with special health care needs, pediatric oral and maxillofacial pathology and oral surgery for the pediatric patient.

Our clinic provides diagnostic and treatment planning, preventive, restorative, pulp therapy, trauma, oral surgery, and space management. For apprehensive children our clinic also offers treatment with nitrous oxide oxygen analgesia. For young patients with extensive dental needs we offer either in-office sedation with the help of a dental anesthesiologist or general anesthesia at Children’s Wisconsin.

Predoctoral Program in Behavioral Sciences

The pre-doctoral program in behavioral sciences focuses on content and skills development derived from the fields of health psychology/behavioral medicine, communications, professional ethics, and lifespan human development. In particular, the curriculum is focused on helping students develop skills in biopsychosocial case conceptualization and to understand factors that contribute to lasting oral health behavior change (e.g., helping patients overcome barriers of fear, anxiety, or pain; motivational interviewing; health literacy). Initially, students develop an understanding of relevant foundational principles in behavioral and social sciences through didactics and then progress to applying these principles in standardized and actual patient settings. There is also a strong integration with content from the ethics curriculum.

Full-Time Faculty

Orthodontics

• Dr. Dawei Liu
• Dr. William Lobb
• Dr. Marinho Del Santo, Jr.

Pediatric dentistry

• Dr. Cesar Gonzalez
• Dr. Brian Hodgson
• Dr. Hamdi Cem Gungor
• Dr. Sarah Mahmoud