The School of Dentistry’s Department of Dental Public Health is committed to improving access to oral healthcare and eliminating the oral-health disparities in various communities, such as homeless veterans and the geriatric community.

One way we accomplish this is by educating and training our pre-doctoral students to respond to these needs through study and application of:

• The Sociology and Psychology of Dentistry
• The Epidemiology of Oral Conditions
• Health Policy and the Planning of Oral Health Services
• Organization and Delivery of Care to Patient Populations with Special Needs
• Knowledge and Skills in Interpersonal Communication
• Needs Assessment and Treatment Planning
• Consultative and Inter-professional Relations
• Quality AssuranceCoordination of Dental Team Responsibilities
• Principles of Proactive Management
• Cultural Competency (ADA compliant)

We also provide quality, community-based oral healthcare through collaborations and partnerships within in the Nashville community. By meeting the current needs of others today, we are developing Dental Public Health champions of tomorrow.

The landscape of public health is ever-changing, and for dental health professionals to anticipate, assess, initiate, or respond to change effectively, they must have a firm grasp of population-based analysis, health service delivery systems, financing health services, basic health, and research design. Our challenging curriculum, diverse staff of experts, and solid, firsthand training opportunities develop public health professionals who know what it means to serve and support the public—particularly those individuals who have been overlooked by others.