Since we are the only institute in Sri Lanka to promote dental education and research, and also possess our own dental teaching hospital, we have a tremendous role in encouraging both basic and clinical research to address local and global needs in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of oral diseases.

Generally, the standard of the faculty research activities are assured through the faculty ethics review committee and the faculty research committee. The ethics review committee is involved in reviewing the ethical and scientific standards of the projects and granting approval for research projects while the faculty research committee is engaged in funding research grants through university research grants and monitoring undergraduate and postgraduate research projects. In addition, the senate research committee, the apex body in monitoring Peradeniya university research activities and the international research centre of the university which facilitates international collaborative research always help us in maintaining the standard of our research. Moreover the researchers are encouraged to present their findings in local and international research forums.

Research activities in our faculty are supported by local granting bodies such as the UGC (through university research grants), NSF and NRC. Some researchers are supported by international funding bodies through international collaborators.

Our industrial collaborations have also enhanced our research potential, especially in the field of natural products.

Our MOUs with world renounced international universities have promoted high-tech collaborative research, facilitating publications in peer-reviewed indexed journals with high impact factors.

Our researchers have acclaimed many local and international awards for their research publications. We have several presidential award winners every year, a CVCD excellence award winner and a Hatton award winner for excellence in research.

The international patents possessed by our academic staff provide evidence for the strength of our research capacity.

We have incorporated an undergraduate research project into the new 5 year curriculum implemented in 2016. In addition, an undergraduate research symposium is organized from 2019 to communicate findings of the undergraduate research projects. At this event, students excelled in research are rewarded. In the same year, we have initiated a rewarding system for the best performed academic researcher also.