University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry

The Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry has a strong commitment and a proven track record of attending to underserved populations and developing innovative programs to improve the oral health of California communities.

The School’s record of community involvement includes its Community-Based System for Oral Health for People With Special Needs, which is supported by The California Endowment. Through this project, the School established the Statewide Task Force for People with Special Needs, which has been successful in bringing together diverse stakeholders concerned with this area.

Project Activities
Over the next four years, the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry will:

1. Increase to an average of 60 days per year the time that students and residents spend in community-based experiences treating underserved patients.
2. Create new residency positions and expand the number of residency sites.
3. Create a Year of Service and Learning program, an accredited year-long residency based in community clinics that tend to underserved populations.
4. Integrate cultural competency into the curriculum so that students go beyond competency to cultural proficiency.
5. Continue planning faculty retreats, development days and orientations to train faculty and staff to be more aware of diversity and cultural competency.
6. Provide extra-curricular programs, such as special panel discussions and events honoring Black History Month and the Persian New Year (Norooz) Celebration, to keep the dental school community involved with cultural competency issues.
7. Identify high schools and colleges with high numbers of health care professional students and expose them to the advantages of careers in the dental profession.
8. Increase scholarships for underrepresented minority and low-income students.
9. Work with colleges and universities that have pre-dental programs to increase the number of underrepresented minority applicants.
10. Work with other California dental schools to develop and implement public policy and educational reforms to sustain efforts to improve access to care.