I can’t speak for UKCD but I currently do research at ULSD as an undergrad and love it there. ULSD has a PhD/DMD program (7 years total) that is free tuition + stipend which is great if you’re into research. My PI and others are very fun and easy to talk to and the research is so interesting. I know that there is a summer research opportunity for ULSD students where they can do research and receive a stipend that can go towards tuition which is amazing (I worked with some dental students in my lab this summer and they love ULSD). There’s also lots of different research showcase/conference opportunities to present as well. ULSD is also located downtown in Louisville which is a much larger city than Lexington so you’ll always have something to do (great food!). I also know of way more dentists that graduated from ULSD (but it could also be because ULSD is a bigger class and lots stay in Louisville after graduating). ULSD students are assigned patients starting D3 I believe, but can also find their own so it seems like there’s a decent patient inflow, especially since Louisville is a large city with lots of patients going to ULSD for dental care. As far as specialities, I’ve been told that the residency training is strong from orthos, surgeons, endos, etc. and it seems that a decent amount specialize especially for being a state school. I’m sure there are some flaws and complaints with the school as there are with any dental schools, but from what I’ve heard and read ULSD is a pretty solid dental school overall.
