The mission of the Division of Dental Public Health is to promote critical analysis of social, behavioral, and policy-influenced factors that affect oral health outcomes in both individual patients and the entire population. These goals are achieved through a comprehensive didactic and experiential learning curriculum that begins in year one of the pre-doctoral program and culminates with the Dental Student 4th year (DS4) community clinical rotations. We strive to develop curricula that lay the foundation for the student's life-time professional development, commitment to service and community collaboration, and ensure awareness of the comprehensive and complex nature of health care for vulnerable populations.

Sustainable public prevention programs and dental health services require a professional workforce committed to patient-centered care, evidence-based approaches, and inter-professional dialogue to achieve the best possible oral health outcomes. The OHSU Division of Dental Public Health seeks to foster these characteristics at every stage of the pre-doctoral student's educational process.

The Division of Dental Public Health is a resource to the state of Oregon. By nurturing the characteristics described above in the graduating professional, we are fulfilling the core mission of public health dentistry while creating vital pipelines between our institution and the entire Oregon community.