Department of Oral Medicine and Periodontology was established in 1985 at the time the Faculty of Dental Sciences opened as a new Faculty of the University of Peradeniya. The Department moved to spacious facilities when the Dental Sciences were commissioned in June 1998 in the new building complex near the Peradeniya teaching hospital.
Department of Oral Medicine & Periodontology consists of four different academic divisions namely Oral Medicine and Radiology, Periodontology, Pharmacology and Microbiology, and thus forms the largest Department in the Faculty. The academic program of the Department consists of teaching students in the 2nd year, 3rd year and 4th year at any given time of the year. Moreover, among the four academic disciplines, two academic sections are clinical, where the students work in designated clinics under close supervision, and clinical teaching is on one-to-one basis. The Department is immensely involved in research activities and clinical trials with the collaboration of the other Departments of the Dental Faculty.