The Department of Developmental Biology encompasses the clinical specialties of pediatric dentistry and orthodontics, as well as scientists focused on basic research. Members of the department teach and mentor postdoctoral fellows, orthodontics fellows, pediatric dental residents, students enrolled in the DMD program, MD and PhD candidates at Harvard Medical School, and undergraduate students at Harvard University.

Full-time clinical faculty practice dentistry in the Harvard Dental Center's Faculty Group Practice, the Department of Dentistry at Boston Children’s Hospital, and at Massachusetts General Hospital; part-time clinical faculty maintain private dental practices.

Full time faculty with labs at HSDM conduct research in early embryonic development, skeletal and vascular morphogenesis, the regulation of tissue growth and repair, osteoarthritis, fibrosis and osteoporosis.